Craving
The book makes an interesting point about cravings which is that cravin isn't something that happens to you and you passively experience them, but rather you actively crave because it's something that you choose to do.
It says that the issue is distorted by the language we use. If we say "I want a drink" it's easy to see that that's a choice we're making whereas if we say "I crave a drink" it suggests that there is some force out there called a craving that has somehow 'got' us and that we need to resist in some way.
This way of looking at it is seeing the craving as an activity that we choose to do rather than a thing or a force. If you think "I want a drink" then you'll feel a craving and if you think "I need a drink right now" you'll experience a stronger craving.
If says that you can get rid of craving by changing your perception of drinking and seeing that you heavy way you used to do is no longer something that you wish to continue. If you do that then you won't experience craving because you simply won't be having thoughts like "I really need a drink right now" again.
How does the model say that you can change your perception of drinking so that you don't get anymore thoughts like ³hat you need to drink right now? It's by no longer believing in the myth of powerful cravings but knowing that you're free to challenge that thought by asking yourself "Do I really want to drink right now?"
So, it says that craving is just thoughts like "I'd like a drink" or "I need a drink" and you're free to think differently. It isn't something that just happens to you, it's something you actively do.