The analysis describes and organizes examples of craving measures in terms of whether they structure craving as a single factor or as a multifactorial construct. The analysis also considers the application of craving scales in cue-conditioning studies, in medication treatment trials, and as outcome measures in other treatment studies. The analysis concludes that no single craving scale or type of scale has unequivocal support, because few studies have administered more than one scale to the same population. The analysis also concludes that designing studies that compare and contrast several craving scales within the same study will aid understanding of craving and that future analyses should compare several alternative relapse mechanisms within the same study. Figure and 79 references (Author abstract modified)