[Pathological gambling. An empirical study of the desire for addictive substances]

Drug craving, the irresistible urge for drug intake, is being discussed as a central construct for the explanation of addictive behaviour and for relapses so far only in substance-related addiction. Based on learning models for the maintenance of addiction, in this study, cue-induced craving and psychological variables that influence craving were investigated in subjects with excessive rewarding behaviour such as pathological gambling. Based on the cue-reactivity paradigm, pathological gamblers and healthy controls were exposed to gambling and other cues. Emotional processing of the gambling cues, cue-induced craving, and the influence on craving of depression, anxiety, and stress-coping strategies were investigated. The results demonstrate disorder-specific processing of cues in pathological gamblers, even after abstinence for more than a year. In addition, craving is influenced by psychological disabilities. Data are discussed with respect to comparable data in studies about substance-related addicts.