Unconscious Nature of Craving

I understand craving involves a strong preoccupation component. I noticed that somehow, when I either use a dating site or anything similar, I often check whether I received a message or if anything happened. However, I noticed even when I'm *not* checking the site, there seems to be less virtuous activity, almost as if the preoccupation was unconscious. **Can this be explained by the nature of craving? Does craving tend to occupy space in the mind, even if not consciously aware?** I'm also wondering whether, if craving takes up mental space, it is because the mind takes time to create a craving and because the conscious element is just the surface. Thank you