"No one injects a slot machine into their veins, yet surely there are gambling addicts out there. " Pfft! You obviously need access to larger syringes. Crap...what is going to happen when that hits my heart?...
"Addiction" was a word in common use long before the chemical nature of matter (and hence the very concept of any individuals' physical dependence on a substance) had been elucidated. The term was adopted by biochemists in the 20th C. and in the context of drug use has a more specific and technical meaning - it has been jargonized. Yet to state that a person is eg. addicted to religion, or to rapine, is not an improper use of the word, as such a use predates the advent of 19th century chemistry. That drugs which can lead to physical (bio-chemical)...
Well, UC, I continue to find myself surprised at how few people don't know that going cold turkey from alcohol dependency can lead to death (likewise for barbituates), hence "rehab" is actually necessary. Heroin withdrawal is, for the most part, not dangerous though it is apparently extremely unpleasant. In either case, however, I think the demonizing of addictions (and the people who have them) comes from most people's reactions to the personality and lifestyle changes, which they believe are the cause of the addiction rather than much more of a symptom....