"I have my addictions, or rather my addictions have me."
-Scroobius Pip
This is not an abstract, discarnate entity that we're speaking of....no. It is you at your basest and most cruel. Its the part of you that greedily yearns to consume more and more. It represents your fears, concerns, and those things you do to sate your hungers.
When confronting our internal demons, there are many schools of thought. I am of the mind that they are a part of us: our Jungian Shadow, and so we should acknowledge this aspect of ourselves. Make it work for us. Learn its ins and outs, and use those revealed powers and potencies to grow.
Only then are we truly temperate and balanced. To fail, here, is to knock yourself back several paces.
Be forewarned that this is a sticking point for many.