Diamonds Benzos are forever. I resisted and only got at most two week scripts to get me through rough patches as a result of the anxiety and panic disorder I was born with.
It became too much, chronic and I lost function. Xanax gave me back a semblance of a life but I knew from day one what the implications were. My tolerance to the short acting Xanax made them useless after two years. It is probably the most addictive of the lot and there is definitely a recreational aspect to it.
On Klonopin/Rivotril now because of the slow onset and long half-life. Way less druggy and more therapeutic. This is for life. There is no getting of off this for me. Luckily my long history with these substances makes it so that I would never be denied a script because cold turkey can equal a cold slab for my body within days.
When it comes to opiates/opiods where I live, you can get headache and cough medicine containing 10mg codeine per dose. That isn't even worth a mention. You will not be given oxycodone or god forbid, fentanyl unless you are in ICU or final stages of cancer.
Root canal, back injury, broken bone? Here, have some ibuprofen and paracetamol.
I went on Tramadol on Tuesday because gritting your teeth against the pain of rheumatism wears you down eventually. 100mg per day. This is unheard of and I'm only on it because I am suffering hard. I have found no recreational or euphoric value from these tabs and take them only when things get unbearable.
There are many strange things about the US from the point of view of other cultures, but I literally saw the opioid epidemic unfold in front of my eyes from the other side of the world and no one was doing anything. The terrorist group you call the DEA were destroying kids' lives over half an ounce of weed or two tabs of acid, but they don't dare go near the power your lobby groups hold.
Still the greatest country in the history of mankind, but some things operate in the most jaw-dropping ass-about-face manner.
So yeah, I am not at all comfortable being on these medications, but it was wanting to rather die and with all other options exhausted that made me give in.