This report is based on data from the Drug Treatment Reporting System. The reporting system collected information on clients who presented to services for the treatment of problem drug use. This report provides data on socio-demographic background, problem drug use and risk behaviour for people who received treatment for their problem drug taking in 1990. The authors estimated that 1,752 people received treatment for drug use in 1990, 574 for the first time. The majority of these were male, aged between 15 and 39 years, and unemployed. In most cases, an opiate was the primary drug of misuse, mainly heroin, with the majority injecting their primary drug.