This study was designed to investigate the relation of orality and smoking, smoking motivation and anticipatory pleasure in smoking. Ninety-seven male and female subjects completed questionnaires designed to elicit information about their motivation and behaviour. Results indicated that difficulty in stopping smoking was positively related to three non-nutriment oral preoccupations. Smoking for psychological as opposed to social reasons was positively related to two-nutriment oral preoccupations. Anticipation of pleasure in smoking before becoming a smoker was negatively related to nutriment orality, positively related to smoking because of a craving, and, for females only, positively to one type of non-nutriment orality. The results are discussed in relation to the role of oral ingestion and the reaction of the central nervous system to the drug.