I just finished the Rational Recovery book. I haven't drank for 25 years and I won't drink again, so I really didn't need the book, but everything I've heard about the RR method in the forum resonates with the way I recall my own recovery taking place, so I had to read it, and I strongly agree. Recovery is a very individual process. No matter what method you use, you do the work. You can make it simple or hard. RR gets right the point, and spells it out simply; Don't drink.
It does spend a lot of time telling the reader why he should stop, and why he can. I suppose he has to because most alcoholics have to make a big deal out if, with "Yeah, but," and, "I don't think I can," and, "But just one drink a year?", and, "It's got be harder than that." But for those of us that have stopped for good, we already know that stopping for good is essentially recovery, and we know that it is possible, and most importantly, we know the results are immensely satisfying. OK, we beat it to death before we did it, but now we know. So I give the author a pass on that one. RR advocates working toward personal growth as I do, but does not include it as "recovery." It says personal growth is what you can do after recovery, if you choose, and he made a strong enough case that I believe he's right. One thing for sure; Personal growth is not the struggle it was when you were drinking.
What I would like to see, would be meetings with individuals using RR who are on their way. I understand the author decided not to do meetings because it actually goes against the method's main axioms. Still, I found weekly get-to-gethers helpful on the premise that "two heads are better than one." And during the first months of recovery, meetings were essential, but that's just me. In lieu of meetings, SR would me my choice for daily contact because of its inclusive nature.
I identified with the AV before I ever heard the name or heard of RR, without even realizing the Alcoholic Voice was almost universal for alcoholics, and as much as I like the RR program, I have always wished for a wide variety of methods, because individuals are, well, individuals, and we won't all do it the same way or want to. I built my own program while attending AA meetings, but my program was almost identical to RR, although I hadn't heard of it at the time.