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One of the most interesting Sumo Wrestling Matches I ever saw in Tokyo on Hotel TV was a seasoned ~385 lb. Gent vs. a 'Junior' 300 lb. Gent. They struck the rigidly-prescribed opening Pose. The Match started. Big Dude just erupted, and charged the smaller Dude. He side-stepped out of the way. Big Dude blew right out of the 'Ring' via Inertia, and lost the Match in all of 2 Seconds. Pretty amazing and something I remember >30 Years on. 'Small' Dude didn't push back. He won.
Implicit is some Discussions is this matter of 'Wrestling' the Beast. Then, it moves to whether a dormant Beast is an intrinsic part of our Lives. Then, it moves to how best to handle the Beast when it appears infrequently. By 'appears', I mean 'Beast encounters over time period x'. Also known as 'periodicity' or 'intervals' in the Hard Sciences. Just to be clear. I am NOT referring to Beast strength during increasingly-rare encounters. As noted above, the detail of Beast 'strength' doesn't matter anymore because my response never changes. I still don't drink. Not in a Bar where I'm enjoying some Chicken Wings. Not at a Wedding Reception. Not nowhere. Not no how. Unconditional Sobriety forever. No 'exceptions' on my Death Bed.
Much of the Discussion assumes Alcohol 'desire'. There's yet another Thread going on here elsewhere about some aspect of Drinking 'normally' again. Fundamentally not desiring 'that' right down in your Bones up-ends - terminates - 'The Struggle'. Thus, I don't parse the details of this Recovered State Of Being.
The entire Construct changes, including aspects of this current Discussion here, when that desire to 'drink normally' or drink at all has fully evaporated. Simply dead and buried through attrition - in that drinking is not on my Short List of responses any more - and through having drank 'enough'. When I pass some Urban Manhole Cover, the Beast - weak or strong - is not going to pop up and 'get me'.
This Reality/Existence of 'Post Drinking' renders moot the matter of AV reappearance, and whether I should desire 'it' to be 'strong' or not. Once it's fully outside of 'me' and - not unlike infrequently riding a Bike again - I know from repeated Engagement how to handle rare AV appearances, the nature - even the existence - of the 'push back' entirely changes. Sincere, experienced Vegans don't 'push back' against eating Meat again. They simply don't eat Meat.
Like the Junior Sumo Wrestler, I engage on my terms. I step out of the way, and win any perceived 'Beast Match' involving continued Sobriety. This message of Post-Drinking Hope is what I want to convey to those on this fabulous Journey! It is infinitely reassuring to always walk around with the sole, necessary, internal Resource you need to stay stopped: the Person you see in the Bathroom Mirror. Dependence on some external 'Force' - which is only shifting my Addictive, Dependent Behavior to something external and less-reliable, really - would have resulting in me failing repeatedly in achieving permanent Sobriety.
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