Behavioral Addictions addresses non-substance compulsive behaviors—gambling, gaming, shopping, pornography, social media—that recruit reward circuits, impair control, and disrupt function. This page translates evidence into clinic-ready steps: differential diagnosis from OCD and impulse-control disorders; functional analysis of triggers; and skill-based care that blends CBT, MI, and exposure with response prevention. If you’re considering an addictions conference in this area, you’ll find practical protocols for craving management, digital hygiene, financial safeguards, and family involvement without punitive framing. Because comorbidity with mood, anxiety, ADHD, and SUD is common, we link to CBT for Substance Use to coordinate transdiagnostic skills and prevent substitution effects during recovery.

Implementation requires precise targets and safeguards. We outline harm-reduction for finances and time (spending limits, blocking tools, accountability partners), stimulus control, and graded exposure that rebuilds autonomy. When gambling risk is acute, debt counseling and legal protections may be necessary; when gaming dominates, school/work reintegration plans with structured leisure and sleep support are key. Medication roles remain adjunctive, guided by comorbidity and symptom clusters. Group formats, peer programs, and digital tools extend practice between visits, while dashboards track function, urges, and relapse patterns to guide iterative improvements.