Originally Posted by
fini 
welcome to you,
sounds like AVRT might appeal to you. you can find threads about it in the secular forum farther down, and also google Rational Recovery.
WOW! That AVRT slideshow makes
so much sense to me! How did I miss that all these years? It's similar to the method I used in my only significant (5-year) period of sobriety. Back then, I just reprogrammed my subconscious mind with a simple affirmation "I do not drink." It stuck for a while.
This idea of the Beast is EXACTLY what I have wrestled with.
I will never drink again, and I will not change my mind!
I do not drink.
I'm so glad that I don't drink!
Thank you so much, fini! This is a great tool for people like me.
Edit to add: I want to re-iterate that I don't have anything against AA and know that it has saved a ton of lives, but for some people it is not effective. I am a spiritual person, and I guess my concept of god is that it's far greater than us and not really concerned with our struggles as big-brained monkeys. The idea of a rational mind triumphing over an addictive voice is kind of a higher power, isn't it? All the mumbo-jumbo and pithy maxims just cloud that basic dynamic for me which is probably why all those stints in AA were so short for me... but as I said, everybody is different, and I'm sure not going to knock something that has worked out so well for so many.