TALKING TABOO: this week's topic ADDICTION

there are a lot of folks out there that when they hear the word "ADDICTION", a picture of some deadbeat, missing-teeth, living on the streets, strung out dope junkie comes to mind. the truth is that many people are addicted to many things and no one would EVER know just by LOOKING at them.
webster defines addiction as

1. the quality or state of being addicted <addiction to reading>

2. compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal

broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

so what's the difference between a compulsion, an addiction and just a habit? i guess the word
addiction automatically means BAD; in other words, no one complains about milk addiction or a meat compulsion or a chocolate habit. ADDICTION also means something that the user doesn't WANT to do but CAN'T STOP.

so what are your addictions? mine is easy - alcohol. i like to drink; i DON'T like when i cannot drink; when i do drink, i tend to drink too much unless i make a very concerted effort not to over-indulge. i have to give myself a limit and then work at keeping that limit. i'm not alone and i'm not ashamed. I WILL BE IN CONTROL. PERIOD.