Table 2.

Summary of recommendations

Topic	Specific proposals, research suggestions, clinical considerations
Definition of craving	Craving is a subjective experience of wanting to use a drug.
Content of assessments	Craving assessments need not include an item referencing the word craving.
	Craving assessments should include items referring specifically to synonyms of desire.
Conditions of assessment	Psychometric characteristics of craving assessments must be established under the conditions and groups of individuals for which the assessment is to be used.
Reliability and stability	Reliability should be established for the clinical setting under consideration.
	Researchers should always report the reliability of their craving measures calculated from their research sample.
	Questionnaires that ask for average craving ratings over an extended recall period are suspect as measures of trait levels of craving.
Diagnosis	Programmatic research should be conducted on the psychometric performance and diagnostic consequences of craving items proposed for diagnostic instruments.
Prognosis	Factors that moderate the relationships between craving and drug use should be identified.
Clinical outcome	Craving should be routinely included as a clinical outcome in research on treatments for substance-use disorders.
Clinical target	Research is needed to establish the conditions under which changes in craving during treatment mediate long-term outcomes.
	Research should evaluate the extent to which treatments provide clinically significant relief from the aversive qualities of craving.