Craving in addiction

Craving is one of the basic characteristics of addiction and may last for years after stopping to drink. Although this term is now used for all habit-forming addictive substances, it has been identified with alcohol intake to a larger extent. Alcohol addiction develops with the permanent adaptation of the brain, and long-term alcohol intake impairs many brain functions. Neurobiology and brain imaging efforts ensured identification of many craving-related brain areas and neurotransmitters, paving the way for identification of a model called "incentive-sensitization model'. Craving has been shown to be associated with certain areas of the brain. And fundamental brain structures playing a part in rewarding effect formation are ventral tegmental area (VTA), ventral striatum, nucleus accumbance, amigdala, and frontal cortex. Dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPC) is important in rewarding memory formation in alcohol-substance abuse. Besides; researchers are trying to develop different models for craving. Models built on cognitive mechanisms and models built on conditioning mechanisms are two essential groups of modelling for craving. Drugs which are used for alcohol treatment are effected on neurobiological mechanisms of alcoholism. Three out of 4 drugs are applied with on eye to reducing the level of craving while administering alcohol treatment. Such drugs are naltrexon, acamprosate and tiapride. Disulfiram (antabus), another drug, has some efficacy against craving, as well. Apart from medicine-based treatment, there are addiction-oriented cognitive behaviouralist therapeutic programs as well. In this article, we reviewed neurobiological mechanisms of the concept of craving as well as with its assessment and treatment.