Craving

Craving is an intense, often intrusive desire or urge to use a substance or engage in a behavior, and it is a core feature of substance use disorders.

It can be triggered by cues associated with past use, such as people, places, smells or stress, and by withdrawal when use stops. Cravings involve brain reward and memory circuits and are experienced as a mix of thoughts, physical sensations and emotional pull that can build over minutes and typically pass if not acted upon. Their intensity and frequency are among the criteria used to diagnose substance use disorders.

Researchers measure craving with visual analog scales and questionnaires, often during laboratory sessions in which participants are shown drug-related cues. Behavioral strategies and several approved medications target craving in alcohol, opioid and nicotine dependence. Cannabidiol has reduced cue-induced craving in some small human studies involving opioid, nicotine or cannabis use, and these preliminary findings await larger trials.