"But in terms of discussing 'how hard it is to give up' once you have made the Big Plan, it is a full stop. That's it job done?"
In AVRT , AV is any positive thought or image of future consumption and any doubt in one's ability to remain abstinent. The Recognition Technique(the RT) is the conscious identification of AV and Its influences on one's thinking and behavior.
I think you have mentioned ordering the RR book, so I assume you have yet to read it, but the short answer is yes that's it , job done. Making a self pledge to commit to forever, permanent abstinence is 'recovery' , if you make a decision to never drink again and to never change on that the addiction will have come to an end , yes ? If the decision contains caveats or is conditioned ( I will never drink again , unless a really bad "x" happens, or a really good "x" happens ect) then that is a plan to drink in the future and by definition AV .
Using AVRT is to scan your thinking for AV, identify It and then separate from It. If one has made a commitment to abstinence any thinking about future consumption can not be coming from You, yes? The recognition of the Beast ( the desire for more alcohol) and its bark (the AV) as an alien entity allows for disassociation and separation .
It's not hard to want to give a up an addiction, to want to be free from the self imposed prison that addictive consumption is, not for You. It is very hard for the Beast to go without, the sole function, the only reason for Its existence is more booze , your decision signals Its desire will never be fulfilled, It will never again get Its precious stuff, too bad for It , good for You . The idea that giving up is hard for You isn't true, the AV will always try and convince You that it is in fact hard for you to quit, it actually isn't , it is very hard for It , too bad for IT.
Once you are comfortable identifying your own AV , you can see it in others. You can even see 'societal' or 'institutionalized' AV. Through the lens of AVRT , "AV" is a very contextualized term . Re forums and 'recovery' culture in general , the term is used but often connotes and denotes things outside of AVRT.