Originally Posted by
msl999 
SMART has many tools, but I found (for myself) that they weren’t available when a strong urge would come out of nowhere. Terminally Unique said it best in the first of the 6-pert AVRT thread:
This was my experience as well. I was able to get to 5 months one time, but inevitably those tools did not keep me from drinking. I was continually deciding whether or not to drink. Eventually, I was going to “decide” to have some more of that sweet poison.
Yes, same for me. When I have a very strong urge and decide to just go ahead and drink, I ignore whatever I've learned in SMART or anywhere else. I've had multiple occasions where I would attend a meeting or do some work with SMART materials, then in an hour decide to go straight to the liquor store and get drunk, and don't even ponder the conflict much in the moment. As many people keep emphasizing on SR, nothing and no one else can make those decisions for us. There are many great methods and ample support available these days, but whether and how we use it is down to each of us. I personally do not believe even the most directive approach can break through that if someone does not cooperate. Maybe prison is the most directive but hell, there are some of the craziest drug stories inside prisons, and not just as the reason that landed the inmates there. I think the same applies for gentle, compassionate help, or even medical treatments - we still need to want to accept, use and apply it.