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Old 10-06-2012, 07:55 AM
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ReadyAndAble
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 4,451
Hi, mabp! Nice to see you here. That's not rambling, and far from inarticulate! Makes total sense to me.

I think maybe if you go back through your post, you can probably spot some classic AV right in there. It's far from silent. Check this out:

I know all self-doubt is the Beast and the official RR answer is to set your confidence at 100%.
But then:

Here's my problem: that's easier said than done. That feels, at present, like telling a depressed person to be more happy.
With me, I also know that it won't last more than a few weeks.
I am going away next month for a couple of weeks and it makes me feel a knot in my stomach at the thought of not being able to drink through 15 hours on a plane and endless waiting around in airport bars
Let's think this through: 15 hours on a plane without alcohol. So what? What are you missing out on? Not some idealized fantasy, but what are you really missing? What would you out of drinking?

not to mention all those hours by the pool.
Crazy, isn't it, to be worried about something as relaxing and pleasant as that? Yet I know exactly what you mean. That right there is one of the biggest reasons drinking is not something I can ever truly miss. It doesn't add to life's pleasures—that's just the illusion of addiction. Alcohol keeps me from enjoying life's pleasures. Now I can enjoy—truly enjoy—lounging by a swimming pool. You will, too.

I'm glad you're here. These threads have been very helpful to me in not just understanding AV recognition, but practicing it, so I could better separate myself from all the old doubts and desires. It was also crucial for me to realize that abstinence is ultimately not about giving something up; it's about getting stuff back—freedom, self-respect, a pervading sense of peace... Believe me, you're going to be grateful you quit.
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