ABSTRACT
The aim is to attempt a description of addiction from an existential-phenomenological perspective. It is important to survey the existing literature on addiction to create a context for the evolving description to be developed here. As the field is enormous and cannot be easily summarised, the focus will be limited to the leading “conceptions” of addictions; neuroscience, the twelve-step traditions, applied psychoanalysis, and cognitive-behavioural psychology. Current existential-phenomenological accounts or conceptions of addiction will also be reviewed.
