stand corrected re "opiate derivative". in researching the pharmacology i should have said mimic some of the side affects of opiates. i'm not sure tho re xanex but do know it is considered a stronger benzo than the others. i think of benzo's as a synthetic form of more lethal drugs(opiates). sort of like methadone. it is severely addictive yet it is used to get someone withdrawn off heroin. go figure on that logic. so you design something that you can call "legal" that will get someone off of something labeled illegal and the patient becomes addicted to the "legal" substance.

i'm glad you did discuss your withdrawal program with your pdoc. usually they are more in tune with the meds they prescribe than gp-docs. sad but true. however, i usually believe my pharmacist before anyone. now i won't fill anything until i discuss the drug with them.
i find most doctors don't have enough education while getting their M.D. to understand a recovering alcoholic should not be prescribed many drugs unless absolutely necessary due to the drug's properties. have had recovering friends who were prescribed percoset for pain and end up being cross addicted because they trusted their doc to know/understand the potential hazards of doing so while having a recovering alkie for a patient.
that gets us back to the topic of "disease?' and your recent post re alcoholism too. chicken or the egg but in the end the person has a major problem to fix. at least at one time, can't say for sure now, ppl in med school/or pre-med-i was one of them- only had to take a 3 semester hour course on addictions. to me that is scary.
as for you, sounds like you're on top of your game and are being responsible re getting off the benzo. good for you!