ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Addictive Disorders
This article is part of the Research TopicPatient-Centered Approaches in Refining Alcohol Craving MeasurementsView all articles
Alcohol craving and levels of suppression of depression, anxiety and anger in patients before and after alcohol dependence treatment in the form of a day ward
Provisionally accepted
- Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
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Abstract Introduction: Craving for alcohol is an intense desire to drink alcohol, leading to an upsetting of the previous balance through the appearance of anxiety, cognitive dissonance and irritability. This desire, which varies individually, is closely linked to changes in the central nervous system and affects memory, attention, perception, biological functions and decision-making. It is associated with a strong motivation to drink and obsessive thoughts about contact with alcohol to reduce the discomfort experienced. The aim of this study is to investigate whether patients experience a reduction in alcohol craving and a change in anxiety and anger suppression after completing a primary treatment programme for alcohol dependence. Material and methods: The research was carried out by using the diagnostic survey method. In order to identify problems, the following were used: 1) CECS - Emotional Control Scale; 2) PACS (Penn Alcohol Craving Scale) - Polish adaptation of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS). Changes in somatic, mental, social, occupational, family and social functioning were examined using a survey questionnaire of our own design. The study was conducted in 2024 at an Addiction Therapy Centre in north-western Poland. Patients of the Centre completed the toolkit during the first and the last (eighth) week of primary therapy. Results: A total of 156 patients participated in the study, from which a total of 154 respondents were qualified. A significant decrease in the PACS scale question total was observed (p<0.001). Before therapy, the median PACS scale score was 9 (4.0-16.0) and after therapy it was 4 (1.0-8.0). The suppression of depressive feelings was observed to increase with increasing alcohol craving, whereas after therapy, the ability to control anger was shown to increase with decreasing intensity of alcohol craving. Conclusions: Alcohol dependence therapy in the form of a day ward significantly reduces the severity of alcohol craving and increases the competence to recognise and name negative emotions, as well as to talk about and express them in an acceptable way. The most significant factor influencing the level of expression of adverse emotions is work activity. Keywords: alcohol dependence, alcohol craving, emotions, depression, anxiety, anger
Keywords: Alcohol craving, alcohol dependence, Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Emotions
Received: 10 Oct 2025; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Giezek, Szylińska, Zabielska and Karakiewicz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Paulina Zabielska
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