Source: EurekAlert
Date: 2010-07-14, jmackil@uga.edu,

Just-published research led by a psychologist at the University
of Georgia shows that behavioral economic analysis may lead to an
improved understanding of craving for alcohol and other drugs.

This method of studying how craving alters the way a person
values a drug is fairly new, but according to the study, it may
well help assess cravings more accurately and contribute to
identifying more effective ways to defeat addictions.

The research was published Tuesday in the journal Addiction. . .

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in
2001, heavy drinking was reported by 5.7 percent of the
population aged 12 or older, or 12.9 million people. Among youths
aged 12 to 17, an estimated 17.3 percent used alcohol in the
month prior to the survey interview. Of all youths, 10.6 percent
were binge drinkers, and 2.5 percent were heavy drinkers. The
American Heart Association reports that in the United States an
estimated 24.8 million men (23.1 percent) and 21.1 million women
(18.3 percent) are smokers. These people, the group says, are at
higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Thus the stakes for better understanding craving as it relates to
addiction are high.