Abstract
The concept of craving. The most relevant developments of craving are reviewed, beginning with the alcohol dependence field, extending to the formulations in the opiate dependence area. In order to arrive at the behavioural and cognitive formulations, with more emphasis devoted to obtaining an operative and measurable construct, traditional models based upon the disease conceptualization of the addictions are exposed. With this in mind, the authors consider the studies in which an evaluation of craving appears, with the final purpose being the practical utilization of the construct in research and treatment.
