has been taken, and the mental state of a person before it was taken — may all come to elicit conditioned, fast surges of dopamine release that trigger craving for the drug20 (see Box 2 for the mechanisms involved), motivate drug-seeking behaviors, and lead to heavy “binge” use of the drug.21–23 These conditioned responses become deeply ingrained and can trigger strong cravings for a drug long after use has stopped (e.g., owing to incarceration or treatment) and even in the face of sanctions against its use.
