Hi,

One of the defining characteristics of addiction is "a state of compulsive engagement in stimuli, despite adverse consequences". The bolded part is the key here, and it can be any kind, not only problems that arise from daily quazi-daily using. Part of the problem with identifying this is the denial that often characterizes it, i.e. the person believes it's not an issue or not serious as an attempt to protect the substance use. I'm talking about this from first hand experience with many years of drinking that got progressively worse. In the beginning it was quite like what you are describing, towards the end it interfered with all areas of my life, including my health. Of course there is no way of predicting what would happen in the future. One thing that people who have struggled with addictions and got into successful recovery typically agree on is that if we start asking such questions and wonder if it's a problem, it usually is a problem. Regardless or how we name or label it.

As for how I recognized mine: mostly when I started to have cravings that would not go away easily, and the more time passed by the stronger and more frequent they became. The adverse consequences were already there for me long before I was aware / accepted them but I did not see this at the time, only later when everything was much more severe -- and much harder to change.

There is something that is often recommended to people who are hesitant about all this: try to quit all substances for, say, 3 months. See if it's hard to quit and stay quit. How you feel during that time. Then go from there.