ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Addiction services
Google requires approval before ads for recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services run. The scope is wider than treatment clinics. It includes sober living, mutual help groups, lead generators, referral services and crisis hotlines. Apply for approval at each location first, then edit the ads and save.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The ad stops serving until the business is approved for the location.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension.
What it means
Advertisers must apply for and receive approval before running ads for recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services. Approval is per location. The page lists six approved locations: Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Requirements for each one sit in a separate section of the help article.
Services for impulse control, behavioral addiction or nicotine addiction fall outside this policy.
What actually triggers it
Sober living or a mutual help group
Recovery support counts, including sober living and mutual help groups, not only clinical treatment providers.
A lead generator or referral service
Lead generators and referral services are in scope, so a referral business is covered even if it provides no treatment itself.
A crisis hotline for drug or alcohol addiction
Crisis hotlines for drug and alcohol addiction count as covered services.
A location outside the six listed
The page lists no approval route for any location beyond the six. An ad that targets one of them cannot be approved under this page.
Fix it in this order
- Confirm the service is in scope. Recovery-oriented drug and alcohol services are in. Impulse control, behavioral addiction and nicotine addiction are not.
- If you meet the requirements, apply through the healthcare-related advertising troubleshooter. Submit a separate application for each location or group of locations.
- Open Campaigns, then Ads. Hover over the ad or asset, select Edit, make the change and select Save. Re-review typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
- Check the Ads & assets page for the new status.
When to appeal
Appeal from the account if you believe the decision is an error.
If you cannot fix the violation, remove the ad to help prevent future suspensions.
Often confused with
The wider rules for prescription drugs, pharmacies and insurance. Addiction services need their own approval, with their own six locations and their own exclusions.
Impulse control, behavioral addiction or nicotine addiction
Google's page places these outside this policy. If a disapproval names another policy, read that policy's page instead of this one.