Best meditation techniques to overcome Behavioral Addictions? Meditation seems to be one of the top techniques recommended nowadays for self-development (e.g. McGonigal, K. 2011). For people who want to overcome behavioural addictions (i.e. any "addiction that involves a compulsion to engage in a rewarding non-drug-related behavior – sometimes called a natural reward", such as food, sex, masturbation, pornography, gambling, internet, video games, nail biting, compulsive skin picking, compulsive hair pulling, etc.):


Which meditation techniques (e.g. mindfulness, Vipassana, Yoga, Zazen, TM, Kundalini, etc.) are the most recommendable, according to state-of-the-art Psychology and Neuroscience?
Additionally, given the fact that an average layman cannot afford going full-time monk, what would be a recommendable frequency of the practice (in terms of minutes/hours per day) to see palpable results in a reasonable time?


Furthermore:


Is a single meditation technique enough to overcome behavioral addictions? Or would it better to practice multiple meditation techniques at the same time? Or maybe different meditation techniques for different situations? For instance, are there any special meditation techniques to handle strong, compulsive urges in the presence of addiction cues/triggers?


Finally:


Is meditation as a whole enough, or would one need to complement it with other non-meditative practices or measures? For example, positive affirmations, hypnosis, or maybe going to a therapist, exercising, sleeping 8+ hours, etc. I'm just throwing some ideas around.


References

McGonigal, K. (2011). The willpower instinct: How self-control works, why it matters, and what you can do to get more of it. Penguin Books.
Several years ago, I was unsuccessfully searching for a study that evaluates the efficacy of many different interventions in the context of addictions. However, I did find a cognitive behavioral therapy (Copeland et al. 2001) that included a mindfulness technique called urge surfing and it was compared to other CBT interventions in cannabis use disorders. A definition follows from Marlatt (2002):    


  Other clients have described the successful use of "urge surfing" as a
  mindfulness technique (Marlatt, 1985, 1994). Clients are taught to
  visualize the urge as an ocean wave that begins as a small wavelet and
  gradually builds up to a large cresting wave. As the urge wave grows
  in strength, the client's goal is to surf the urge by allowing it to
  pass without being "wiped out" by giving into it. I tell clients that
  urges are often conditioned responses triggered by cues and high-risk
  situations. Like a wave, the conditioned response grows in intensity
  until it reaches a peak level of craving. Giving in to the urge when
  it peaks only serves to further reinforce the addictive behavior. Not
  acting on the urge, on the other hand, weakens the addictive
  conditioning and strengthens acceptance and self-efficacy. Like any
  skill, learning how to "urge surf" takes practice and improves over
  time as the client attains greater balance on the mindfulness
  surfboard.


Copeland et al. mention the use of urge surfing in their program:  


  The second session discussed urge management strategies such as‘‘urge
  surfing’’ and nonreinforcement.


and reported 


  significantly better treatment outcomes than those receiving
  notreatment. They were more likely to report abstinence during the
  follow-up period, were significantly less concerned about their
  control over cannabis use (as measuredby the SDS), and were more
  likely to have significantly fewer cannabis-related problems than
  those in the delayed treatment control group. Further, those receiving
  six sessions of treatment significantly reduced their level of
  cannabis consumption. These outcomes were unaffected by the therapist
  delivering the intervention, but were affected by treatment
  compliance.


Note that the study included a lot of other lessons. Regarding how often it should be done: The subjects were advised to use this technique whenever the urge appeared.  

More info about urge surfing can be found in the freely accessible book Cognitive behavior therapy: Applying empirically supported techniques in your practice (2003) in Chapter 67.  

Regarding the question about lifestyle factors, there have been countless studies (some cited in McGonigal's book) that indicate a positive effect of cardiovascular exercise, sufficient sleep, low-glycemic diets on self-regulation and so I will not cite them here. 

Sources

Copeland, J., Swift, W., Roffman, R., &amp; Stephens, R. (2001). A randomized controlled trial of brief cognitive–behavioral interventions for cannabis use disorder. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 21(2), 55-64. doi:10.1016/S0740-5472(01)00179-9

Marlatt, G. A. (2002). Buddhist philosophy and the treatment of addictive behavior. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9(1), 44–50. doi:10.1016/s1077-7229(02)80039-6

Lloyd, A. (2003). Urge Surfing. In W. O'Donohue, J. E. Fisher &amp; S. C. Hayes (Eds.), Cognitive behavior therapy: Applying empirically supported techniques in your practice (pp. 451-455). New York: John Wiley &amp; Sons Inc.