Hi AlaskaGirl, I'm so glad you're learning AVRT! It saved me from a downward spiral which had been building up its negative vortex for decades. I'm just so thrilled to read your thread here.
Once my Big Plan was made and I'd read, reread and digested the detailed information in Secular Connections, to ensure that I was thoroughly conversant with the technique - it felt like I'd lifted off a backpack loaded with heavy rocks. It was such a relief, a very emotional feeling.
It's also truly liberating. No more internal debates, arguing, resisting, white-knuckling, counting minutes, hours, days:, and all the related internal angst: all removed. No more worrying about HALT, because I can be hungry, angry, lonely, tired, bored, sad and on and on. These are very natural feelings, however, if the question of alcohol arises on the back of those feelings as a way to 'fix' them, I instantly recognise the thought, feeling or image, as pure AV and instantly dismiss it as just the poor Beast wanting ITs fix.
No more fear, no more worrying, because I'm free from ITs tyranny and I'm a non-drinker.
Any questions, whatsoever, then please ask and I feel sure folks here can assist.