I think in rather extreme cases/stable cases it can be done. It depends on the person. Any signs of abuse or over medicated behavior and I would pull the plug on them. As an alcoholic in recovery I avoid them. I used to take them for years prior to sudden onset of alcoholism so thankfully never mixed them. I didnt have any issues stopping. Now, in an acute situation I think its ok. When my 18 year old daughter ran away for nearly 4 months, I felt like I was in mourning for the first month so I tried valium and klonopin. I recently took valium for an MRI. But I an easily see myself liking them too much. Plus as a ten year successful post op gastric bypass patient I have become a rapid metabolizer. My doc did some genetic testing to confirm this. I process things so quickly I have to watch my tolerance. It happened with alcohol. Towards the end I was drinking three huge bottles of wine everyday to stave of the shakes and sickness. i think overall its safer to not take them regularly but I do not think doctors should be afraid to prescribe them nor do I think others should judge someone who does take them everyday. its the same for opiates. My husband has been in percocet for 2 months while waiting for his first surgery-ablation. His back issues are crippling. He is not addicted nor dependent and often will go days without taking them. But he was in pain management for a year jumping through all the hoops prior to getting them prescribed. So docs are afraid that everyone is going to get addicted and move to heroin. I am unsure if the causation is necessarily there. But at the same time in the AA circles I run in I know plenty of people who had pill issues prior to drugs. But also when they examined their historys they always had addict behavior so who knows really.