I’ve suffered insomnia in various degrees since the early nineties. At its worst I was getting a maximum of an hour a night and the heading off to work. Zolpidem (which according wikipedia is what Ambien is, known as Stilnoct here in Sweden) is pretty much the only way I can get any sleep anymore. Luckily I don’t seem to build up any resistance. I’ve rarely been off it for the past five years or so and a single 10mg tablet (apparently the standard amount here) still works. Occasionally, as in once very three weeks or so, I need an additional tablet, although I recently changed doctor and my new one doesn’t like me doing it, so I will try and not do it.
To be honest, without it I am not sure how I could function in ‘normal’ society. My body completely refuses (and boy have I tried) to adjust to a sleep pattern similar to everyone else that works an office job.