Originally Posted by
Saskia 
I don't believe that the absence of desire makes abstinence more likely" or the converse.
Are you sure about that? It is subtle, but your statements below suggest that only
after the bad 'cravings' are over will it become easier to abstain. In other words, that abstinence will be easier, and therefore more likely, in the absence of 'cravings' (desire).
Originally Posted by Saskia
My experience when I didn't drink for 14years was that, after the worst of the cravings were over, like with smoking I could banish those thoughts.
Originally Posted by Saskia
I don't see the presence or absence of desire as being "good" or "bad". It is what it is and after I'm past the worst, I know it will become easier to manage with time.
You also need to bear in mind that the Beast
is the desire to use, and vice versa. What you said below essentially translates to
"I no longer have a Beast -- it has gone away."
Originally Posted by Saskia
I quit smoking almost 30 years ago. I used similar constructs and after a few months have had absolutely no cravings or interest in ever smoking again.
One of the prime functions of the Addictive Voice is to conceal its existence, and by extension, the existence of the Beast. I can think of no bigger concealment than
"I have absolutely no cravings/interest/desire" (ie, no Beast).
Originally Posted by Saskia
I believe that some of us have had experiences that enable us to put cravings in their appropriate perspective. Awareness that things can still change is a necessary ingredient.
The Beast (the desire) may
temporarily lie dormant, and we may certainly have periods -- even extended periods -- of no Beast activity, but the Beast is immutable. Once born, it is a permanent, biological script error, and it doesn't just go away, no matter how much time passes since its last fix. Your experience with drinking again, even after 14 years of abstinence from alcohol, should give you an appropriate perspective regarding this, no?