Originally Posted by
tsukiko 
The AVRT definition of 'recovery' as permanent abstinence, and nothing more, have I got that right?
In AVRT, recovery (from addiction) is secure, permanent abstinence from all hedonic, mood-altering drugs, across-the-board, and nothing else. This should not be confused with
tentative abstinence, i.e., temporarily stopping to 'to see how it goes'.
Originally Posted by
tsukiko See, I've read criticisms of this definition as it 'doesn't address the underlying causes which lead to the addiction' etc.
We don't do problems with AVRT, which are considered the result, and not the cause of addition. AVRT is concerned with the proximal cause of the addiction -- the Addictive Voice. Distal causes are irrelevant, and when used to support or explain away drinking/using, will always be identified as AV.
Originally Posted by Jack Trimpey
AVRT distinguishes between the proximal cause of addiction, the Addictive Voice, and the distal causes, which are always incorporated into the Addictive Voice. The epidemiology and etiology of addiction are moot points, because we are only concerned with the proximal cause of drinking, the Addictive Voice, i.e., the Beast... In AVRT, these distal "causes" of addiction are recognized as "explanations" or "reasons" for why, why, why people drink or use drugs, and, I hope, assigned to the scrap heap we call "the Addictive Voice."
An analogy could be drawn from someone shooting a gun. There may be many "reasons" or "explanations" on why the person shot the gun (distal causes), but the proximal cause for the bullet flying over the hill is that the firing pin struck the powder, resulting in an explosion that sent the bullet flying. AVRT is akin to removing the firing pin from the gun so that no matter what distal causes exist... the drinking/drugging response will not occur. It's just not there.
Excerpt from the "Trimpey-Ellis Debate"
Journal of RR, Vol 7, #2, Iss. 38, Nov-Dec 1994
Copyright (©) Jack Trimpey
All Rights Reserved
Originally Posted by
tsukiko Hence, while AVRT does not suppose to be an 'addiction treatment' , ain't part of its potential success due to the fact it empowers addicts to once-again recognise themselves as something beyond addicts, to break their identity free from being 'just a junky' or encapsulated by being an addict?
AVRT categorically rejects addict-identity. AVRT objectifies addictive desire as something that is
"not me, but the Beast", and saying "I am an addict" is essentially saying "I am my addictive desire -- my Beast". It just doesn't add up. Once recovered, you are not something "beyond" an addict;
you are not an addict at all.