For me, if sobriety simply represents the time span measured between drinks, then there is no sobriety there without a mindset. I realize that a lot of programs measure sobriety that way, and maybe they have to so that "they" can quantify it.
For example, when I tried to quit drinking with limited "successes" of a few days, weeks, or months between, I failed each time because I had never truly made the decision that I was a non-drinker. I have been a non-drinker many years now, and I consider myself sober. By my definition, if I make a dinner date with my husband that includes wine tasting tonight, I am no longer sober even before I get there.
You could drive yourself crazy with semantics. I don't know what AVRT has to say about this, but for me the concept of sobriety becomes trite if it is viewed as just a physiologic state and not a psychological construct.
FT