The 4 C's of Addiction are:
Craving: The urge to use feels like a physical need, like hunger, and is just as demanding. "Craving" in the context of addiction is not much different from craving water when you're thirsty. The drug has become associated with a vital, life-giving action, even though it's the absolute opposite.
Compulsion: Using is an absolute must. The addict feels an overpowering urge to use. While use may be impulsive at the earliest stages of addiction, use/abuse of substances will soon become compulsive--that is, not performing the behavior will cause agonizing anxiety and impair all other activities.
Crappy Control: Control over when, how, or if the person uses a substance vanishes. If the individual plans to only have two beers a day, but drinks a six pack a day all week, we have a problem! Often in early addiction, the individual does have an understanding they're heading for severe difficulty and will attempt to reduce or eliminate their drug abuse on their own. If they fail, their addiction will veer out of control. Success is unlikely without professional help and support.
Consequences: The person in question continues to use/abuse substances, even though there are negative consequences as a result of their use of drugs. "Negative consequences" are naturally tied to each person's circumstances, but we can all agree that arrests, car accidents, blackouts, DWI/DUI's, ER visits, work trouble, increased conflict, and a whole boatload of other bad outcomes come with addiction.
