Originally Posted by
advbike 
The concept of "not an option" is what got me sober for more than 3 years in 2013, but I wasn't really aware of the Rational Recovery approach and need to make it a permanent non-negotiable committment, hence my slip back in 2017.
I actually have a hard time imagining how a successful recovery is even possible without "a permanent non-negotiable commitment." I think it is one of those common aspects of sobriety that represents the "juice" behind any program. Relapses and failures thrive on negotiations, starting with "Just this one time." "Not an option" applies to more than not just taking that drink. It also must apply to any preliminary negotiation with the AV. Every drink for an alcoholic in recovery begins with a negotiation. You cannot go there. Sometimes, the AV is too persistent to ignore. You can hear it, but to negotiate with it is the death of sobriety.
Any newcomer to recovery needs to understand and embrace a "permanent non-negotiable commitment" to the task and to make both the act of drinking and the act of negotiation off limits.