The American National Institute on Drug Abuse has published a report (linked here) that finds that cravings can be induced in addicts by exposing them to pictures of drugs. What is remarkable is that the length of exposure can be so short that the addict isn't even aware that he/she has seen the image. Using functional MRI scanning Dr. Anna Rose Childress and her team were able to show that the pleasure centers of the brain became excited after even a very short exposure to pictures of drugs.

"This is the first evidence that cues outside one's awareness can trigger rapid activation of the circuits driving drug-seeking behavior," said NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow. "Patients often can't pinpoint when or why they start craving drugs. Understanding how the brain initiates that overwhelming desire for drugs is essential to treating addiction."

This has implications for addiction treatment in drug rehab centers in preparing clients to deal with cravings. By helping the client to understand that cravings can arise from subconscious cues a lot of confusion can be removed. It also suggests that relapse prevention programs in a drug rehab center should also address triggers that seemingly come from nowhere.

Using the fMRI scans Dr Childress also showed that the regions which responded to images of drugs also responded to sexual images. This adds more evidence to the belief that drug use usurps normal brain functioning that recognizes natural rewards needed for survival like food and sex. Drug rehab centers can use this information to refine their relapse prevention strategies and to better educate their clients about the nature of their illness.

This will also help to remove some of the guilt that clients of a drug rehab center in South Africa might feel about cravings. This research suggests that we might have very little control over certain sources of craving. If our brain is subconsciously hijacking our thought process then a craving doesn't reflect a failure in the drug rehab centers program!