In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, by Gabor Maté, an important book on addiction

Doctor Gabor Maté points out in his book on addiction In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts how most addictions find their origins in childhood. We self-medicate the pains inflicted upon us when we were powerless.
Maté also points out how we have a split second of time to freely chose before automatic brain functions kick in to keep us on our path of addiction. Thus the next cigarette (hit, shot, drink, binge, spree) is not a choice at all, it is an automated mostly unconscious non-decision.
A split second of freedom. That's not much. But nevertheless, it is there.

If we can become aware and able to sense this split second we have a foot in the door of our addiction.

Eckhart Tolle (also mentioned in this regard by Maté) says in almost all of his lectures that we can only experience freedom when we are aware in and of the moment. I think this is true.

I was delighted too that  Maté mentions Byron Kathy and her truth-seeking "The Work".
He mentions Byron Kathy when he writes about the scapegoating of addicted people in our communities and about how costly and wrong this is. He describes how Kathy always enquires into the question: Who's Business Are You In?
Are you thinking of someone else that she/he has to clean up their act/get help/get un-addicted then you are in the wrong business: someone else's. Ask yourself instead what addictions you are indulging in (talking, Coca Cola, eating, shopping, complaining, judging...) and you are in the right business.

 Maté also mentions the Buddha: "Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height."

And Jesus: "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Ah, it was such an enlightening read.