Actually, the chemicals in the brain, dopamine and serotonin, are what causes addiction. Dopamine and Serotonin are released in a pattern brought on by outside stimulation of pleasure. So, if a person is experiencing an extreme feeling enough times, they can become addicted to anything- even the concept of God.

Religion is adult thumb-sucking. So, ya.

Religious experiences light up the very same areas of the brain that are effected by heroin, cocaine, and sexual release. Evidence strongly suggests that it is indeed addictive

A spiritual event can sometimes be so moving that the person who experience the event will seek it out for the rest of off their lives. It's called "chasing the dragon" and no matter what you do, you won't everyone catch it.

for sure

The old joke when recovering alcoholics and drug addicts get clean and become religious fanatics:. "I used to be all messed up on drugs. Now I'm all messed up on Jesus". Cross addiction. It is the dopamine factor. Lots of alcoholics switch to gambling addictions.

I think a religious identity can easily become an emotional dependency, same as with any identity.

Lol I actually had a conversation about this with somebody in the community the other day because I was worried people would get tired and annoyed by me posting things about religion. I’ve already had someone ask me why did I talk so much about religion. God can be addicting, but not in the way about it being good, though. Addicting in a way to me to where I just have to bash the idea of a God for the simple fact how human beings has made him out to be and the many flaws about him, co side ring he’s supposed to be this perfect being. It’s like I can never get enough of talking about the many gap holes about mad made Gods. I’m sure if there was an actual God, he would not be anything like the petty one that he’s portrayed as being. I could see God, if he existed as probably a pretty cool guy. Yes, for the most part it can be addicting for people that are religious because the hard truth is many people can’t handle the harsh truth about reality and they need some kind of comfort to get them through. It’s like as soon as someone dies, people are automatically quick to say this person is in a better place now. They’re with God in Heaven now, instead of just dealing with that oerson’s death. And it is funny cause many won’t even take in the consideration of that person didn’t even lossiay go to Heaven. They assume to make themselves feel better.

You mentioned to very good point
Karl Marks said religion is the social opium.

Perhaps, though maybe more a symptom of an addictive personality? I think the concept of God is comforting to many people, but especially to those who feel a need for structure and order and predictability, who need authority and black-and-white morality guiding them without having to think about it.

Without a doubt it can be an addiction as it is used as a crutch just as drugs, alcohol, and gambling are. It can create the exact same rush of endorphins. In many ways it is less damaging to the addict than the others as far as their family and social relationships or physical well being. In others ways such as its inhibiting of logic and reasoning it maybe far worse.

I think someone spiked the communion juice.

The more that one give up self-control to a total system ideology, such as religion, the more addictive it becomes.It can reach the point that the addiction controls the person.

Do not know of God but Religion is the opium of the people. Marx said something similar to it.

When I was studying to get my AA in Addiction Studies, this came up as a topic of conversation. The idea is that a person is addicted to obsession, and the possibility that they traded their obsession of a substance for an obsession of a belief.

To understand how this may happen, you first have to understand that there are two primary aspects to addiction. There is physical addiction, and there is psychological addiction. Physical addiction is actually the easier side of addiction to recover from.

Many people end up becoming addicted because they are attempting to escape the harshrealities of the world. In "recovery" it is possible to change one's obsession from using a substance to escape the harshness of the world, to a belief that provides the same or similar psychological relief. Many also use religion as a means to escape the harsh realities of the world too.

So, you can see how it is possible to become "addicted" to religion. Both, religion and substances have similar psychological motivations for an obsession to develop. In both cases the subconscious goal is to escape the harsh realities of the world.

In case you missed it, my answer is, "Yes!"

Weakness can find addiction in anything. I have noticed that most born again religious people were converted in times of crisis , so it lead me to believe that after depression or stress, being accepted, welcomed and "shepherded" would release dopamine, causing what they converters would call feeling god's power and influence.

Unfortunately for many yes. My first wife was bipolar and struggled with guilt. She once said that god made her that way and so understands her and that understanding absolved her from hurting others. There was definitely something going on there.

For most of us that had this instilled at an early age it can be habit forming but most can break the addiction. Maybe there should be a RA (Religion Anonymous) group formed.

@VictoriaNotes

Absolutely. Just the same as exercise, "healthy"-eating, certain television shows/genres, or sex, people can get a dopamine rush from their "relationship" with their ethereal dictator.

I especially noticed the sense of elation that people seemed to be overtaken by during the short time I attended an Assembly of God church in the 90s. Folks had to get their JESUS fix!

In a way, yes. It certainly is enticing. If you’re poor, uneducated or undereducated, and you’re looking at a lifetime of menial labor for your future, I think you’v got to like the prospect of being in a special club that makes you feel very important. As for people who can’t see that you have “the Truth,” you make yourself believe they are just “blinded by the deceiver satan.” I think that feeling of specialness is what attracts many to religion.

For some but it's not a single part (like money, hope, food, something you're allowed to read) like learning is addicting because there is always more but you have to make stuff up or a specific one gets boring real fast. Not like an escalation of drugs, alcohol, learning, news, podcasts, over-eating) but it is kind of boring. Maybe not overall but an answer is sometimes more important than a question. If you know the answer than you may feel powerful and power can be addicting as I understand, I don't have a lot of power so I can't comment there.
Don't you think it's good that religion provides comfort to a lot of people? Sure but so does heroin that doesn't make it right.

For the weak minded, yes.

Carl Marx said so so it must be true.

I have no doubt people get a religious high. The problems start when the think everyone needs this drug.

Possibly, though it may mainifest itself in different ways. Maybe it's what some Pentecostals feel when they try to "speak in tongues", maybe it's the person who attends every church speaking session they can go to, or the person who has a bible verse t-shirt for every day of the week. Maybe I'm sensing this as a possibility because I live in a place with a lot of Christian bookstores and publishers (Grand Rapids, MI), so I see that Christianity gets pushed as a lifestyle brand just as much as a way of faith.