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Flame11 ~
A: Yes. This is absolutely normal for Beginners, based on many SR Accounts I've read over the Years on here.
There's a couple of things going on I'd like to attempt to separate out and clarify in order to - hopefully - be helpful.
Indeed, the AVRT Techniques you're now onto are effective. No question in my Mind/Experience. However, it is an entirely different Issue of how often they have to be applied early on. You have to ID [separate out] and dismiss any/all Beast 'noise' for the now-irrelevant distraction it is outside the Real You.
For one thing, we all have familiar, entrenched 'go to' Behaviors. We might have a Comfort Food we default to that's not necessarily best for us. We might automatically get P.O.'ed when a certain Person or Relative calls us. You see? In a similar - but Life-threatening manner - defaulting to Drink/Drugs is also an Addict's Default Behavior. As when you went by that Bar, and a Glass of Wine sounded good. Way to I.D. and dismiss that idea, BTW...
In Sports, there is 'Muscle Memory' where you do something to where it becomes automatic. Golfer Tiger Woods supposedly hit 500 Drives every Morning and THEN starting Golfing on any given Day. Same with Spiking a Volleyball. The point is to take your 'Brain' out of the Response, and have your Reactions be on Sobriety-reinforcing Auto Pilot.
Meanwhile, we all have to establish new Neural Pathways. New Nerve Responses, to simplify the Concept.
So, hang tight! Diligent AVRT application shortens the Conversion Time to Sober Life, IMO, but it's not only about Mindset. It's also about developing Sober 'Muscle Memory', if you will, so that your desired Response to challenging Situations becomes rote without exception.
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