  We show, in the context of quantum combinatorial optimization, or quantum
annealing, how the nonlinear Schr\"odinger-Langevin-Kostin equation can
dynamically drive the system toward its ground state. We illustrate, moreover,
how a frictional force of Kostin type can prevent the appearance of genuinely
quantum problems such as Bloch oscillations and Anderson localization which
would hinder an exhaustive search.
