Originally Posted by
freshstart57 
XXXXXX,
... I refused to accept that I was powerless, that I could not be responsible and stop this. I felt that way, and still do, because I believe that I make my own breaks, that I control my life, not some substance.... .
Good post Freshstart, thanks for taking the time to write that.
I can really relate to what you've written, although I am only 8 days into my second attempt at becoming a non-drinker. I honestly do not want to be a recovering alcoholic for the rest of my life - I just want to be a non-drinker, free from the grip of addiction. I believe that is possible (for me). I also believe that referring to myself as an ex-alcoholic just serves to remind me about alcohol and highlights my previous weakness, and so is in fact counter-productive in the long term.
As a somewhat ignorant newbie, I'm interested if my thought process is on the right track...
I've checked out the RR website and gone through the AVRT flash cards. I'm a fairly analytical and pragmatic person, and I have some trouble accepting the "Beast" terminology - there is no Beast in my brain, there is just my conscious and my subconscious. Am I right in thinking that the Addictive Voice simply refers to our subconscious thought patterns? I've actually read through it twice and don't recall even seeing the word subconscious (although I find the garish colours and uneven fonts incredibly difficult to read).
I have previously done some reading on re-programming the subconscious, and it appears the AVRT process is using our conscious thought to train our subconscious that we don't need alcohol. I've been using some of those techniques (eg visualisation, positive terminology, thinking as if my goal has already been achieved) and so far (I know, it's barely a week) it feels like it's working well.
I'm going in tomorrow to get a referral to a cognitive behavioral therapist, and I plan on discussing this with him/her. It will be interesting to hear what he/she has to say.