Aims. To measure the prevalence and independent associations of heavy and problematic use of alcohol and recreational drugs among a household-based sample of urban MSM (men who have sex with men). Design. Cross-sectional survey. Participants. Men who identified as being gay or bisexual or who reported sex with another man in the prior 5 years were included in this analysis ( n = 2172). Setting. A probability telephone sample of MSM was taken within Zip Codes of four large American cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco) estimated to have total concentrations of at least 4% of all households with one resident MSM. Measurements. Standard measures of alcohol use, problems associated with alcohol use, and recreational drug use were administered by trained telephone interviewers. Findings. Both recreational drug (52%) and alcohol use (85%) were highly prevalent among urban MSM, while current levels of multiple drug use (18%), three or more alcohol-related problems (12%), frequent drug use (19%) and heavy-frequent alcohol use (8%) were not uncommon. The associations of heavy and/or problematic substance use are complex, with independent multivariate associations found at the levels of demographics, adverse early life circumstances, current mental health status, social and sexual practices and connection to gay male culture. Conclusions. The complex pattern of associations with heavy and/or problematic substance use among urban MSM suggests that heavy and/or problematic substance use is grounded in multiple levels: the individual, the interpersonal and the socio-cultural.