What is Addiction? A Clear Definition for Lean Discipline

Addiction is a topic that many people have different opinions about.

However, for Lean Discipline, we need a clear, simple, and most importantly, USEFUL definition of 'Addiction'.

I’m not here for a philosophical debate.

I’m here to provide a practical understanding on addiction that you can work with to make your life better.

And yes, you have addictions in this definition, like everyone else on this planet.

This definition that I’m going to present here aligns with the most widely accepted understanding by renowned neuroscientists.

One such expert is Dr. Anna Lembke, author of the excellent book Dopamine Nation, who has worked closely with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a prominent figure in neuroscience.

Understanding this definition of addiction is crucial for moving forward with Lean Discipline.

A Practical Definition of Addiction

Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, gives us valuable insights into understanding addiction.

She explains that addiction often stems from compulsive behaviors linked to the brain’s reward system, where the pursuit of short-term pleasure ends up creating long-term pain and regret​.

The definition of "addiction" in Lean Discipline is based on this and other neuroscientific studies, with a focus on making it clear and practical.

It can be easily identified and effectively worked on.

In the Lean Discipline context, I will refer to addiction as:

Addiction is doing something today that you already know your future self will regret, but you do it anyway.

Or in another words:

If today you know that in the coming days, weeks, or months, you don’t want to have done something—but you still end up doing it—that is addiction.

This may sound simple (and it is!), but it’s incredibly powerful. Here are some examples:

If you tell yourself, “I don’t want to drink alcohol this week,” but then you drink, you are addicted to alcohol.

On the other hand, if you consciously decide, "I want to drink every day for the next year," without regret, then you are not addicted by this definition, because there’s no conflict between your present actions and the desires you have for your future.

Of course, someone who absolutely cannot avoid alcohol, even when it causes significant problems in their life, is certainly more addicted to alcohol than someone simply trying to stick to a diet and fails by having a drink with friends.

Yes, these are different intensities of addiction (which is another important aspect for the second step, after identifying the addiction).

But in both cases, they are still addictions.

Understanding this definition is crucial because, even if you have only small, seemingly harmless addictions, together they can act as an anchor in your life.

Self-improvement, in the context of Lean Discipline, includes the journey to gradually eliminate addictions from your life—without perpetual sacrifices.

This applies to everything, not just substances.

A high-performing professional who lives a healthy lifestyle but can’t resist eating junk food—when they’ve planned not to—is considered addicted in this definition.

And again, the goal of this definition isn’t to just label behaviors for the sake of labeling.

The purpose is to provide a clear and precise definition for this kind of behavior, so it can be identified and worked around with the correct strategies and techniques.

It’s about making crystal clear the conflict between something you planned not to do, but ended up doing that exact thing today, regretting it shortly after.

The Science Behind Addiction

Dr. Lembke explains that addiction is driven by dopamine, the brain’s pleasure chemical.

Modern life surrounds us with high-dopamine stimuli—whether it’s food, social media, or substances—and over time, our pursuit of short-term pleasure can lower our baseline dopamine levels, making us crave more to feel normal​.

This makes it harder to align today’s actions with our future goals, leading to addiction.

The definition of addiction in the context of Lean Discipline not only fits the neuroscientific understanding of dopamine but goes beyond.

It fully embraces the power of dopamine in driving us to engage in behaviors we planned to avoid.

By understanding how this mechanism works, instead of wasting precious resources like motivation and willpower in an endless battle of sacrifice, Lean Discipline offers a new perspective on this struggle.

You don’t fight your addictions with sheer willpower—you fight them with strategies and techniques.

You manage and harness dopamine to your advantage.

This approach allows you to create a productive comfort zone, where sacrifices, willpower, and motivation aren’t the main drivers of change.

You’re no longer battling against a wild current; instead, you redirect the river of dopamine to power your own mill, turning resistance and procrastination into a flow of effortless productivity.