Good post, spacejunk. However, I think psychological addiction, in some way, is worst than physical addiction - but I guess that can be debated and argued until kingdom come. Yes that tends to be how addiction starts, the person uses a slight amount on a regular basis - then one day something may happen to trigger it, but sometimes it doesn't, it just happens, the person thinks "I'll try just a bit more," or "I'll get just a bit more and it will last longer, I won't have to purchase any for a while," but it never works out that way; the person tends to use up more because it's then and continues the cycle on and on, deeper and deeper - whilst having all these warped thoughts through your head like "I can't possibly be happy without that drugs, I was never happy without that, my life was dull, I can't bear to be sober, I just can't bare it" etc, etc, etc.
Splif, it's good that you are talking things through with us all and seeing the signs. Awareness is a good thing because once addiction, the person tends to deny it Hey I went to SIX recovery forums insisting to them all that "I was not an addict," Who was I trying to convince; them or myself (I still don't like that word now, but because I don't like labels!)
Evey