Respondents were asked six questions about sedative use. First, they were asked whether they had been prescribed a sedative, and then they were asked whether they had been prescribed a tranquilizer. They were also asked whether they had ever used a sedative on their own, without having been prescribed one, or if they had used more than the amount prescribed by a physician. This question was repeated for tranquilizer use, and those who responded affirmatively were placed in the non-prescription sedative-use group. Finally, participants were asked whether they had ever been dependent on sedatives and whether they had been dependent on tranquilizers. Individuals who gave positive responses to either of these questions comprised the self-perceived dependence group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify correlates of sedative use, nonprescription use, and self-perceived dependence. The study found that the life-time prevalence of self-perceived sedative dependence was 0.5 percent; 7.1 percent reported non-prescribed sedative use, and 17 percent had been prescribed sedatives and denied misuse. Individuals who used sedative without prescription were more likely to be male, have lower income, more education, major depression, agoraphobia, antisocial personality disorder, and suicide ideation than those who did not use sedatives. Individuals with self-perceived dependence on sedatives were older, had less education, and were more likely to have a parent who abused prescription medication compared with those without sedative dependence. Future research on the nature of these associations may lead to improved effectiveness of preventive interventions. 4 tables and 32 references