"This Addiction" was written by singer and guitarist Matt Skiba (though the album credits all songs to the band as a whole)[1] and was first performed live by Alkaline Trio during their Spring 2009 tour.

[13][14] The video was filmed in a mountain field in Ventura County, California, described by Epitaph Records as "an open battlefield where two sides of the heart collide in a vibrant burst of color.

"[14] It depicts the band performing the song in the center of the field, while on either side a number of children are gathered wearing black, white, and grey school uniforms.

Corey Apar of AllMusic complemented it as one of the album's strongest songs, and Drew Beringer of AbsolutePunk remarked that Skiba "sounds awesome" in it.

[4][8] Scott Heisel of Alternative Press, however, criticized Skiba for falling back on his "well-worn" lyrical theme of drugs, stating that "It's moments like these where it feels like he's trying too hard to keep up appearances with his band's more fairweather fans.