Question re: Addiction!

Pacemaker mentioned it might be interesting to discuss Running as an Addiction. Is it possible?

Dictionary.com defines addiction as: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

Does this fit your profile? Do you feel like running would cause sever trauma? What is severe trauma?

My response:
There is evidence that suggests that excercise, i.e. running, stimulates the same areas of the brain that are stimulated by drug use and overeating, both of which are recognized addictions. Stimulating these areas through drug use and/or eating eventually causes the destruction of the receptors that trigger those "good feelings" in the brain. This leads to a Teufelskreis of stimulation and destruction, requiring more drugs/food to stimulate them again, destroying more receptors, etc.
Running on the other hand stimulates these receptors, but for some reason this stimulation creates more receptors. Therefore, following the Teufelskreis of drugs, we stimulate, create receptors, then stimulate, create, each time the stimulation is greater as there are more receptors. In the end, it seems it's possible to become more addicted to running than to drugs. With the receptors so easily stimulated, it seems one could become obsessed with stimulating them.

I know that when I haven't run in awhile it feels great to do so. The high lasts for quite sometime. It also feels really great to be on a roll. For example, 4 weeks without a missed run has me even more committed to fitting in the 9 mile run I will have to do in Indianapolis than I otherwise would have been.

My theory is that running is an addiction. It does effect my life. I go for 3 hour runs. When you do that, somethings got to give. It may not be missing work, but something else has to suffer. One could argue, as I sure as hell would, that that 3 hour run increases my quality of life, making it all that much better. But 3 hours on the trail, is three hours not spent chatting with my partner or reading for school. It's an organized addiction, one I can stop doing, but not without emotional and physical trauma. Gained weight, depression, longing for that runners high. All are consequences of suddenly stopping a running regimine.

What do y'all think? Is running an addiction? Are you addicted? Is it possible/necessary to break the addiction?