A 50-item Health Habit Questionnaire was administered to English-speaking AFDC recipients who enrolled in Project Independence between January and May 1990. Two highly reliable and valid standardized instruments, the 13-item Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and the 20-item Drug Abuse Screening Test, were embedded in questions on smoking, weight, mental health status, and physician and hospital use. Of 206 female subjects, 68 percent were black and 78 percent were single; the mean age of the sample was 30.1 years. The sample included 58.7 percent long-term AFDC recipients and 22.8 percent potential long-term recipients. The prevalence of alcoholism and drug abuse in the sample ranged from 16.1 percent to 20.8 percent. An additional 20.8 to 31.4 percent of the sample experienced social problems related to alcohol and drug use. Study findings support other clinical reports of substance abuse problems among public assistance and child welfare populations. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed. 12 references and 1 table