New XML Template (2007) [23.7.2007–6:06pm] [343–364] {TANDF_REV}GART/GART_I_15_04/GART_A_249934.3d (GART) [Revised Proof] Addiction Research and Theory August 2007; 15(4): 343–364 An integral approach to drug craving MICHELE J. ELIASON 1,2 & DIANA S. AMODIA 3,4 1 Health Education, San Francisco State University, 2 Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, 3 Institute for Health and Healing, California Pacific Medical Center, and 4 Alcohol and Drug Programs, Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco (Received 7 May 2006; revised 6 July 2006; accepted 7 June 2007) Abstract Drug craving is thought to be a critical factor in compulsive drug use and relapse after treatment; yet there has been little attempt to integrate the disparate research and theoretical writing on the topic from neurobiology, pharmacology, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and religious/spiritual traditions into a cohesive theory of craving. As a result, the field lacks clear definitions from which to develop useful assessment tools and effective treatment interventions for craving. This article selectively reviews the current scientific literature on drug craving, and proposes a comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates western science with eastern and indigenous philosophical perspectives that have the potential to add rich texture to our understandings of craving. Keywords: Craving, drug and alcohol treatment, integrative medicine ‘‘I have gotten so stupid, I can’t fucking believe it. When I was snorting lines, I’d just put it in my nose. I didn’t care if I was wasting it. It was the thought, the expectation of feeling something. I was wasting it because I was going through my supply too quick. You want to use as little as possible to get high. You can’t go getting higher than high, but your mind messes with you and tells you maybe you should try some more, reach a little higher. If I run out, I can just sit there, and I think about getting high. Some folks told me that they can feel high from just thinking about it. Like when I crave for a rock, I can make myself feel the effects of the next rock I’m gonna smoke. That sounds kind of crazy, but that’s how you fool yourself ’’ (Sterk 1999, p. 46). Correspondence: M. J. Eliason, Ph D, Suite 340, Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, 3333, California St, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA. E-mail: meliason52245@yahoo.com ISSN 1606-6359 print/ISSN 1476-7392 online ß 2007 Informa UK Ltd. DOI: 10.1080/16066350701500627