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You wouldn't be surprised to hear about this kind of behavior from someone who took a nightly slight overdose of Valium or Xanax and then boozed up, would you? Ambien is from the same chemical family. It's a baby benzo.
Like Valium or Xanax, Ambien is helpful when used properly, harmful when abused. The author likely would not have felt as free to encourage her boyfriend to abuse Valium or Xanax, so it's probably good for people to understand that Ambien actually is related to some drugs that are known to be problematic when misused. And benzo abuse is damaging to the central nervous system, which may have made the boyfriend even crankier when he wasn't dosed up.
Ambien is indicated for short term use, as well. Long term use is misuse, even when too much is not taken at once and even when not chased with alcohol. If Lunesta does it for you, it's the way to go. It's not related to the benzos.
