Originally Posted by
flyawayfromhere 
My plan for alcohol use...
"No matter how BAD of a day I have, I will NEVER drink alcohol again and I will NEVER change my mind.
No matter how my Beast speaks to me, I will NEVER drink alcohol again and I will NEVER change my mind.
My Beast believes that it will die without alcohol. It believes it MUST drink, but I will NEVER drink alcohol again.
I have ALL power over my Beast."
April,
Congratulations on your Big Plan.
I will recount an experience here, but this in no way implies that you will go through the same thing. I had been drinking every single day for many years, and by the end, I was drinking straight whiskey all day every day for about two years, often without eating. The only time I went eight hours without drinking was when I was passed out and asleep.
For the first three months after I quit, I experienced what felt like physical cravings, almost like they were coming from my bones. I used "Addiction Diction" to distance myself from such cravings, but during that time, the pain was still fresh in my mind, so I had the necessary focus and resolve. Then, at around four months, I thought to myself "Well, it's been a few weeks now without any Beast activity. Finally! What a relief! I thought those cravings would never go away!"
That's when Mr. Beast made an appearance:
AV: "So, it only took three and a half months for the really bad cravings to go away. Maybe you weren't that bad, after all. That Terence T. Gorski guy said alcoholics experience PAWS for up to two years after they quit. If you got better so fast, maybe you were just a hard drinker, and you can have a few now and then, if you're careful."
ME: "WHAT? Not that bad!!??!!? I went from a six figure salary and a top tier university degree to being homeless. STFU, you POS. Never Again."
The Beast is a destroyer, no doubt about it, so just for kicks, I went back and re-read the Rational Recovery book. Like other people, I picked up a few more things that I had missed originally.
Then, at around six months, I felt a nice, calm feeling. I was not particularly ecstatic, since my life still sucked, but the change was nevertheless noticeable. I thought to myself "Yes! You did it! You proved them all wrong and quit for good without more treatment! Imagine what else you can do if you put your mind to it!"
I suspect this is what Trimpey means when he refers to the Abstinence Commitment Effect (ACE).
Again, congratulations on your Big Plan.
Many ACE's to you.
