The Blind Spot in Workforce Well-Being: Behavioral Addictions

Behavioral addictions—gaming, gambling, compulsive digital use, shopping, and more—are rising fast. Yet in most workplaces, they go unnoticed because they don’t look like the addictions employers are used to spotting. There’s no smell of alcohol. No obvious withdrawal. 

Instead, these struggles build quietly for months or years, often becoming visible only when someone is overwhelmed, falling behind, or suddenly not themselves. By then, the impact on well-being, performance, and family life can be profound.

What are behavioral addictions?

A behavioral addiction, often called a “process addiction,” is a compulsion to engage in a non-substance-related activity. While there's no drug or alcohol involved, the underlying brain processes, which involve the release of dopamine and the brain's reward system, are very similar to those in substance use disorders. At their core, behavioral addictions are patterns people rely on to cope with stress, loneliness, anxiety, depression, or emotional pain. The behavior temporarily provides pleasure or relief, leading to repeated, compulsive use despite negative consequences. Over time, the brain adapts, reinforcing the behavior even when it’s no longer helpful, or even harmful. 

Only gambling disorder is formally recognized in the DSM-5, but research shows other behaviors can become addictive in a similar way—people get hooked on the feeling they get and struggle to cut back. And since there’s no substance, these issues often get dismissed as quirks or “bad habits,” especially when the behavior—like excessive digital use—looks normal from the outside.

How behavioral addictions show up at work

In the workplace, behavioral addictions might show up as:

• A high performer suddenly missing deadlines
• Fatigue from late-night gaming or compulsive scrolling
• Employees who seem more withdrawn or irritable

Digital addictions can be even harder to spot. Constant clicking, tab-switching, or phone checking can look like standard computer use, masking a deeper struggle. And families feel the strain too. For example, many parents are under intense stress trying to manage a child’s gaming or social media dependence, and that pressure inevitably follows them to work.

These conditions rarely appear in claims data, but their ripple effects do—ER visits for sleep issues, anxiety or depression, disability leaves, and chronic stress. The result mirrors the cost of other complex mental health conditions that make up nearly 57% of employer health spend.

Why traditional benefits strategies fall short

Most benefits strategies weren’t built with behavioral addictions in mind, which is partly why these challenges have grown unchecked.

• EAPs can provide a bridge, but not the level of expertise needed for addiction paired with co-occurring depression, anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, or trauma. 
• General outpatient therapy helps, but without addiction-specific care, people often face recurrence.
• Point solutions carve the problem into pieces—one tool for therapy, another for addiction, another for psychiatry—which leaves people bouncing between providers without real progress.
• Caregivers, especially parents navigating youth gaming or digital dependence, often receive almost no support until the situation becomes a crisis.

As a result, employees and families quietly struggle while organizations assume their mental health offerings are “good enough.”

How to address behavioral addictions in the workplace

Addressing addictive behaviors requires seeing them clearly and aligning care around how they show up in people’s lives. 

#1 Put behavioral addictions on the map

Behavioral addictions aren’t outliers—they’re part of today’s mental health reality. Naming them opens the door for people to seek help. Ways to start: 

• Include behavioral addictions alongside depression, anxiety, and substance use in benefits materials
• Add them to annual benefits updates and onboarding
• Incorporate them into manager and HR mental health training

#2 Offer access to specialized care

People with behavioral addictions benefit most from clinicians who understand addictive patterns and how to break them.

Effective approaches for addictive behaviors include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Motivational interviewing
• Recurrence prevention
• Peer and group support
• Providers experienced in addiction and co-occurring conditions

#3 Treat the whole challenge, not just the symptoms

Addictive behaviors rarely exist in isolation. Most people are also navigating depression, anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, trauma, or chronic stress. If these conditions are treated separately, employees may experience recurrence or bounce between providers without getting better.

Employers can strengthen care by ensuring:

• Coordinated therapy and medication management 
• Screening for co-occurring conditions
• Integrated care pathways, not disconnected point solutions
• Treatment that addresses root causes, not just the surface behavior

#4 Support families and caregivers

Youth gaming and digital dependence are skyrocketing, and parents are often managing it alone. That stress impacts sleep, focus, mood, and overall bandwidth at work.

What helps:

• Family therapy 
• Parenting and caregiver support

• Specialized youth mental health care
• Practical guidance for navigating screen time, social media, and gaming 

#5 Make it safe to ask for help

People often hide behavioral addictions because they feel embarrassed or unsure how it might affect their reputation or job. Early support is only possible when the workplace feels safe enough to ask for help.

Employers can create safety by:

• Training managers to notice shifts in behavior or mood
• Offering confidential, low-barrier entry points to care
• Using stigma-free, nonjudgmental language
• Including behavioral addictions in awareness and communication efforts

#6 Ensure continuity across levels of care

Addiction recovery isn’t linear, and people need seamless support, not a maze of disconnected programs.

A strong mental health strategy provides:

• Clear pathways from early support through intensive treatment and aftercare
• Smooth transitions between therapists, psychiatrists, and higher levels of care
• A safety net when symptoms escalate
• Ongoing support to prevent recurrence
• A comprehensive approach for co-occurring disorders

Continuity keeps employees supported at every step and reduces the risk of crisis, hospitalizations, and disability leaves.

A challenge that’s already here

Behavioral addictions affect how people show up at work and in their lives. Ignoring them doesn’t reduce the impact; it just delays support until the damage is harder to repair. Employers who bring these challenges into the open and offer integrated, specialized behavioral addiction support will strengthen the well-being and resilience of the entire workforce.