This study is from China. The 'milk tea' being described here is the translated term for what we call bubble tea in the west. It's a sweet comfort drink, perhaps closer to a Starbucks order than the steeped tea which immediately comes to mind. It's not really good for you, but I'm quite sure Coke or beer are worse. I can only speak anecdotally here, but the bubble tea joints near my college were consistently packed,…
I'm not sure I buy into the addiction pathway theory, but there is definitely a correlation with total overall willpower (as it relates to delaying self-gratification), and the number of addictions a person is dealing with. For example, if a person is addicted to caffeine, nicotine, sugar and cellphone use, they have overall less willpower to resist temptation than someone only addicted to sugar and cellphone use all other factors being equal.