one of the most widespread variants of deviant behavior. It is expressed in a person’s striving to escape from reality by changing their mental state through the intake of certain substances (alcohol, drugs, medications, excessive consumption of strong coffee, etc.) or by constant fixation of attention on certain objects or types of activity, accompanied by the development of strong emotions. The concept of addictive behavior was developed within the framework of modern psychotherapy (Ts. P. Korolenko and others). In social psychology, this concept is important for understanding problems of social adaptation, socialization, and social victimology.