Drug abuse is a serious problem in today's work force. It is found in every occupation, from the entry-level employee to the chief executive officer. Among health care professionals alcohol is the number-one substance abused, prescription drugs are second, and cocaine is third. Substance abuse among health-care professionals in Rutherford, Tennessee and surrounding counties was investigated in this study. There were 1,817 subjects surveyed by mail. Each subject received a questionnaire and cover letter. There were 775 surveys completed, a return rate of 43%. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) found a significant difference in prescription drug use among the groups of health-care professionals. A 2x7 factorial ANOVA found that the occupation of health-care professionals significantly affects their tolerance for working with drug abusers. A third ANOVA did not find a significant difference in users and nonusers' knowledge of substance abuse. The chi-square test found that the gender of the respondent was correlated with the gender he/she believed was the more likely to be impaired. The results of this study show that substance abuse is not a significant problem among the health-care professionals of Rutherford and surrounding counties. Contains 19 references. (Author/JBJ)