The Line Separating Addiction From Simple Pursuit Of Pleasure

“In normal circumstances, there is an internal relationship between what we do and the satisfactions that result. … You read the book, and the pleasure results from reading itself; it is not a state imposed on you by having read. With addiction, in contrast, the relationship between action and pleasure is … mere cause and effect; you press the button, the elevator goes up. There is no such thing as learning to press the button well.”