--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Addiction is more malleable than you…" description: "\"Addiction is more malleable than you know. When people come to me for therapy, they often ask me whether their behavior constitutes a real addiction (o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/stanton-peele-39502_addiction_addiction-is-more-malleable-than-you-kno_1036310.jpg" --- # Addiction is more malleable than you know. When people… ![“Addiction is more malleable than you know. When people come to me for therapy, they often ask me whether their behavior constitutes a real addiction (or whether they are really alcoholic, etc.). My answer is that this is not the important question. The important questions are how many problems is…” quote by Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/stanton-peele-39502_addiction_addiction-is-more-malleable-than-you-kno_1036310.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/stanton-peele-39502_addiction_addiction-is-more-malleable-than-you-kno_1036310.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/stanton-peele-39502_addiction_addiction-is-more-malleable-than-you-kno_1036310.jpg) > “Addiction is more malleable than you know. When people come to me for therapy, they often ask me whether their behavior constitutes a real addiction (or whether they are really alcoholic, etc.). My answer is that this is not the important question. The important questions are how many problems is the involvement causing you, how much do you want to change it, and how can we go about change?” [Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanton-peele/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addiction is defined by its impact, not by labels; focus on problems caused and desire to change. **In simple terms:** Focus on problems and motivation, not labels. Key Takeaway Address the problems and commit to change. Themes addiction self-awareness behavior change Mood reflective encouraging Type self-help psychological When to use this quote - Therapy sessions - self-help groups - personal goal setting - health coaching Key Concepts Psychology motivation theory Questions to Reflect On - What problems does your habit cause? - How motivated are you to change? A Different Perspective Changing behavior is hard without support and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Alcoholics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholics/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Important questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-questions/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“-In discovery therapy you ask life’s questions and uncover the problems so u can recover the solution”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikechukwu-joseph/in-discovery-therapy-you-ask-life-s-questions-and-uncover-the/) [Ikechukwu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikechukwu-joseph/) > [Drugs are a bad habit, so why do it? Because, said Dimple, it isn't the heroin that we're addicted to, it's the drama of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-thayil/drugs-are-a-bad-habit-so-why-do-it-because-said-dimple-it-isn-t-the/) [Jeet Thayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-thayil/) > [“Having a man this good looking begging me for sex was the best therapy I could ask for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-robinson/having-a-man-this-good-looking-begging-me-for-sex-was-the-best/) [Lucy Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-robinson/) > [Twitter is a real addiction, like the color of it, the process of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-sweatshirt/twitter-is-a-real-addiction-like-the-color-of-it-the-process-of-it/) [Earl Sweatshirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-sweatshirt/) > [Footbal is very much an addiction for me. This is something that I really need in my life. This is something that if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-urschel/footbal-is-very-much-an-addiction-for-me-this-is-something-that-i/) John Urschel > [Addiction is a really hard thing to kick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addiction-is-a-really-hard-thing-to-kick/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [What is addiction, really? It is a sign, a signal, a symptom of distress. It is a language that tells us about a plight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/what-is-addiction-really-it-is-a-sign-a-signal-a-symptom-of-distress/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/want-to-be-ok-right-now-so-you-trade-that-for-having-a-good-life-in/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [The Drug War is an addiction, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-drug-war-is-an-addiction-really/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [For me, addiction never really included telling myself that everything was okay. By the time I was deep in my addictions, I knew things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-roberge/for-me-addiction-never-really-included-telling-myself-that-everything/) [Rob Roberge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-roberge/) > [It was an addiction. A pointless, self-destructive addiction. But really, is there any other kind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/it-was-an-addiction-a-pointless-self-destructive-addiction-but-really/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/you-want-to-be-ok-right-now-so-you-trade-that-for-having-a-good-life/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [The song is about knowing the end result of every situation you're in, and being able to play it out in your mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/the-song-is-about-knowing-the-end-result-of-every-situation-you-re-in/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [“That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/that-s-all-addiction-really-is-it-s-trading-away-the-future-so-you/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS 1.​What experiences do you want to have in this lifetime? 2.​How do you want to grow? 3.​How do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/the-three-most-important-questions-1-what-experiences-do-you-want-to/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) ## More by Stanton Peele > [When people can say to themselves - "What I'm doing is justified," there is little chance of their modifying a behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanton-peele/when-people-can-say-to-themselves-what-i-m-doing-is-justified-there/) [Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanton-peele/) > [People no longer know how to apologize, which is particularly noticeable among athletes, politicians, and entertainment figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanton-peele/people-no-longer-know-how-to-apologize-which-is-particularly/) [Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanton-peele/) > [We often say 'love' when we really mean, and are acting out, an addiction-a sterile, ingrown dependency relationship, with another person serving as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanton-peele/we-often-say-love-when-we-really-mean-and-are-acting-out-an-addiction/) [Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanton-peele/) > [The addictive experience is the totality of effect produced by an involvement; it stems from pharmacological and physiological sources, but takes its ultimate form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanton-peele/the-addictive-experience-is-the-totality-of-effect-produced-by-an/) [Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanton-peele/) > [“About 14 or 15 years ago, I was 60 years old, just a kid with a crazy dream. 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It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. 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The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Addiction is more malleable than you know. 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