Expanding Harm Reduction: A New Frontier in Behavioral Addiction Treatment

Addiction has traditionally been framed through abstinence-based models, which demand the complete cessation of problematic behaviors or substance use. While effective for some, these models often overlook the nuanced complexities inherent in behavioral addictions, such as gambling, gaming, and compulsive sexual behavior. Recent decades have witnessed the emergence of harm reduction as a compassionate and pragmatic alternative. This approach shifts the focus from mandatory abstinence to minimizing the negative consequences associated with addiction. Initially tailored for substance use disorders, harm reduction is gaining traction as a versatile strategy to improve health and social outcomes. Nonetheless, its potential to address behavioral addictions remains under-explored, necessitating further theoretical refinement, empirical research, and culturally adaptive implementation strategies.

This Research Topic aims to amalgamate historical perspectives, recent theoretical innovations, and emerging empirical data to conceptualize harm reduction strategies tailored to behavioral addictions. Notable advancements—such as studies on self-regulation, digital behavior change technologies, and culturally attuned care models—present promising foundations for this endeavor. By endorsing a multidisciplinary approach, this topic seeks to elevate harm reduction into a flexible, evidence-based paradigm, extending beyond the traditional confines of abstinence-focused frameworks and transcending the complexity of addictive behaviors.

This Research Topic welcomes articles exploring harm reduction across the full spectrum of addictive behaviors, focusing predominantly on behavioral addictions like gambling, gaming, compulsive sexual behavior, and newer digital overuse phenomena. Manuscripts addressing substance-related disorders are also considered; however, there is a particular emphasis on contributions addressing harm reduction's theoretical, empirical, and practical dimensions in non-traditional addiction domains. Key themes of interest include:

• Historical and cultural antecedents of harm reduction in addiction treatment
• Theoretical frameworks underpinning harm reduction
• Comparative studies between abstinence-based and harm reduction models
• Implementing harm reduction strategies for behavioral addictions
• Clinical reports and case studies of harm reduction in practice
• Digital interventions and managing online addictive behaviors
• Ethical and policy considerations surrounding harm reduction
• Culturally adapted harm reduction for non-Western settings
• Stigma reduction and public health communication within harm reduction contexts

All submissions should contribute to advancing harm reduction as a viable, flexible framework in the treatment and management of addictive behaviors.

Keywords: Harm reduction approach, behavioral addictions, substance-related addictions, strategies, theories

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.