We as human beings become dependent on many things in life (not only drugs) and whenever this has happened we must either live without it or we must become slaves to said things. Take alcohol, a common example. Many people have the ability drink one single shot of whiskey and simply stop drinking. Other people will have a compelling urge to continue drinking to the point where it may be toxic in average human beings.

What is it that compels the mind to become so dependent on such things?

Biochemistry

We're habitual animals.

Pretty much the root of the problem.

Most, if not all things a person can get addicted too are dopamine stimulants: Sex, food, alcohol and other drugs.

Dopamine's effect can best be described as simply making you feel good and it's one of the most important survival mechanisms in humans and a variety of other animals (biologically, Humans are animals).
It makes us want to eat, it makes us want to reproduce.
It also makes us want to do drugs, the difference being that drugs are not necessary to our survival as a species.

It's a funny way of looking at it:
Drugs are like an exploit of a flaw in our biochemical setup, a cheat to create massive amounts of dopamine (many times the amount of sex and food) that has nothing to do with surviving; the intended purpose of dopamine

Lack of self control, lack of personal responsibility.

We could almost say that everything we do, we do to feel good. It explains philanthropy, even learning. Learning is psychologically addictive - when we understand something, chemicals in the brain are released to make us feel good. So lifelong academic researchers who claim to do what they do for humanity might just be finding outlets for pleasure they cannot find socially.

And it's working pretty well doesn't it?
We do it because we like it, because our brain is programmed to release dopamine whenever we do something that benefits us as an individual or as a species, it explains so much things.

Not to say that a human mind is nothing more then bio-chemical reactions.
As long as you are aware of the influence your body has on your consiousness, you can control things like addiction and herding instinct and that is what makes a strong-willed individual in my opinion.

An addict is an addict due to the simple fact that he or she does not have much motivation in any other direction. An addict does not wake up an addict; in fact, one does realize the extent of their habit until they are without it.

My addiction is masterbation. It doesn't matter how much great and varied sex i'm getting, i still HAVE to wank at least 2 or 3 times a day.

i Used to be addicted to computer games...namely world of warcraft, prolem with the game was that every time you played it, you never felt like you had fulfilled something as the game never ended..... I went cold turkey and haven't played since, such a waste of time and I wish others would do the same thing I did.

"There really is no unselfish action."

So does that also mean that empathy is just a means of feeling pleasure? People with a strong sense of empathy tend to help others more and possibly derive more pleasure from helping other people.

That sure is a depressive thought.

That would also mean that one could become addicted to helping others.

I do not think it is as depressive as it seems. The fact that we have a capacity to care for others and that some of us take action to help and protect them, is more significant than the pleasure we derive from these actions. What I think of a "good person" is someone that is able have feelings for other people and has the will to act to help them (because they want to) over and above any moral obligation to do so (because they are morally obliged to).

I don't see it as a negative thing,KingHenry and I wouldn't be too quick to tag it an addiction. Maybe your appreciation for varied sex as you have so tastefully put it includes sex with yourself which is wanking as we know it.