From Toads to Toddies: An Overview of Addictive Behaviour

Abstract

Addictive behaviour concerns behaviours which are appetitive (i.e. characterised by a desire to satisfy an ‘appetite’) and excessive. The ‘excessive appetite’¹ may be for consumption of drugs, alcohol, chocolate or any number of other substances; or it may be a behaviour such as gambling, eating, golf, fishing, playing computer games, stealing, or even working — you name it, it can become an addiction. Given this diversity, it seems likely that our search for a common understanding of the addictions will have to take account of more than one theoretical approach, and will probably include a combination of biological, sociological and psychological factors. The remainder of this chapter attempts to give a ‘taste’ of these combined factors.