I was finally roused to go help my brother who had done the same thing but instead of sleeping he wrecked my motorcycle and bounced his face off a tree (helmet on, he was ok).
A few minutes down the road my uncle had done the same thing but was already home--he managed to total my cousin's car (his son's car) in the driveway....in reverse.
After that I was done with benzos forever. My brother and uncle weren't though. As a result they are both in an early grave.
There is more to the story but benzos we're always central to dangerous addiction, raging drug abuse, and heroine use. Around that time my brother almost died by drowning in a bowl of fruit loops on a benzo bender. His girlfriend found him face down in the bowl and saved him--and subsequently left him afterward.
My dad (also dead from addiction) was on benzos for many years...very small dose. He was an alcoholic and the benzo+alcohol mix (I found to be a very common self medication and recreational outlet) literally destroyed his life.
I have a pretty negative and reactionary stance against the whole range of pills that people deal in. Though, my experience is one where I have never seen anyone be helped by them.
I've had the same bottle of Xanax around for 5 years. It's more like a "break the glass in case of emergency" type thing. Usually reserved for going to funerals or weddings of people I hate, when I can't tie my tie because I'm in a cold sweat. As the kind of alcoholic who never turns down a drink, it surprises me how strongly I don't want to touch diazepam, how little inclination I've ever had to take it recreationally, even though I enjoy it and know it can provide short-term comfort. On a lot of occasions, having the bottle in my pocket just in case has been enough.
Then again, that might be because of how strongly it reacts with alcohol, which is a given in most situations where I'd break out the Xanax...