I think you are the flip side of what you mentioned about the article. I don't see the article as saying withdrawal is catastrophic, in fact I see it being well balanced when stating numbers. But you just said many or most people don't experience that.

If I were to take your approach, and make generalized statements based on my own experiences, I would say many if not most actually do experience significant withdrawal symptoms for an extended period of time.

You need to take into account: dosage, age, health, life circumstances, and I would think even more before you can suggest even the slightest correlation or "average" experience.

I get what you're saying and I'm very glad it was easier for you than others, clearly. I think though, it's dangerous to others to make claims based on one person's experience.