Originally Posted by
Forward12 
If there was booze in a pill, all us drunks would all be on them.
Many alcoholics are cross addicted to benzos.
I was given klonopin to get off of alcohol and ended up addicted to the klonopin. Withdrawal was the worst I've ever had until my final bender last year of booze and sleep meds.
I am very wary of benzos, particularly if I've been addicted before. Great that you're only considering taking them under the care of an addiction specialist. My understanding is that long term medication of anxiety is difficult because most anxiolytics cause tolerance and lose effectiveness over the long term....definitely true of benzos.
I think there are other medications besides benzos and SSRI ADs. I learned a lot of cognitive strategies in IOP group that have proven VERY useful in managing anxiety. I can tolerate SSRIs, but only at low doses. The sexual side effects are the worst for me, but they can also push me into hypomania.
Please let us know what the addiction doc says. I'm very curious.