Addiction services

Google provides translated versions of the Advertising Policies Help Center, though they're not meant to change the content of the policies. The English version is the official language used to enforce Google Ads policies. To view this article in a different language, use the language dropdown at the bottom of the page.

Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help center for additional restrictions.

Google Ads is dedicated to following advertising regulations for healthcare and medicine, so ads and destinations are expected to follow appropriate laws and industry standards. Some types of healthcare-related content can’t be advertised at all, while others can only be advertised in certain locations by advertisers who have applied and been approved to advertise those products or services using Google Ads.

Learn more about the Healthcare and medicines policy.

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.

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In this article

• About the policy
• Options to fix

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Google restricts the promotion of recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services.

Examples of recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services (non-exhaustive):

• Clinical addiction treatment providers
• Recovery support services like sober living environments and mutual help organizations
• Lead generators or referral agencies for addiction services
• Crisis hotlines for drug and alcohol addiction

Advertisers who have applied and been approved to advertise these services using Google Ads are able to do so in the following locations:

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• United States

Check the requirements for these locations under How does this policy differ from location to location? for more information.

Promotion of services unrelated to drug and alcohol addiction, like services for impulse control disorders, behavioral addiction, or nicotine addiction, are out of scope of this policy.

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Options to fix

If this policy is affecting your ad, review your options to fix below.

Apply to advertise healthcare and medicines

If your ad was disapproved because you haven’t been approved to advertise and you meet the requirements, Apply for healthcare-related advertising. If you want to advertise in more than one location, submit a separate application for each location or group of locations.

Edit your ads to comply with this policy

1. Go to Ads within the Campaigns menu.
2. Hover over the ad or asset and select Edit.
3. Edit the ad or asset so that it complies with the policy.
4. Select Save.

Your ad will be automatically reviewed again. To check the ad or asset status, review the “Status” column. If you hover over each status, you’ll notice a more detailed explanation of what the status means.

Learn more about how to Fix an ad with policy violations.

Appeal policy decision

If you believe there’s been an error and that you haven’t violated Google Ads' policies, appeal the policy decision directly from your Google Ads account to request a review. If the review determines that your ads are compliant, they can run again. If you aren't able to fix these violations or choose not to, remove your ad to help prevent your account from becoming suspended in the future for repeated policy violations.