Originally Posted by
GerandTwine 
I understand how the Big Plan - I will never drink again. - can be used
1- rhetorically, (I've done that many, many times.)
2- as a false pledge stated to others (I did that a number of times before I finally quit for good), and
3- as a personal pledge made to oneself and possibly shared with others. (I've done that once.)(It can't be done more than once.)
But I do not understand how the Big Plan can be construed as "not literal" and a "metaphor for intention".
Just caught up on the thread. I must agree with GT... to me the BP seems quite literal. As for why one drinks.... I drank because I liked being drunk. To take it further as to why do I like being drunk? I have my own beliefs on that but, they are unimportant to me now. I know I can't drink moderately and I accept that if I continue to drink I WILL DIE. So, the rational conclusion for me was to stop drinking. I fail to see the complexity in the "terminology" but NAT I hope you find something that makes sense to you in the way you are looking for.
