Hey everyone! I'm just a few days into recovery/abstinence, and still playing around with a lot of different treatment styles and strategies. I like SMART for certain things, I like REBT for some, and I like AVRT a lot as well. I went to a group support meeting, and while I really felt for and empathized a lot with the folks, I personally prefer a more proactive, cognitive approach. Just a personal preference.
Anyway, I took the crash course for AVRT and really enjoyed the rationality behind its premise, and appreciate the psychology behind its practices. I for myself, though, I can't really call my AV "beast". It rings too closely with biblical interpretations of Satan or the antichrist, and while I know we want to take the AV's nasty tricks seriously, I can't jive with that terminology. So I call mine Larry.
So far, it's worked really well for me. Larry is sort of the unsocial butthead I associate with my drinking. So for example, when I have a music festival coming up this weekend, I think, "What, you can't enjoy music without a drink? That's super lame, Larry. I don't drink, and I enjoy music without it. Music is awesome." It makes me disassociate myself with drinking and wanting to drink, while making me feel good for enjoying these wonderful aspects of life I missed while drinking, and feel strong for not associating myself with such a lame character as Larry the AV.
Also, I appreciate humor and laughter in this whole process. I want it to be fun and liberating! Even if I Pollyanna myself sometimes.
Do any of you play fun with your rational and irrational sides to work on sobriety?