Craving Typology Questionnaire (CTQ): A scale for alcohol craving in normal controls and alcoholics

Validation study of the Turkish version of the Craving Typology Questionnaire (CTQ) in male alcohol-dependent patients

“…Internal cues include emotional states (e.g., anxiety) or symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal. External cues include exposure to alcoholrelated environments or objects (e.g., bottles of alcoholic beverages or advertisements) (16).…”

“…According to this definition, the stimulus may be represented by a positive emotion following alcohol drinking (reward drinking). This pathway has an important genetic load (16). The second pathway, relief craving, or desire for the reduction of tension or arousal, might result from either γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic/glutamatergic dysregulation or a personality style characterized by stress reactivity, or a combination of both.…”

“…In general, the term 'relief drinking' is associated with negative reinforcement, by which we mean the termination of an aversive stimulus immediately following a performance. According to this definition, the stimulus may be represented by a negative emotion (e.g., stress or anxiety) that is terminated by drinking alcohol (relief drinking) (16,23). This pathway is usually observed in late-onset alcoholics, mostly females, and is associated with traits typically observed in Cluster C Personality Disorders.…”

“…This pathway is usually observed in late-onset alcoholics, mostly females, and is associated with traits typically observed in Cluster C Personality Disorders. The influence of external factors is stronger than the genetic influence (16). The third pathway, obsessive craving, can be defined as lack of control over intrusive thoughts about drinking resulting in impaired functioning.…”

“…This type of craving may result either from a serotonin deficiency or a personality style characterized by low constraint or disinhibition, or a combination of both. These three craving types usually overlap in alcoholics, although the predominance of one dimension can usually be observed in treatmentseeking alcoholics (16 These three types of craving may become relevant when considering pharmacological treatment; for example, studies suggested that naltrexone is more efficacious for reward craving, acamprosate more for relief craving (22), and serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be more efficacious for obsessive craving (16). Thus, in the predominance of one dimension, the clinician may decide to use the respective pharmacotherapy.…”