Thank you for the extra info.
It's always much more reliable to hear it from someone who sees it with his own eyes than to listen to our media feed us what they wish to feed us.
As for the addictions, I think all of us fight them in one way or another, some to more extremes than others. The patterns do shape us, but like you say, it is a struggle to not let them dominate us - sometimes the struggles last a lifetime. It looks like your approach is leading you on the right path though... :-)