It seems that we are again in the midst of a new storm of concern about an epidemic of benzodiazepine (BZ) overuse, misuse, and abuse. The first concern, in the 1980s, posited BZs as an epidemic of excessive prescribing and was frequently mentioned in books, movies, and numerous lay magazine articles. There was also concern that BZs were abused or misused, caused addiction with difficult withdr...