understanding addiction....

...because I sure don't. One of my best friends recently passed away in large part due to his addiction, alcohol. I kind of understand the drug or alcohol addict on the street who has mental issues or is trying to forget a poor life situation and ultimately falls into addiction. I have drank to forget certain things but was always aware of the path I was heading.

My friend however,while a social drinker, always seemed in control of his life. He had a beautiful, loving,caring wife. A house,well paying job. His children were raised right. He even had grandchildren. How an addiction can be more powerful than what he had in life puzzles me. I'm sure he had some demons that no one knew about and his addiction had really escaladed recently. Thank you in advance for your experiences or comments.