The key factor in overcoming addiction is changing your belief systems.
Your beliefs control and affect your behavior and emotional states, and even your brain chemistry.
A belief is no more than a habitual pattern of thought, thoughts that you have thought over and over.
And, some thoughts you have thought so repetitively over time that they run automatically in your subconscious mind with out you being "consciously" aware of them.
Do you know our thoughts actually form a physical pattern in our brain called "neuronets"?

• And when these neuronets are stimulated by a similar thought, or thoughts, will fire a process in our brain that elicits a certain chemical response.
  
• And so, our brain can become addicted to these habitual patterns of thought and the chemical response they produce.
  People can even be addicted to negative emotions, such as depression, anger, or fear, because that is how their brain has been wired.
  
• Therefore all addictions whether physical or psychological are a form of chemical dependency.
  

Don't feel guilty or ashamed for this, most of us don't purposely and consciously wire our brain for addictions.
We just wanted to feel better, and did the best we knew how with what we knew at the time.
Science is making break throughs in how thought effects brain chemistry and behavior every day.
So don't blame yourself...
you simply did not have this information available.
The good news is: you can change these patterns of habitual thought, or neuronets, by introducing new patterns of thought.
Neuronets that no longer "fire" together, no longer "wire" together.
This does take some time and patience, and depending on the intensity of the addiction, there will be a period of discomfort caused by the withdrawal of the chemical responses from the old patterns of thought.
To be successful in experiencing freedom from an addiction, you have to be willing to think differently, and be willing to experience the period of withdrawal from the chemical reactions the addiction provides.
Simple in theory, but can be challenging in application.
Most people do not like change because it can be extremely uncomfortable...
which is understandable, because the premise of most addiction is the avoidance of uncomfortable and painful feelings.
Most people have developed their addiction as way to provide ease to their "dis-ease" and life in general.
However, anyone who has a crippling addiction understands the destructive toll it takes on one's life.
What started out as something that seemed to provide solace and a feeling of well-being...
has mega morphed into what seems an uncontrollable debilitating force in their lives, and the lives of those around them.
How does one change a belief, or a habitual pattern of thought? One approach is by:

1. Becoming consciously aware of your thought patterns that keep you stuck.
   
2. Interrupt these repetitive patterns of thought.
   
3. And then, introduce and practice a new pattern of thought.
   

There are many ways to accomplish this...
therapy, recovery support groups, affirmations and visualization, meditation and relaxation techniques, spiritual and religious practices, hypnosis and subliminal hypnosis, to name a few.
In Summary: If one keeps thinking what they have always thought, they will keep getting what they've always got.
Different results require different thoughts.
In essence, one has to be willing to let go of old ideas and beliefs that hinder their well being, and be open to seeing their self in a different light.
To go beyond associating with the identification of their present self as someone powerless over their addiction and powerless to change- to someone who has the capability to change and overcome their addiction.