Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
12:44
A General Method for Evaluating Incubation of Sucrose Craving in Rats
Published on: November 4, 2011
The enigma of craving
Anju Dhawan1, Ramesh Kumar, Seema Yadav
1ANJU DHAWAN, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-110029.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry
|January 6, 2011
Summary
Heroin craving is a strong desire, often accompanied by physical and emotional symptoms, leading to substance use. Abstinence reduces craving frequency over time.
Area of Science:
- Addiction research
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Craving is a key factor in persistent drug use and relapse.
- Limited research exists on the subjective experience of craving.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively study the subjective experience of craving in heroin dependence.
- To explore the dimensions and characteristics of craving.
Main Methods:
- A semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess 30 patients with heroin dependence syndrome.
- The study focused on the subjective experience and various dimensions of craving.
Main Results:
- All 30 subjects reported experiencing craving, with 90% describing it as a strong desire for heroin.
- Common physical symptoms included withdrawal, increased respiration, and palpitations; common emotions were anger, tension, and anxiety.
- Craving was difficult to control, leading to heroin consumption in 76.7% of instances, and frequency decreased with abstinence.
Conclusions:
- Subjective craving experiences in heroin dependence are multifaceted, involving strong desires, varied intensity, and specific emotional/physical symptoms.
- Craving is strongly linked to heroin use and is influenced by cues, with frequency diminishing over time with abstinence.
- Socio-cultural factors did not significantly influence the subjective experience of craving in this cohort.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst
Hunger and thirst are fundamental physiological drives crucial for maintaining homeostasis and ensuring the survival of both humans and animals. These drives are regulated through complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and sensory receptors.
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus acts...
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus acts...
01:17Drug Dependence
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
01:29Instinct Theory
Instinct theory proposes that innate biological instincts, like animal behavioral patterns, primarily drive human behavior. These instincts are inborn, not learned, and are fundamental to decision-making and action. Just as animals rely on instincts for critical survival functions such as migration, nest building, and defense, humans are also believed to exhibit behaviors rooted in evolutionary needs. For example, the instinct to reproduce motivates sexual behavior, while territorial instincts...
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
01:29Structure of Self
Sigmund Freud's model of the human psyche is often illustrated using an iceberg analogy. The iceberg's visible tip represents the conscious mind, which includes thoughts and perceptions that individuals are immediately aware of. However, the larger, submerged portion of the iceberg represents the unconscious mind, a reservoir of repressed desires, instincts, and memories. According to Freud, human behavior is primarily shaped by this hidden realm.
Components of the Mind: Id, Ego, and Superego
Components of the Mind: Id, Ego, and Superego
01:24Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Primary motives such as sleep, sex, and pain avoidance are crucial drivers of behavior in humans and animals. These motives ensure survival, reproductive success, and overall well-being by prompting actions that meet essential bodily needs.
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...