A model for an abnormal glow discharge, including a self‐consistent analysis of the cathode fall, was developed. It combines microscopic particle simulation by means of Monte Carlo methods with a fluid model of the gas discharge. The model allows calculations of the steady‐state electrical field distribution, the charged‐particle densities, and the current densities along the axis of the discharge. The model was used to simulate a glow discharge in 80% He and 20% SF6at a pressure of 8 Torr with a current density of 1 A/cm2. The computed discharge voltage agrees well with measured values. The computer code can easily be modified to describe the charged‐particle densities and energies not only in the cathode fall region, but in any plasma boundary layer.