Xanax...been on it for over 25 years, never abused it

[againnot]

I used to have horrible anxiety attacks.  I was prescribed Xanax when it first came out.  
I've been on 4 mg a day for all these years.
Since I took myself off pain meds, I decided to try and reduce the Xanax.  After 3 months, I'm down to 2 mg a day.
Years ago I was off Xanax for a year ( my choice) and could hardly work.  Dizziness, the floor moved.  I put up with that for a year, then just couldn't stand it anymore.
Dr put me back on Xanax.  I've never taken more than prescribed.  Ever.  I get no relaxation , euphoria, anything from it.
My new sponsor in NA is telling me that I cannot control it cause of the addiction to the pain meds.
I seem to think after 25 years that I CAN control it, or would have abused it long ago.  Thoughts?

[againnot]

Thank you for your answer.  I had to go to dr yesterday for fever, cough, etc.  I have cancer, so I don't mess with symptoms like that.  I asked the dr about the Xanax. (That he prescribes). I was told that since I've been on it for so many years , it would be very difficult to get off of.  Also he said that the antidepressants used for anxiety don't always work, or take a very long time.  In short, he said he wouldn't worry about it if it were him.  Interesting.

[Paxiled]

AA and NA have a philosophy that drugs control you, not the other way around, and that you have to surrender to God (now called a "higher power") to survive.  It's been a successful program for a whole lot of people, and a failure for others, so it's up to you what you want to believe.  What most of the more current research says of benzos is that they're much harder to quit if used regularly and especially at the high dosage you've been taking than other addictive drugs in part because they interfere with the brain's ability to learn to adapt to stress.  Which means, quitting for you is going to be difficult for scientific reasons, in that your brain is having great difficulty adapting back to working naturally when you start to cut down.  I don't think it has anything to do with addiction to painkillers.  I also happens to some people with antidepressants and any other drug that strongly affects brain neurotransmitters.  What it means for you is, if you want to stop taking it, it has to be done as slowly as suits you, which could mean a long slow process of quitting.  So it's not a question of control, it's a question of what the drug has done to your brain physiologically, which is change the way it operates normally, and sometimes people's brains just have a very hard or impossible time going back to working normally.  So take it as slowly as you need to, and hope for the best.