I've never had problems getting benzos prescribed by my pdocs, nor have pdocs I've seen for consults blinked at the fact that I've taken them. And these have been among the best pdocs in the areas I have lived (major metro areas), one being a national expert. So not all pdocs are benzophobic - many do prescribe them if they think they are a good choice for a particular patient. It wasn't my idea to take them. They were considered a good option for me. I find low dose benzos far easier to deal with than SSRI's, which are problematic for me in a number of ways (I know they're fantastic for many people).

I really am sorry you've had such a rough ride, and I certainly believe your account of your experience. I do question your generalizations (statistically, most...). They seem overly broad and are not backed up by bias-free, peer reviewed literature.

Again, I certainly believe benzo discontinuation can be a real problem for some people. However, my pdocs have been of the opinion that these are well-understood, well-vetted drugs that can work very well for long term use for some people. I am an example of someone who has difficulty tolerating side effects of many meds, does tolerate benzos very well, and has very little difficulty getting off drugs (builds up little tolerance or dependence). I'm also very sensitive, which means I get a lot of effect out of a low dose. So Xanax works out well for me, and I feel comfortable that if my stress and anxiety dwindled even further, I could stop altogether with no ill effects. If I don't need it, I can go days at a clip without it, with no problems. Your experience is obviously very different and very miserable, and definitely underscores that there is a huge, huge range of responses to drugs, which makes pdocs' jobs pretty challenging I think.