title: Drug-dependent inpatients reporting continuous absence of spontaneous drug craving for the main substance throughout detoxification treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Drug craving is considered to be an essential component of substance dependence. We aimed to characterise drug-dependent inpatients reporting continuous absence of subjective spontaneous drug craving.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a 3 year chart-review study designed to compare drug-dependent inpatients who did not report craving everyday (non-cravers) and their counterparts who did (cravers). All participants were recruited consecutively and completed a 14 day detoxification treatment. Craving was defined as a desire to use the main detoxification substance. This substance was chosen by patients, who completed a craving visual analogue scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory daily. The Temperament and Character Inventory and the Addiction Severity Index were also used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 195 patients who completed the detoxification treatment, 45 (23.1%) were non-cravers and 32 (16.4%) were cravers. The main detoxification substances were alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methadone. Non-cravers named methadone as the main detoxification substance more frequently than cravers, and benzoylecgonine was less frequently present in their urine at treatment entry. A decreased score on the Temperament and Character Inventory dimension of harm avoidance (i.e. trait anxiety) was the only independent predictor of absence of craving (odds ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval = 1.03-1.31). During admission, non-cravers had lower Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores than cravers. These differences were not accounted for by pharmacological treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drug -dependent inpatients who report absence of craving are characterised by relatively low levels of depression and anxiety throughout detoxification treatment, and relatively low levels of trait anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Addictive Behaviours Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona Autonomous University School of Medicine, Barcelona, Spain. jperezc@santpau.cat
authors.forename: José Pérez
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: De Los Cobos
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Siñol
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trujols
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bañuls
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Batlle
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tejero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013997:Time Factors