What's the point of the IMC rating?

[Wrong Stuff]

I'm getting near my IMC test, which is concentrating the mind wonderfully, and starting to look beyond the point where I one day (hopefully!) pass. Now I've got a better idea how very difficult this stuff really can be, I'm starting to wonder what the point of the IMC rating is.

Before starting the course I had no idea how useful I'd find it. I've kept an eye on the various threads on the IMC - some PPRuNers seem to use it as a proxy IR to it's fullest extent - others seem to think it lunacy to set off on any flight where you plan to actually use the privileges of the rating. Having got to the point where I might be able to pass the flight test I seem to have hit the following dilemma:

Flying in IMC is really rather difficult (a bit of understatement there) and the 15 hours of the IMC gives you very little experience. If you ever need to use the rating you'd better be current or you're in trouble. But if you never plan flights where you need to use the rating:

1) you'll very quickly be un-current

2) you will never build up any further experience - especially of real IMC without a safety net sitting to your right

3) if ever you do hit unplanned IMC conditions then you won't be well prepared - and the one thing I have learnt about IMC conditions is that pre-flight planning pays off in spades

4) with the little experience I have, if ever I'm to use it I need to plan gentle introductions to flying in IMC - the last thing I need is to spend 18 months getting rusty before accidentally blundering into IMC with no prior escape plan.

Maybe the answer is to plan every flight like you're going to meet IMC conditions - but unless you're going to start to fly closer to the edge then you're unlikely to do so - and inevitably, after a few months, you're not honestly going to put as much effort into the IMC planning if you don't think there's at least an outside chance of really hitting IMC.

So I guess the question I'm asking is, for the people who consider this a get you out of trouble rating, how would you suggest using the IMC? Obviously the ideal is to fly a refresher with an instructor - or perhaps a friend as a safety pilot - once a month, but is that practical? Are you really going to undertake a regimen of training for a rating you intend never using? Or should you bite the bullet, do at least a US IR and get a rating which is worth the ongoing refresher training (and you naturally stay more current in anyway) because you're actually using it.

Wrong Stuff

Edited to add...

1) I'm not looking to reignite the argument about whether the IMC rating is or isn't a "get you out of trouble rating" - that's been done to death in numerous other threads. There are two opinions on this point and they can't be reconciled.

2) Despite the title and the dilemma, undoubtedly the training has been very useful and improved the standard and accuracy of my flying no end. Worth doing from that point of view alone.