Objectives To explore the phenomenon of craving in illicit drug dependent and nicotine dependent population, and to assess craving including etiological, diagnostic, psychometric and prognostic aspect. Subjects The total sample of the study consisted of 90 subjects who were selected as consecutive procedure, from the detoxification unit in El-Abassia hospital and some private psychiatric hospitals. The sample was divided into three groups, illicit drug dependent group ( n =30) they were diagnosed as substance dependent after application of structural clinical interview SCID based on the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM-IV diagnostic criteria exclusively nicotine dependent group ( n =30) they were selected from the medical, nursing stuff and some of the relatives of the illicit drug dependent group and control group ( n =30) selected from those visiting the outpatient clinic at the same hospitals for follow up after complete abstinence for at least 2 years and some subjects were selected from the Narcotic Anonymous. Methods Psychiatric examination through structural clinical interview based on the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Wechseller-Bellevue Adult Intelligence Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Hamilton Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, The Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale, The Minnesota Cocaine Craving Scale and Inventory of Rituals to the use of opioids. Results The illicit drug dependent groups expressed highest resistance control impairment, obsessions and interference related to the use of the drugs; i.e., high addictive propulsions. The illicit drug dependent patients showed highest expectations of relapse as a prognostic outcome compared to other groups.