Please let me clarify:
I was only suggesting a short-term use to enable sleep during withdrawal, and only under a doctor's care and agreement to the plan. Certainly if he goes in there and spills the beans about the narcs getting out of control, he's going to be flagged anyway, and no self-respecting doctor would let him continue the benzo's any longer than necessary. Also, though, I think that no self-respecting doctor would let an honest patient who was actively seeking to come off narcs go without the ability to sleep, either.
I am totally against just switching one drug for another- lord knows I have heard enough horror stories about benzo withdrawal to ever suggest it as a better alternative to narcs (I think I might have heard one of those stories from you, TM, am I right?). I just know the xanax helped me alot, took them for the first week, then dropped them like they were hot.
I think that the prescription pill addict is a once-bitten, twice-shy animal when it comes to pills of any sort. I had smoked pot for 10 or so years recreationally, so was never prepared for what true physical addiction and withdrawal would be like when I started on narcs. I certainly have no urge to get hooked on any small round things ever again, no matter what you call them, or what classification of drug they are.
Still smoking my pot now- lovin my mary jane, y'all, and I don't care if I get flak for that here. Having been through both experiences, I cant say that they are anything similar- being "addicted" to pot is nothing like having you whole world revolve around when you are going to score some more pills, just to feel normal. JMO, k?