Old 05-10-2012, 08:02 AM
  # 251 (permalink)  
Terminally Unique
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location:   « USA »                       Recovered with AVRT  (Rational Recovery)  ___________
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Personal Business

Originally Posted by Novice View Post
Do you experts advocate issuing an announcement to family and friends that one has decided to stop drinking for good? I have a feeling that this will start the "coaching" and "rallying cries of support" from all concerned...
The issue of disclosing one's Big Plan is addressed on pages 200-202 of RR: The New Cure, under the heading "Personal Business," so if you want the official RR take on it, read that. Essentially, the book likens telling others about your BP with telling others you are an alcoholic in order to be "held accountable" and/or be protected from temptation. Of course, if you do that, your Beast is going to smell that fear and uncertainty in no time flat, and correctly surmise that you didn't really mean it when you made your BP.

Personally, I think there are times when it is warranted to disclose the Big Plan, such as when your wife/husband/etc wants an answer as to whether or not this matter is finally resolved. Granted, if you have a history of broken promises, they probably won't believe you for quite a while, and they would be in their right mind for being suspicious. That said, you had better be very sure that you aren't telling them because you expect them to hold you accountable, support you, or keep you abstinent. Trust has to start somewhere, and if you can't trust yourself, why should anyone else?
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