Originally Posted by
Colin1 
I agree DriGuy. I read first about AVRT and RR here on SR after I joined. It was new to me. After reading the thread 'AVRT Explained (long)' here I bought the Rational Recovery book by Trimpey. That process, simple as it is, made a lot of sense to me. I had a really good feeling about it. I knew I could only commit to a big plan once, that if I drank once after that it would likely never be an option for me again. Spent three days getting my mind around it and made the commitment. A couple of months later, it's been a very good experience for me.
SR is where I heard about it too, but I already had years of sobriety under my belt. AVRT just resonated with me, because without knowing about it, it was my method, although I never articulated it in the same way Trimpey did. I've read his book too, but just to see how closely Trimpey's views mirror mine. And like any program, it's not a perfect match, but it comes closer to my strategy than any other.
Originally Posted by
Colin1 But I've failed at getting sober many times already, I really wanted this one to stick or I wouldn't live much longer,
It can be a bumpy road, and I failed many times, until I formulated my Big Plan, although not in Trimpey's words. But with the full force of my commitment behind that plan, it's been mostly smooth sailing since then
Originally Posted by
Colin1 and although I'm an old fart I know I can handle internal change. If that sounds like me bragging, I don't mean it that way, that was my thought process at the time.
It's not bragging, and even if it was, so what? But one thing to think about is how much of recovery is internal (as in mental) and how much is external (as in behavioral). One of my insights along the way was how much of recovery from addiction is behavioral, which is what I call the external part of me.
Originally Posted by
Colin1 I really think this won't work for everyone. It's a very good tool for people who it 'calls to', but I have no idea what percentage of people that is. I quit smoking ten years ago by switching to vaping, but I've seen that fail with other people numerous times since too. This stuff is personal, we all have to find a way that works for us.
I agree. No program works for everyone, but every program has something, if only one little thing that can be part of someone's toolbox. And my personal toolbox was my strongest asset in recovery. It just happens that AVRT comes closer to that strategy than any other, but it's still not a perfect match. It doesn't have to be, because essentially, we all work out of our own toolbox. Recovery is personal.