Originally Posted by
ReadyAndAble 
I've noticed beast references are now appearing even in posts by AAers. In some cases, it sounds like they are thinking of it as some kind of external force, like an evil counterpart to the higher power, as in, "The beast wants me dead." No, it doesn't. It doesn't consider life and death. It just wants you to drink or use.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees something off with this "the Beast wants me dead" business. I suppose if it helps people to think that, fine, but I seriously doubt that the Beast "wants" its host dead. Although the Beast will drive someone to ruin in its endless pursuit of the next fix, the Beast is actually
a rational entity that wants to survive, and the AV will usually suggest avoiding unnecessary conflicts or battles. This is why addicted people very often try to hide their drinking/using from others.
The Beast wants the party to go on for as long as possible, and as far as it is concerned, he who hides or runs away gets to live to get drunk another day. The Beast will sometimes direct someone to attack others if its supply is threatened by them -- this is why addicted people are often dangerous -- but if the Beast really "wanted" you dead, it would not suggest hiding first to avoid unnecessary conflict that might interfere with its supply. It would instead always default to fighting.