Spice should be more like magic. And magic should be more like spice.
Sure, your friendly water healer can cast Cure Light Wounds and Create Water, but it's really good, addictive water. Pretty soon only mage water will fully quench your thirst. And you find that you can't heal as fast any more without magical assistance.
Saying, sure your best buddy is now casting spells, but the magic itself only makes good things happen. If magic caused addictions, it would be as avoided as heavy spice usage is.
I am a big fan of this idea.
I've been watching another Armageddon player (Harmless) stream Witcher 3 now and then (old game I know, we are really busy people), and we love how magic in that game seems to work similar to defiler magic on Armageddon.
After seeing defiling in action in Armageddon once a decade ago (um, I accidentally killed a plant), I have always wished in game magic had more negative ramifications for both the caster and anyone/anything nearby. It fits the theme of the game exquisitely.