Originally Posted by
SunshineSally 
Let's be clear. The AV isn't a tangible real voice, it doesn't take on shape and form for real. There's nuance to consider in the discussions. I don't want people to get messed up on the concept, to take it to an unhealthy level.
No, it is not a "real" voice, in that it doesn't produce an actual sound, but human beings do hear voices and see images in their heads in their mind's eye. You are "hearing" my voice - or what you imagine to be my voice - as you read this sentence right now. Your eyes may see letters, but I am certain that you are also "hearing" the words as you read them. Your body "speaks" to you via your mind's eye in the same way when it wants something, be it water, food, shelter, and, yes, drugs and alcohol. Anything that points to drugs or alcohol is your AV.
Originally Posted by
SunshineSally How I see is it this: It's merely the stirrings in our hearts and minds. If we have a conscience, we know what's right and wrong, we know temptation, we know good choices and bad ones. We just need to pay attention to ourselves, our inclinations and what to do about them. That's all it is in a nutshell.
More or less, yes.
Originally Posted by
SunshineSally We can speak metaphorically and with wit about the AV to make a point, but to personify it too seriously is not good. It could have an almost schizophrenic tone to it if taken too far.
When I posted earlier that I shoved my AV aside and left it muttering at the office, I was being metaphorical and joking a bit. That would be obvious to most, but maybe not to all and I don't want anyone to misunderstand and get messed up in reading the thread.
The AV is real, as is the Beast (addictive desire), but obviously any caricature of the addictive desire (the Beast), as with my picture of the Devil earlier, or the "little kid" that Mr. Average used is a visual creation. The actual part of your brain that is sending out "drink! now!" signals doesn't actually look like that. It probably looks more like a gray blob of mush. :-)
Humans use metaphor and language, though, and we label things in order to understand them and discuss them. Think of the word "cat" - instantly an image of an actual fluffy animal with a tail comes to mind, and conversely, when you see such a fluffy animal, you think "cat."
Originally Posted by
SunshineSally For me to consider the AV as my weaknesses, my sinful inclinations, and/or temptation from the devil is fine by me as my core is my faith. As I turn away from the AV, I turn toward my faith. I'm not left in a vacuum. I'm not trying to proselytize, just saying this is my mindset with it and how it works for me.
It doesn't really matter where you conceive of the AV coming from, as long as you are able to recognize it as distinct from your other, shall we say, "sane" thoughts. AVRT will dovetail with faith or no faith at all, and that is what makes it broadly accessible. Whether by nature, evolution, or G-d, though, you were given the ability to resist bodily desire, and that is all that the thirst for alcohol and drugs is.