Lionhearted1

Hi guys,

I have been sober on and off for six months relapsing 5 or 6 times, iam currently 1week sober today. I have been going to aa but no matter what I do it just does not fit well in my life/ mind/ beliefs etc I hated the powerlessness and disease concepts I hated the thought of doing meetings all my life, telling all my intimate thoughts to a sponsor etc I noticed that once exposed to some aa stuff when I did relapse it was completely out of control maybe hearing iam powerless over the drink craving etc made me worse I don't know! Now I have come across AVRT and done the crash course and have the book rashional recovery on order, can it be that simple I mean it all makes perfect sence to me but I feel that because of its simplicity it can't work! Can someone who is staying sober using AVRT give me an insight into how it's working for them?? Thank you very much.

soberlicious

Welcome. Read all the AVRT threads. There is a plethora of insight there.

Just to clarify...YOU feel free, IT (your beast) feels uncertain.
As it should...the sh*t's about to hit it's fan lol

Auvers

There is a tremendous sense of reviving personal power in making the simple decision that you will never drink again and never change your mind. The further from my last drink, the greater my power. After getting through the first 10 to 12 weeks with no energy, no sense of pleasure, it all came together to create a lovely life. I have come to see that old me who drank to great excess despite the obvious negative consequences as being a person who was made weak by an addictive voice that I allowed to call the shots. I am so glad I became aware of it and took back my life. Good wishes to you, hoping you will get through the early weeks of lingering withdrawal stuff and getting your brain's neurotransmitters cleared out so that you can experience the power, peace, vibrancy of life without being the puppet of an addictive voice.

BRD

I find AVRT and rational recovery to be of great assistance.

Full Disclosure: I go to AA and find the fellowship and some of the confessional nature helpful but also get a lot out of AVRT. The simple fact of knowing I won't drink again is liberating to me.

freshstart57

It does what it says on the box. It provides a way of looking at drinking that allows you to distance yourself from ever drinking again. The looking part is up to you.

Dalek

How very interesting. I posted about how the idea that AVRT is "too simple" is pure Addictive Voice only a few days ago, in response to someone who said that because it was so simple, they were being very cautious and alert. Some people wondered about my response, and as if on cue, here you come along and provide another good example.

This will become more clear to you after you read the book, but since you've gone through the crash course, you already have a working definition of the Addictive Voice: "Any thinking, imagery, or feeling that supports or suggests the possible future use of alcohol or drugs -- ever."

Obviously, the idea that AVRT is "too simple to work", which really means that you can't possibly stay off alcohol and drugs that way, supports and suggests the possible future use of alcohol or drugs. So, it fits the definition of Addictive Voice. As soberlicious pointed out, your Beast sees a sh*tstorm coming down the pike. It knows that it really is that simple, and it is pumping BS at you in response to a very real threat to its existence. Just transpose the appropriate "I" pronouns to see this more clearly.

Original AV: I mean it all makes perfect sence to me but I feel that because of its simplicity it can't work!

Transposed: I mean it all makes perfect sence to me but IT (my Beast) is making me feel that because of its simplicity it can't work!

To the Beast, abstinence is death, and it will say anything to evade that bullet (or stake, if you prefer). One of the very first things the Beast usually says to AVRT initiates is that 'it can't be this simple', since the Beast needs to create doubt about their ability to quit in order to keep them from quitting. Your own Beast would much rather you wasted your time working on anything and everything except actually quitting once and for all.

Addiction is merely an argument against abstinence. Recognize the arguments, and you will be free from your addiction.

Dalek

Do you see what's going on here? You started off strong, but then your AV tried to choke you off. It is trying to suggest that it isn't over 'til its over, that you're not quite there yet, and that you still have some more "power" you need to build up before it's really over. It doesn't matter how long it's been since your last drink, though, because you had full power over desire all along, and it's over when you say it is. So, set your confidence level for lifetime abstinence where it belongs -- at 100%. All self-doubt is AV.

Auvers

I see your point, Dalek, about the AV leading me to think I might not be as strong as at some point in the future. Yes, the full power is with me and has been with me since I quit. I am gradually getting my mental and physical energy back as time progresses, which is different from my personal power to choose not to drink.

Lionhearted1

Thanks Dalek that made perfect sense. I don't know how it happened but it's like a switch has been turned I can instantly recognise my av because it's been talking to me for years, so simple yet so powerful. My av just popped in and said that it will wear off. But it won't because I will never drink again, and I will never change my mind!!! Silly beast

freshstart57

Cheers to you, LionHearted1. It is so sweet for me (and others on this forum too) to watch that penny drop and the light go on. Congratulations!

unentschieden

Without knowing it I used an AVRT-like mindset to quit smoking many years ago...if you truly make a decision to quit it is wholly within yourself to make that happen...to me it is that simple! Note I didn't say easy.

The crash course made perfect sense to me but the book itself will provide you with further insights.

SR was most valuable to me in the beginning because it took away the "specialness" of my struggle...I could recognize my internal AV because I saw the same thoughts expressed here every day.

I'd say good luck but with AVRT luck has nothing to do with it!

Dalek

AVRT is powerfully simple, but the problem people tend to have in the beginning is that they can't quite "see" the AV at first, and think it is only simple thoughts such as "let's drink now", when in fact the AV is more than just that. It creates a whole way of thinking that supports more drinking or using in order to perpetuate the addiction. All I did was shine the light on your AV to give you a moving target that you could lock on to.

That's it, you got it! This is also a very nice example of how the AV will try to re-organize once you start catching on. It changed its tune from "it can't be this simple" to "this will wear off", but it's the same AV, and the same BS. From here on out, *anything* that contradicts your Big Plan is the Addictive Voice -- not you, but your Beast talking.

As others have suggested, you'll probably get some more "aha" moments as you read through the RR book and the main AVRT discussion thread, and I recommend that you read through both.