Dee, this really upsets me. Please understand, I have the upmost respect for you and think you give stellar advice every single day. What you do is life-saving. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s simply life-saving. In this case, though, I just don’t think it hit the mark. Please let me explain. I totally respect if you disagree with me.

You made the assumption Tatsy’s AV cut her “off from support” (the regulars on her thread). I did not read it that way at all. To me, she was saying her high-level brain told her the thread advice was not working for her. And it wasn’t, right? I’d say ‘way to go, Tats!’ for finally recognizing this.

I mean, I think the thread became a little too like a cushy women’s support group. It’s value had diminished. Again, this is just my opinion. Addiction is a scary sometimes fatal reality. Casual and seemingly clever comments about cups of coffee and tea and views are, to me, worthless. I think Tatsy realized she needed direct steps, real help. I was practically getting offended by the casual nature of many of the posts. This isn’t social gathering. Someone is hanging from a cliff and needs help. Again, just my opinion.

Let’s pretend she had a serious illness like cancer and it didn’t seem likely you she was going to survive, and then she you got into this test study (called AVRT) under an unknown doctor and ended up going into remission for two years. Wow, she beat the odds and didn’t die! If that cancer then popped up again two years later, would anyone ever say, “oh, that first test study and doctor were CLEARLY awful! You are powerless! Let’s sit around and make coffee jokes because THAT will definitely help things!”

No!! They’d say run back to the doctor. RUN!!!!!!!!!

I read back through the thread, and I must wonder why no one with pushing Tatsy to to go back to what worked for her before. That was beyond frustrating to see. I see no way you can say “no one is prescribing how you have to get sober, Tatsy”, because (1)unless I’m wrong, you aren’t reading her personal correspondence and (2) I think by ignoring at least a real push to go back to AVRT, she is being not so subtly prescribed to stay away from it.

I’m disturbed that the coffee clutch crew is now not coming back to say how excited they are that she has found a way of thought that she thinks can work for her. It’s not supposed to be about the other posters right now. It’s supposed to be about Tatsy. She feels good. She feels like she is set up for success. And she has my 100% support for that. With the exception of Hawkeye and Anna, why isn’t everyone applauding this? The fact that she hasn’t gotten that round of applause and affirmation has made it clear to me that what she said in her thread was accurate.

Again, I mean this all respectfully. I truly don’t mean to be argumentative. I think what you do is amazing, Dee. I really do. And Hawkeye, I agree...there is a wealth of tools in our toolbox we should share with one another more often. Great idea. I know I’ll try every tool in everyone’s box!!