Someone who owns a copy of the "RR: TNC" book, but who has not read past the first chapter sent me the following question:
Is relapse common with AVRT? I guess I'm like a lot of people that have a hard time thinking something that sounds so simple could work long term.
Simplicity is probably the main "flaw" in AVRT, since people may think "it can't be this simple."
This, of course, is pure Addictive Voice. It is your warden (the Beast) speaking, who does not want you to escape from the prison of addiction. It senses that AVRT is a threat to its survival, and it doesn't want you to investigate further. You can listen to your AV and not read the rest of the book, or you can do the smart thing and read all of it. The choice is yours.
As for relapses, there are no relapses in AVRT, only reversals of intent. Drinking/using is not something that inexplicably "just happens" to you, it is something you allow. If you have truly made a Big Plan, though, you have removed the option to ever drink, or to ever change your mind.