An important turning point in managing drinking water pollution in the United States occurred after passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, which required the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study of the issue.
Lexapro (like any other SSRI) can be used for long-term anxiety management; clonazepam (a benzodiazepine) is for short-term relief from anxiety symptoms. My goal in taking these meds is to get me to a place where I can actually work on my therapy outside of therapy without fear and worry.
I have taken Lexapro for years. It does help with anxiety and depression but it also takes a while to build up in your system and is not a short-term panacea. It is also not strong enough for the acute anxiety you expereince getting off the opiates. You need Klonopin or Valium, something along those lines.