Dr Wells, a general practitioner, looks at the problem of barbiturate dependence from the point of view of the prescribing doctor who has to choose for his patients - of all ages - the drug, usually a hypnotic, which is sought for insomnia or states of anxiety and stress. He argues that it is wise to prescribe non-barbiturates, but that even in elderly people it is possible and the right course of action is to wean these patients from their dependence on sleep-inducing drugs. Young people often acquire the drug habit by taking hypnotics from a bedside table or a bathroom cabinet in their own homes.