I see AV or beast talk since reading RR and learning how to identify those thoughts that are positive about alcohol use and concurrently negative toward the idea of abstinence. Almost immediately after gaining that perspective I could identify it in my addiction. Especially in my thinking before and around making an official BIg Plan, by official I mean consciously following the methods described by AVRT.
Point is though that the AV is only really "there" when you realize/recognize a state of active addiction and take action to end it. People engage in behavior that is self destructive , to whatever degree, or behavior they may not identify as destructive with no motivation to stop it. There were times in my life when I knew I was abusing alcohol but just didn't care, not really in the sense that I wished to care either, I guess more a state of being a heavy drinker and being fine with it. That attitude certainly lead to me finding myself in a state of addiction, the state where you feel trapped in the cycle wanting to stop but continuing anyway. Identifying the AV is a great tool in being able to end an addiction, but I'm not sure if all rationalizations or justifications of others about their drinking are necessarily AV or beast talk.
That said "it" is writ large and stands out in a lot of things recovery related. I see it all over the boards here and on other forums, in discussions of how to achieve abstinence, and seeing it from others sharpened my ability to see "mine".