Addiction substitution occurs when people increase another addictive behaviour while trying to recover from a primary addiction. The authors reviewed 96 studies on the topic. Most studies focused on substance misuse as the primary addiction. Only two studies focused on problem gambling. Almost two-thirds of studies provided statistical results that could be used to infer to a broader population. Over half of those studies found support for concurrent recovery. This is when people decrease other addictive behaviours during recovery. About 17.65% found support for addiction substitution, and 19.12% found no change in other addictive behaviours. Several factors predicted addiction substitution, including male gender, younger age, and presence of other mental health problems. Addiction substitution was associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
