[endoblast]

I used to think the same when people spoke of social media being addictive, but not any more. Drugs aren't autonomous either, however they clearly do remove some people's autonomy. I can well imagine now that a person could be addicted, particularly if he's grown up with it and has used it in the past to avoid facing his problems.

“Thus, a good man, though a slave, is free; but a wicked man, though a king, is a slave. For he serves, not one man alone, but what is worse, as many masters as he has vices.” ― Augustine of Hippo

(Not saying anybody around here is wicked just remembering a striking quote)

[voidhorse]

To add to your point, there's science behind it. What makes a drug addictive is the fact that, after you start using it, certain behavioral patterns move from conscious brain centers to habit driven centers. That's what makes addiction so hard to break, couple that with further biological dependence formation.

I would not be at all surprised if the same phenomenon can happen with internet addiction, if maybe in a more benign form as far as bodily consequences go.

So no, drugs are not "autonomous" but to act like it's an easy matter to simply refuse to do them once you've started is an attitude that's shockingly ignorant of much of the modern understanding of addiction.

[simianparrot]

I didn’t claim it was easy. I even advice getting professional help if the situation is so bad that the person’s own willpower is not enough.

Drugs have additional chemical and physiological impacts that make them a very different beast, but obviously addiction can still be brutal even if it’s “just” an experience — look no further than gambling. For which most countries have strict laws and regulations, particularly when it comes to children.

But let’s also not infantilise adults: People need to take responsibility for their own behavioural patterns.