When it comes to the topic of addiction, most of us will readily agree that it is a miserable trait to possess. An addiction is a physical and psychological state that, if not treated properly, could lead to harmful illicit behavior. In Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit, he tells a story in which a weary housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family's assets, amounting to a million dollars, due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a signal or trigger for an automatic behavior to be initiated, a routine (the behavior itself), and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, “you can't eliminate a bad habit, you can only change it” (63). Duhigg suggests that to change a bad habit you need to involve the “golden rule”. The golden rule is a theory that aims to change a habit by maintaining the old cue and reward and tries to change only the routine. Duhigg's response to the question in the chapter title: "Are we responsible for our habits?" it's simply "Yes". If we are aware of our habits, then we are responsible for their consequences. In the case of Angie Bachmann, she should be held responsible for her gambling debts because she was well aware of her bad habit and did not seek help. Angie Bachmann started out as a bored housewife who couldn't stand being alone. She has three daughters who constantly went out with friends and didn't spend enough time with their mother. Her husband is a surveyor, he often went to work at eight and didn't come home until six; he also wasn't as supportive as he should have been. This soon led to a craving for gambling as a new casino opened nearby. He thought… middle of paper… addicted gamblers they had met. In Bachmann's case they would accuse the casino of specifically targeting Bachmann by exploiting some of her cravings to bring her back to the casino. In my opinion this is totally absurd and a poor excuse to blame a casino he frequented on a daily basis. The cycle of addiction can be scary to watch, but people struggling with addiction should always know that someone is there to help, whether they are friends, parents, or even random strangers, we are all here to support those in need. More importantly, if we encounter someone with a serious addiction, it is highly recommended that people try to find professionals who can take care of the situation. As for Angie Bachmann, she had a gambling problem that she never addressed and which caused her to lose much of her fortune and the trust of her loved ones..