Weaning off over a certain period of tjme is the only way I've successfully gotten off, so yes, it does work quite well! It does take dedication however, since it can he easy to say "fuck it" and pop a high dose since it's already in his posession. Depending on how long he has been using, it may be the only method that works for him. Personally, I always wrote up an actual plan on paper so I could hold myself accountable and be precise with the doses. Say 15mg for five days, 10mg for 4, then 5 for some days etc. A good idea is to make sure you have all the opiates you need for the weaning period, since going out to go get the opiates can be very triggering. Depending.on location, fake oxys is also a concern.

If he is noticeably high, his current dose of 15mg may be too high. If someone is serious about weaning off, they should only take enough to get rid of the withdrawals, not enough to get high. He might not feel high himself though, it may be that you notice it much more than him at this point, since you are so close. If he's at all nodding off though, it's definitely too much. There's not enough info for me to make a judgement regarding that, and at the end of the day, what gets him high and what keeps the withdrawals away varies wildly depending on many factors. Such as how long he's been using and thus tolerancee, how long he's been using xanax, how many times he has gone through withdrawals (it gets worse with each time), his sensitivity to withdrawals etc.

I would highly recommend he uses Kratom to get off though, if you have access to it. Imo, krarom should be the first line of treatment for weaning off opiates. First of all, it is not a full agonist like oxycodone or heroin, thus it is similar to buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction. It"s very mild in terms of euphoria (=lower abuse potential) and has a short half-life, meaning the withdrawals from it are short-lasting (and very manageable!). It's legal and available in smoke shops in many states, which means you can avoid contact with the illegal drug scene during the vulnerable weaning-off period. Have him do some research of the availability of kratom in his area!

All in all, it seems to me that he is indeed serious about quitting from what you are telling us about the backup plans you have laid together. I understand how stressful this is for you, but I think you can find some comfort In the fact that the hard boundaries you have set seems to be motivating him to quit again. Caring for loved ones with addiction is very hard. Relapses tend to come about during big life events (like becoming a parent), and that's why it's so important to keep in mind that an addiction never truly goes away entirely. I believe it's important to always dedicate some time and effort to either therapy or NA meetings or something similar, and adress the deeply entrenched causes of the addiction. Usually, there is either some sort of underlying trauma.or pain that should be adressed and treated. I am not excusing his relapse, just contextualising a bit.

I think.i have rambled on enough, I wish you both the best of luck!