The drug’s not the problem.
The abuse is.
Your friend -could- be carefully titered off the Xanax *if* he wants to be.
I would suggest having him switched to Valium because it has a longer life in the body.
Xanax is a fast acting, heavy “hit” which then dissipates quickly [hence it use as a ‘stop’ for panic attacks] while Valium is more of a sustained medication.
He could switch to Valium and dodge most of the ‘withdrawal’ and then be easily weaned off the Valium.
If he wants to be free, that is.
I know that he wants to be free, Salamander, but I think he’s lost now. It’s very sad. He won’t go to the doctor about this because he is afraid to for some reason. I can’t say that he’s entirely rational at this point. I’m fairly certain he does not have access to Valium, only Xanax, and he has been taking this drug in abusive amounts every single day for some twelve years.
It really does boil down to how much do you want to be free? Because while others can assist you if you let them, you are the only one who can defeat a demon such as this. I mean, it is a mortal battle between you and a demon from Hell, and the only weapon you have is the strength God has given you, and my friend doesn’t believe in God, and he doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of internal fortitude or discipline.
His dad died at the age of 40 while in prison, and I think Rocky is walking the exact same path :(