The magic addiction that they have been showing has been interesting. It seems more like a compulsive behavior pattern than an actual drug. It’s something that makes many things in life easier to obtain, so much so that giving up magic means having to work harder for the things that one wants. Regina, in her sessions with, Dr. Hopper says that magic is the way she has always gotten everything. It was her use of the word “always” in that scene that struck a chord for me. She has been using magic for so long and has used it to get and achieve everything she’s wanted that she has/had difficulty remembering her life without magic. For everything that magic has gotten her, there is one thing she had when she had no magic that she has been unable to obtain since … love.
Also, magic also doesn’t seem to have withdrawal symptoms like a chemically addictive substance might. It’s more of a psychological addiction that must be overcome.