LISTENING TO SMOKING RESEARCHERS:

Abstract— The work of Baker and his colleagues indicates that a broadened view of withdrawal that recognizes its probable affective bases will suggest new treatment strategies for the treatment of smoking and, by extension, drug dependence. This commentary briefly reviews the current status of treating drug dependence by addressing negative affect and emphasizes that clinical research which allows for building more complex models, of individual change over time holds promise for clearer understanding of the role of negative affect among drug abusers and thus more effective treatments. Although clinical treatments for drug dependence have long recognized the significance of negative affect we are far from a thorough understanding of the role of negative affect in withdrawal, craving, and relapse to drug use.