Call me extremist but I would go further and say every addiction is
slavery, it doesn't matter if it's addiction to 'illegal' drugs​, medical
substances, alcohol, anti-depressants, sugar, gambling, bitcoin,
dopamine-releasing activities or thoughts. I think addictions have little
to do with substance and a lot with (the lack of) strong self-control; we
grow up in a culture (most of them around the globe) which encourages us to
live a hedonistic life (if we're wealthy enough to pay for it) mostly
because that's good for the economy of the producers but the effects on the
human body and mind are devastating. As the years pass, I've personally
come to think that what first looked like empowering substances (for me
psilocybin, weed, mdma), were just drugs messing with the part of my brain
that evaluates myself (the consciousness level) so I'm not really that sure
anymore. There are some mundane-looking substances (like the ones found in
common medicinal herbs) which seem to improve a little bit body and mind
which have shown good results and very little (or none) secondary effects.