Another perspective, and I kind of viewed the AV like this from the start, is the image of the old cartoons with the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other - the conscience arguing with itself, basically.
So, am I the devil or the angel? Well, neither and both. The important thing is to raise awareness of cravings and what to do about them. By personifying the AV - by making it an "other" with it's own personality - we analyze the false logic it produces and can come up with counter-arguments.
I've come to believe (and this is rooted in mindfulness practice), that the AV is that part of the self that always wants things to be different. It always wants to feel different or be somewhere else. That's why I spoke of acceptance of the present. When we accept how we feel and sit with it or surf it, the AV has nothing to say.