An introduction to the DAWN program covers its historical development, definitions used, sample selection, and data collection methods. Potential problems in interpreting raw DAWN data are discussed, and forms used by DAWN reporting facilities are displayed. In 1979, information was collected from 26 Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA's) throughout the United States. A total of 121,575 drug abuse episodes were reported, most of which were from hospital emergency rooms. Statistics are presented for types of drugs mentioned in the episodes, as well as sex, age, and racial characteristics of abusers. Almost half of the drug abusers treated by emergency rooms fall into the 20-29 age category. Data on motivation for drug abuse are categorized by sex, age, race, and the 20 most frequently used drugs. Other statistical breakdowns include source of drugs and use of the top 20 drugs by age, sex, and race. Drug-induced deaths and drug-related deaths are also reported. Rankings of the top 20 drugs are provided for each SMSA. To give an overall view of drug abusers' demographic characteristics, the report presents profiles on 42 drugs and 12 therapeutic classes for each SMSA and the total DAWN system. The tables cover number of mentions, motivation, age, sex, race, and source. Supplementary information on the pharmacological aspects of use is given for each drug and drug class profiled.