How can you tell whether a favorite activity such as playing golf or working jigsaw puzzles has grown beyond leisure activity into a positive addiction? According to Dr. William Glasser, author of Positive Addiction, the activity gives you such happiness and confidence that you:

• spend about an hour most days engaging in it
• feel discomfort such as anxiety, sluggishness, irritability, etc. when deprived of it

The following I have found while doing a google:

Differentiating positive and negative addiction

According to the book “Coping with Addiction”, positive addiction is an activity in which the benefits outweigh the price. Psychologist A. Tom Horvath applauds positive addictions as healthy substitutes for those struggling with negative addictions such as smoking, alcoholism, gambling, etc.

Now how do your positive addictions affect you? Are they small or getting to be borderline? Check the list and see what you think:

• you find it impossible to take a break from the activity, even for illness, a family crisis, etc.
• you continue the activity against your doctor’s orders and jeopardize your health
• you’ve started to exclude other pleasures from your life (such as time with loved ones, other hobbies)
• the activity is all you think and talk about
• loved ones express concern about your behavior
• you are concerned about your behavior
• the activity dominates your life

Here are a few scenarios that might help illustrate when a positive addiction has turned negative:

• continuing to run after your doctor warns that your knee needs a break from high impact
• refusing a break from exercise, golf, gardening, etc. when you have a fever, flu or other illness that requires rest
• being unable to stop knitting or sculpting even when you develop painful carpal tunnel syndrome
• increasing the time you spend on the Internet to the point that your family feels neglected
• not being able to agree with your loved ones on vacation plans for fear that you won’t have access to your activity for 1 week

Resuming balance

So what can you do to rectify your behavior?

• Moderate the activity—reduce the number of hours each week that you engage in it.
• Explore other interests that might meet the same need without threatening your health—replace running with biking or swimming; knitting with a craft that doesn’t bother your wrists; Web surfing with reading, puzzles, etc.
• Seek the help of a mental health professional if you fear your behavior is out of your control.

(Source info)

Well there you go! Monitor your chocolate intake…. And your work addiction. But that’s a story for another day.