Research on the mechanisms of craving often involves inducing craving in su
bjects in controlled settings. This article describes techniques that have
been used to induce craving for alcohol, including (I) exposing subjects to
actual alcoholic beverages, (2) exposing subjects to visual representation
s of alcoholic beverages, (3) manipulating the subjects' mood states, and (
4) controlling environmental settings. The intensity of craving can be rate
d by the subjects themselves or can be assessed by clinicians through behav
ioral observations or the measurement of certain physiological responses. S
uccess in inducing craving in the laboratory, however, has been inconsisten
t. Ultimately, researchers may need to monitor subjects' craving responses
in actual environmental settings.