Originally Posted by
AVRT 
This is part of what I like about AVRT. It does not place any pre-conditions, such as spiritual/religious conversions or self-improvement projects in order to quit, which might deter many people from trying. An atheist might object to having to rely on spirituality or religion, for example, and a devout Christian might object to the secular humanism inherent in RET/REBT.
It is entirely possible for either learn and apply AVRT, though. Once abstinent, they are each free to choose the path that works for them. It can be counseling, therapy, regular church attendance, reading, or, if they don't care for introspection and self-improvement, nothing at all. Either way, the key is that any burden of change, if desired, comes after quitting, not prior to it.
In the book, the author likens AVRT to a laser beam:
We are in complete agreement, Terminally! The first order of business is to quit drinking and AVRT seems like a great way to start, namely focus on doing something about the Beast and silencing the inner voices. If a person manages to quit drinking then there may be quite a lot of catch up to do, making up for all the time lost not maturing or realizing one's true self or whatever way you want to describe it. So now, sober, a person can set out upon a path and there may be many paths. So instead of saying "character defects" cause drinking and you need some help with those (and we're going to give it to you) one focusses instead on the inner Beast and the voices which respond to it. When we've taken care of that and when the drinking stops, then all other options (other than drinking and drugging) are on the table.
W.