Have you settled on an amount for xanax yet? 0.5 or 0.75? Stick with one, don't take extra as required to calm nerves. The drinks are fine actually, and not real sure why your beating yourself up over having a few. There is a difference in having a few drinks when overly stressed, opposed to binge drinking and knocking yourself out from it. People without PTSD have one, two or three drinks at the end of each day, so why is it wrong for those with PTSD? Its not wrong, and perfectly acceptable IMHO.

If someone was drinking heavily daily, or bingeing three times a week, ie. everytime it got rough, then I would kick them in the arse and tell them to wakeup to themselves. You have your fair amount of shit going on at present, teenager leaving, son going to live with his dad, moving across States, and the rest. Give yourself a break veiled... stop beating yourself up over your actions at present. Shit, you have more on your plate than I do mine at the moment... well over to be honest. A new born is one thing, but loosing children and moving house, ha... you win hands down.

Stop giving yourself a hard time amount merely being under a lot of stress at present. Everything that is going on will stop soon enough, bar the teenage issues, though they will be managed more in time. Shit, IMHO... a few drinks every night for the next month whilst all this is going on in your life, to help you get through.

It is one thing to take medications and have daily drinks to cope with normal everyday stress, its another when your loaded up with extra for a short duration. The meds will screw with you bouncing around, taking a little extra here, there and everywhere, so cut that shit out and stick with one amount, no ifs, no buts, do it. Have a drink every afternoon, or two, or three, to help you get through this short period of high stress, then stop it when done. You don't need to withdraw from alcohol, you just stop, simple; meds are another issue, hence don't screw with them, screw with alcohol for the short period. Hell, if you said you were having a joint once a night to me, I would encourage it whilst your going through this.

I know many that use a joint once a day in lieu of medication... it works for them. What am I getting at? Use suppressants in moderation during short period, high stress times in life, as you can stop them without issue. Don't use meds, because they will screw with your system longer than alcohol or pot would, thus your better to use one of those two, instead of upping meds.