Confused about how tolerance works.

So much of the time I've been on benzos I've taken them either as directed with some occasional binges. I started a decade ago with .5 Ativan twice a day. And as I write that I remember my old pdoc would make appointments to fill early all the time. I would take 10mg a day and I was a lame ass super schizo back then. He would throw me a bone with the Ativan (plus 30mg olanzapine--antipsychotic). Once I got my shit together I moved to work and then go to college. Then I was on 1-2mg Klonopin throughout school along with my 10mg olanzapine (got better). But I had a terrible drinking problem. Either a 12pack or half a fifth or a mix or more. I had 2 alcohol/tramadol/klonopin ODs that were mainly due to hardcore drinking. Been taking moderate doses of Kratom since 2011. I moved to start a career after college and put the bottle down. Fuck though. I switched to xanax at 1-2mg xanax but I also scammed and stockpiled both xanax and klonopin (at the last possible time before my new state created a database I picked up a shitload of wacky substances, mainly my almost ~2g of Tianeptine habit, other GABAergics, and definitely got down on the RCs. Jacked my use up a bit. First with Etiz then Clam then Diclaz then just the RXs then Diclaz now Clam again. I have only been using brand name Etizest, a former very reputable vendor and a current reputable one (probably the most popular on here). The thing is that recently I can't feel my xanax or leftover klonopin at all. Either .5 or 1mg or more. I've basically stopped taking my Rx's to stockpile. I can feel anything less than 6mgs of diclaz or 1mg of clam. I've heard of clam fucking tolerance up. But the issues started before the clam. Basically this is a long road to ask if anyone knows if habitual low/moderate use (or possibly Ativan fuckery) could cause a really high tolerance if done constantly over a decade? Most of what I've read focuses on short/medium term hard abuse rather than low/moderate use over a decade. Any general info about how tolerances work would be helpful too.