Apter's new theory of psychological reversals is considered as a potentially useful paradigm for understanding and treating the additive behaviors. The theory departs from the usual homeostatic underpinnings of personality theory and instead posits a process of reversals between alternative, stable, and mutually exclusive states. The theory holds particular promise in accounting for certain crucial aspects of addictive behaviors including the phenomenon of relapse and the experience of loss of control. The concept of reversals may hold a key to the commonalities underlying the addictive behaviors.