The main issue is that it has nothing to do with it being a gold standard. Yes, benzos are widely used in GAD. That still doesn't make alprazolam the gold standard. Angiography is the gold standard of pulmonary embolism, but virtually no one will use it in a clinical setting, unless part of a study or everything else being inconclusive.
Though, you get the gist of it. If anything, benzos should be used in the first few weeks while waiting for the SSRIs/SNRIS/TCAs/etc/etc to start having an effect. Prescribing benzos long-term is just a bad idea, and not just for its tolerance. Again, combination. Pharmacology or psychotherapy alone isn't going to be as effective as both for the most part. Though, yes, some people can get away without it.
But geez, stop using wiki as your source. Any idiot like you or me could have written in it. In any case, I looked it up quickly. Assuming you're referring to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sertraline and this article "Fiseković S, Loga-Zec S (2005). "Sertraline and alprazolam in the treatment of panic desorder [sic]". Bosn J Basic Med Sci 5 (2): 78