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iQuestions Faculty, Dr. David Eckman 
 
 
Question: 
 
What is the difference between compulsion and addiction? 
 
Answer: 
 
It’s really important to understand the difference between compulsion 
and addiction. Compulsion is what goes on in the brain. It’s when the 
brain begins to revolve around some addictive behavior— such as food 
addiction, such as pornography— where the brain just keeps repeating 
the same thoughts, the same sensations, over and over again. 
 
Addiction kicks in when that compulsive thinking, those compulsive 
emotions spread out into life and relationships, and we begin to 
damage ourselves. It’s when damaging effects fall into relationships; 
it’s when we begin to spend excessive amounts of money on 
pornography; it’s when we begin to have health effects coming into 
our lives due to over-eating— and when we can’t stop ourselves, that’s 
addiction, the slavery. 
 
Many times, people who are caught up in compulsion make the 
mistake of thinking that they are addicted. The key to addiction is the 
damage in the life. If you’re struggling with compulsion, that’s a 
challenge, but that’s a challenge of the heart. It’s not a challenge of 
restructuring the life.  
 
Heart issues need to be addressed— the use of imagination, the 
management of emotions, the management of the pain— but when it 
comes to addiction, then it’s not only a restructuring of the heart, it’s a 
significant restructuring of the life. But for either, it’s important to 
 
 
realize there’s tremendous hope if practical, concrete steps are taken 
to manage compulsion and to manage addiction.  
  
 
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