Oh wow, you've really been through a lot freethinking. But I know what you mean, I was just up reading the newcomers thread and so much of it just made me cringe. It's all either, "Sober life is so amazing...all 3 days of it!" or "I just drank after x number of days". I've been there too.
I don't follow RR fully either, I just use AVRT when my addictive voice kicks in. This is just my opinion, but it seems to me like Rational Recovery presents itself as a one-size-fits-all method just like AA does. Like, "Do all of this and you will never drink again." Nothing in life is ever that simple and you still have to take into consideration your own specific situation, problems, etc. I personally don't like the way Trimpey presents his findings in the book. Quitting drinking is not "1...2...3...cured by the glorious findings of Trimpey." You have to use your brain, perseverance and determination, as you would for anything worthwhile. I'm just so irritated with anything that represents itself as "THE answer". I think people who are new to this should know to always use their head as with any other method, rather than get sucked into another author/researchers' book about a useful tool that somehow got buried in pages of marketing.
And for me, the Big Plan is just a plan, I'm not saying that I know 100% that I'll never drink again (which could be up to like 70 years if God likes to employ evil irony), but I am saying that my plan is to never drink again and that I will do whatever it takes to make sure of that.