Xanax addiction

I have been taking Xanax for quite a while now, I'm almost embarrassed to say how much I take a day. No other anti depressant worked for me, so Xanax is all I take. I know I need to taper off, at one point I wanted to quit cold turkey, but I know that isn't a safe thing to do. I do suffer from anxiety, stress, you name it. Because addiction runs in my family, I am at a point where I need to get off of this medication, and deal with stress another way. My doctor advised me that if I switch to Ativan, it will be easier to taper off and eventually get off the meds completely. I need to know, if I do stop cold turkey, how long will the withdrawl (withdrawal) last, or is taking the Ativan my best way to taper off completely?

[Sydney Smyth]

JUST WANT U TO KNOW PEOPLE HAVE SEAZURES QUITTING COLD TURKEY DONT DO THAT AND STICK WITH THE XANAX JUST START TAKING HALF AND TAPER YOURSELF DONT TELL DOC HE MAY CUT U OFF.