Here's my 2 cents on the topic. When taking benzos daily, I'm very hard to convince that tolerance does not build fairly rapidly, especially if using for panic type scenarios. If they're just taken PRN and only a couple times a week or less, I believe tolerance can stay steady and the dosing can remain stable and efficacy isn't diminished.
However, the shorter half life varieties I find to be much more difficult to manage when it comes to tolerance and dependence, i.e. Ativan/Xanax. It's too much of a roller coaster and rebound anxiety becomes a real issue daily if you're trying to spread your dosing out. This is regarding daily dosing though and not PRN as mentioned above.
source: I took benzos for 7 years and didn't realize how addicting they are physically. Never abused them and only took when necessary but I started using them nightly due to insomnia as prescribed by my Dr. Coming off of benzos was the most hellish withdrawal process I've ever had, and I've been through countless wicked opiates detoxes. Actually on the tail end of one as I'm typing this. The benzo withdrawal took me about 9 months to get back to mostly baseline. That w/d was the most pure definition of true terror and mental terrorism I've ever experienced. I rate it 0/10 and most definitely would not do again 8(
I limit my .25mg alprazolam dosing to 2/week at most and I don't seem to build any tolerance issues or dependence when I don't take it nor rebound anxiety.
Hope that helps!
-SK