Abstract

Background: Cocaine dependence is associated with high rates of relapse.Stress and drug cue exposure are known to increase cocaine craving and stress arousal, but the association between these responses and cocaine relapse has not been previously studied.Objective: To examine whether stress-induced and drug cue-induced cocaine craving and hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal axis responses evoked in the laboratory are associated with subsequent cocaine relapse.Design: Prospective study design assessing cocaine relapse and drug use during a 90-day follow-up period after discharge from inpatient treatment and research.Data were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression and multiple regression.Setting: Inpatient treatment and research unit in a community mental health center.Patients: Forty-nine treatment-seeking cocainedependent individuals.Main Outcome Measures: Time to cocaine relapse, number of days of cocaine use, and amount of cocaine used per occasion in the follow-up phase.