The study had as object the psychoactive substance use by the workers of nursing and its relation with the work. The objective was to analyze the work conditions as unleash factor of the use of drugs by the nursing worker. The theoretical referential was structuralized from the concept of drugs and clarifying models of the drug dependency, supported in the conceptions of Dejours (1999) and Laurell & Noriega (1989). Descriptive study of qualitative approach with 40 citizens workers of nursing of medical clinic of a university hospital in the City of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil, carried through in 2005 and 2006. As instrument of data collection, was used the half-structuralized interview. The results showed that the psychoactive substance use by the professionals in the work place can be related with the conditions of overload work and with the easiness of access and that such substances compromise their health and the development of their labor activities.