Well Xanax was developed for those who are just plain fucked up, sorry for the bluntness. Remeron, Elavil, Buspirone, and others(don't have my book here at work, at home) have better long term effects rather than Xanax.
Most people what they do now is go to the doctors, tell them they are having anxiety attacks(which is NOT true) to get Xanax prescribed to them. What ends up happening is the doctors(most of them) don't want to go through the channels of having patients trying different drugs and they end up giving them Xanax.
Haven't you noticed how much easier it is now to get Xanax givne to you rather than when it 1st came out? I'm no doctor here(should of been though) but I CAN tell you that most physicians need to get audited for the scripts that they give out.
You CAN and WILL become dependent on Xanax, but will NOT on any of those mentioned above
When I get home, I'd be more than glad to post up ALL the shit I know more about ALL or most anxiety/sleeping pills. Listen, I've taken Xanax(for 1 week) and don't get me wrong, it DOES feel good to be on it, but I know that in the long run, it's not a good med to be taken lightly when I know other meds can be used instead
Be safe with it and don't abuse it with other shit, especially AS or booze.