From 1990 to 1992, 13,065 secondary students in selected midwestern school districts filled out questionnaires asking for information on their use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine. The questionnaires also requested information on the following variables: the student's involvement in activities in and out of school, employment, church attendance, and whether the student came from a two-parent, parent/step-parent, or single-parent family. Earlier research had indicated a relationship between some of these factors and substance use, and also indicated that adolescent substance users tend to move from alcohol to tobacco to marijuana to hard drugs. Of the questionnaires returned, 12,576 were usable, and cluster analysis and correspondence analysis were used to assess the data obtained. For each type of substance use, the results indicated that the highest users tended to: be employed, live in a single-parent or step-parent household, be uninvolved in activities, and be least likely to attend church. Lowest users showed the opposite pattern, tending toward unemployment, two-parent family situations, participation in multiple activities, and regular churchgoing. Results also supported the theory that student drug users tend to move from using alcohol to tobacco, from tobacco to marijuana, and from marijuana to cocaine. For secondary-school substance users, holding a job may preclude after-school activities, as well as providing a source of income for tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs. (CC)