do you need/want to take it?
after a couple weeks of daily use he'll def need to take it
hmm, the hard-hitting, short-acting 'knock-out' benzo's such as Xanax are not readily prescribed here, except for extreme sleep problems and severe PTSD. for mood-disorders (like the oh-so-american Generalized Anxiety Disorder) it is more common to see milder and longer-acting benzo's such as clonazepam and oxazepam. getting hooked on a short-acting benzo is very very bad news as you likely know, baph, but i hope it helps you in the short-term
Just to add to it, fast acting benzos like Ativan can actually lead to permanent seizure conditions, such as epilepsy.
I'm not a doctor Baph and not sure how intense your anxiety is, but I have fairly severe anxiety and choose to stay off the medications. The medicine just seems far worse than the anxiety. Many people can learn how to get rid of their anxiety with a bit of research and maybe some counseling.
Either way I wish you luck.