Originally Posted by
JeffreyAK 
If it helps people to visualize the thoughts and urges of alcohol-altered brain chemistry as an external beast with particular attributes, that's perfectly fine, but I think we should be careful about putting too much energy into conceptualizing the metaphor.
The Beast of AVRT is not a metaphor, any more than "cat" is a metaphor for a small furry carnivorous mammal with four legs and a tail which meows. Beast is simply
the name that AVRT gives to the new 'bogus' survival drive, and it is not external. It is as real as the desire to drink or use, for that is what it is. It is worth noting that this drive did not always exist, and was created artificially.
See:
The Birth of the Beast
The Beast gives rise to a new, comprehensive style of thinking, organized around the addictive mandate ("you will drink/use again"), and the cardinal rule of addiction ("never say never to the possible future use of alcohol/drugs"), which in AVRT, we term the Addictive Voice. The Beast 'speaks' in our mind's eye and ear, but until recognized, the AV is subjectively experienced as self ('me').
See:
Functions of the AV -
The Beast is ultimately just some brain tissue, and we can know its nature without having to actually conceptualize its appearance. The Beast is just there, and it will define itself in various ways through the Addictive Voice, which is heard in our mind's ear, and seen in our mind's eye.
In AVRT, we simply recognize the Beast by its bark.