Originally Posted by
freshstart57 
I am mulling over this paradox:
AVRT identifies even wanting the desire to be removed as AV, because it suggests self-doubt about abstinence in the presence of desire. Or, again, The desire to be free of cravings is AV. Stating a preference for no-desire over desire is AV. Really?
Yes, it is. Remember, addiction is a pleasure-driven survival drive, and AVRT identifies the desire for pleasure as a sign of health. AVRT does not remove the desire for drug-induced pleasure, but rather, allows us to live comfortably in its presence. Desire, which, again, is a sign of robust health, and not pathology. This is an AVRT axiom, and an early chapter in the book course is devoted to it. See Chapter 10 --
"Surprise! You Have a Healthy Brain!" -- in
RR:TNC.
Originally Posted by
freshstart57 The Buddha said that all desire is suffering, but not even the most diligent scholar would struggle to teach that the desire to be free of suffering leads to suffering.
There may be some parallels with Buddhism, but AVRT
does not teach that desire is suffering. A struggle with desire, perhaps, but not desire itself.
Originally Posted by
freshstart57 The state of no-desire is the ultimate goal, and called Nirvana, the end of suffering.
The state of no-desire may be the ultimate goal, the state of Nirvana in other addiction recovery models, but not with AVRT. A good analogy is one's sex drive, which for most people who are in a committed, monogamous relationship inevitably leads to having desires which go unfulfilled. It is doubtful most people would want to be neutered simply because they can't fulfill desires they may feel towards anyone other than their partner, though.
Just as we would not be perturbed by those desires, neither are we perturbed by the presence of addictive desire. We simply recognize the desire for addictive pleasure for what it is. Since it is a sign of health, and originates from the very same part of our brain that ensures our physical survival, we do not want to remove it. That same instinct that drives us to drink/use also happens to drive us to live. If we lose that, we might not be around for very long.
Originally Posted by Rational Recovery, The New Cure, Pg 129
Addiction is a state of being, a fact of life, until you comprehend the nature of your Beast, recognize its expressions in daily life, and learn to relate to it as less than a nuisance.
Granted, the effect over time of continually abstaining in the presence of addictive desire is a gradual reduction of the frequency and intensity of that desire, but this is
incidental to AVRT-based recovery -- a potential side effect. It is not an integral or a necessary part of it.
To wit, having a Beast is not bad, and neither is having thoughts which are Addictive Voice. There is no need to be disturbed by either.