"Treat addiction as automatic habit, not moral failure Researcher Eric Garland explains that addiction follows the same neurological learning loop as any skill: behavior, reward, reinforcement, repetition — until the behavior fires "outside of the conscious intention to engage in the behavior and outside of even conscious awareness." He illustrates this with finding himself scrolling his phone without ever deciding to pick it up. Recognizing that addictive behavior is automatized — not a character flaw — changes the intervention from willpower to awareness training, which is both more compassionate and more effective. Source: Eric Garland, Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris, MORE Protocol Episode"