Level of self-control was determined from self-report measures of impulsivity, self-centeredness, and volatile temper. Attachment was measured by three indicators of affective ties among family members. Involvement in a conventional lifestyle was measured by status and history of relationships with an intimate partner and employment history. Moral belief was measured by the general belief that the rules of conventional society are binding. Religious commitment was measured by the degree to which religion and religious beliefs were important. Association with substance-using peers was measured by the sample's perceptions of friends' drug use. The study found that low self-control was negatively related to social bonds and positively related to drug use and association with substance-using peers. The relationship between low self-control and drug use was fully mediated by moral beliefs and association with substance-using peers. These findings suggest the importance of including measures of self-control and social bonding in predicting deviance. 2 tables and 90 references