There is an optional exercise in Addictive Voice Recognition Technique, AVRT, that is called Shifting. Philemon did a fleeting version of Shifting when she Recognized that not only are all thoughts and feelings about access into the liquor cabinet her Addictive Voice, but EVEN IF there had been “drinks poured out on the counter waitin...” she would easily have not drank.
Shifting is when you intentionally pause and imagine what used to be an “ah, YES, here we go again!” situation for the AV and shift back and forth from ITs feeling of desire and excitement to YOUR thoughts and feelings of “nope, absolutely wrong. I made the Big Plan and love it.” It’s a way to further familiarize yourself with the Recognition process.
Having made a Big Plan, complete personal capability along with an extremely specific incapability are fused together.
The complete personal capability of “I will never drink again.” means the recovery from addiction is done and over with because there is no reliance on anything outside myself.
The specific incapability means that no matter what the circumstance or series of events that could occur leading to alcohol getting near my mouth, I am simply incapable of pouring it in and swallowing it - ever again. I cannot do it.
Biminiblue mentions that AVRT seems like “A rabbit hole of wasted time.” That is an example of good news awaiting people who make the pledge of total abstinence as Biminiblue has done. And Biminiblue gives an example of post-Big-Plan-AVRT directly following his statement. Yes, AVRT eventually becomes SO FAST in your mind’s thinking and feeling when the subject of re-experiencing that old Deep Pleasure may pop up, unexpectedly or not, that when you see a new student of AVRT pausing to analyze and Recognize IT in some detail, it actually seems slow or like “wasted time”.
But here’s the full context. Imagine NOT making the Big Plan. What kind of “a rabbit hole of wasted time” is one going to spend in recovery in that case?
Having made the pledge of permanent abstinence, one has perfect free choice on whether to spend more time helping other addicted people attain that same free choice, or simply leave the sphere of recovery altogether and get on with life.