After 5 years, and perhaps 50 kilograms, I have come to the conclusion that, indeed, I am not a yerba mate addict. I am, rather, a person who has a voluntary chemical dependency. A voluntary chemical dependency, or VCD, as I will now call it, is different from an addiction. Here are the symptoms.
1) Dependency on a chemical for normal daily activities
2) Pain/Delusions/Lethargy/Melancholy/Blurred vision without the chemical.
3) An intense desire to continuously consume the chemical in question.
4) The ability to stop consuming the chemical at anytime.
I would say that a VCD and an addiction are identical until you get to #4. I can stop drinking yerba mate (or at least consuming coffee as a tasty substitute) at anytime I wish. However, I don't want to stop drinking mate, because of the list on #2. This concludes my rationalization as to why I am not an addict.
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