Don't know your background and that plays an important role as to whether you really can or should feel you need to even give up the benzos if via prescription and monitored by a dr. For example, if you have ptsd, chronic depression, triggers that you aren't even aware of that set off panic attacks. I will say from my experience and past that I spent years as the one who said "it's the past and it's b.s, time to move on" well nothing can be further from the truth and well, if you have any kind of PTSD, long term anything, you may just need to accept staying on and stop beating yourself up. I mean there are temp. situations that cause anxiety ie; job loss, change, unwanted move, loved one causing you STRESS to where your life is nuts out of your own control or doing...you get it right? I know IME, I accept that I need to be on my Klonopin and I tried to go down on doseage but for me, I jst can't or I feel it w/in week of lower dose, Anxiety through the roof and not good for me at all or anyone around me. I have high anxiety to where it debilitates me, affects my driving to where i'm afraid to drive(reasons of course fr car accident so not paranoid related),It's just life and benzos don't 'cure" you, they keep you calm. The only time benzos will "make you better" after taking, is if you have a situational issue and are working through it w/a psych or therapist for duration of the med. therapy, and that is a situation where you wld be able to taper down and then off once your dilema is resolved. I hope I was able to clarify the difference. I accept that it is what it is in my case and don't always take the 2mg 2xs day-mostly 1 at night and sometimes 2 but I will prob be on for life, and I'm ok w/that.It doesn't alter my mood to where I'm stupified, it just calms me down to where I'm not shaking or frozen if you understand whtat that's about. weed never agreed w/me as I had more bad exper. than good so I gave that up as a teenager(loooong time ago! lol). You need to assess YOUR own situation and remember, try not to set your expectations too high or unrealistically. It's not a horrible thing to hv to take them and not abuse them. Good luck and hope you got some good advice from the replies here. take care!