Inducing Craving for Alcohol in the Laboratory

Research on the mechanisms of craving often involves inducing craving in subjects in controlled settings. This article describes techniques that have been used to induce craving for alcohol, including (1) exposing subjects to actual alcoholic beverages, (2) exposing subjects to visual representations of alcoholic beverages, (3) manipulating the subjects’ mood states, and (4) controlling environmental settings. The intensity of craving can be rated by the subjects themselves or can be assessed by clinicians through behavioral observations or the measurement of certain physiological responses. Success in inducing craving in the laboratory, however, has been inconsistent. Ultimately, researchers may need to monitor subjects’ craving responses in actual environmental settings.