Rational Recovery

[Supercrew]

Rational Recovery

It's not about curing yourself immediately.

[Supercrew]

Rational Recovery

But, with that being said, there is a need to have a rapid change. Most people have a hard time believing that an intense change in how you see alcohol can happen quickly and easily. Many people mistakenly believe that change has to be long and tedious. The only reason that change usually takes a long time is that the methods used have been primitive and innappropriate in most instances. With appropriate understanding and methods, depending on the person, change can occur very quickly. So yes it did take me over 10 years to cure myself, the real change occurred almost over night.

[harry101]

Rational Recovery

I like Rational Recovery's hardcore, no nonsense approach to abstinence.

It gets to the heart of the matter and outlines how people have been getting sober without any help since time immemorial.

The Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT) lets you see the Addictive Voice as separate from the "real you" who wants to quit. Once the AV is objectified as not-me, it can't take over your mind and you can say "IT wants to drink but I don't".

[paulywogg]

Super duper old thread but I'm bumping it for myself and others who have never heard of Rational Recovery,I heard about this on another recovery forum,bought the books on Amazon the original book and the"small book" I wasn't getting anywhere with AA,I sat there waiting for magic fairy sobriety dust or something, counseling didn't work cuz he didn't sprinkle me with magic fairy sobriety dust either, in reading the books I know that I'm the only one responsible for my recovery,every single excuse I made for relapsing is in the book,every uncomfortable feeling I've had before relapse is in there,its like the author read my mind,he doesn'tpiss around either,tells it like it is,kinda anti AA,ok really anti AA! HHowever I knew I'd never work those steps,my God is my God and I know he gave me free will and its my CHOICE.to drink or not,do I expect divine intervention to stop me,maybe my car won't start when I decide to go get beer cuz I asked God to help me quit drinking, meh,I think he's got a little more on his plate than stopping a person to make a foolish CHOICE, anyways its a good book,an eye opener and I wish I would have found it long ago,anybody have any experience with Rational Recovery? Feel free to share

[idefineme]

Pauly, I saw you mentioned it a day or two ago and got me interested. It's been in the back of my mind, so I'll be looking into it. I have a lot of respect for AA, but it didn't do much for me either. Always looking for a viable alternative. Thanks for dusting off this thread and sharing!

[NoSugar]

The one thing that concerns me about RR is the philosophy that once you've rationally made the choice to stop drinking, you don't, and in fact shouldn't, participate in a support group. I've found the ongoing interaction to be very important. I do like the logical, pragmatic approach of RR, though, and think that many of its principles are very helpful. Whatever works, right :smile:??

[paulywogg]

NS,I think part of that is his views towards AA and the way of thinking of this as a disease that we have no power over and relapse is inevitable and getting rid of the"poor me" mentality, instead of living a life in recovery,he writes of being recovered and living life and of course that voice will always be in waiting but learning to recognize it and rationalize it instead of giving in to it,I think people can take a bit from here and there anddo what works for them but definitely take responsibility for themselves,I just know that for me its made the most sense out of everything I've tried so far

[NoSugar]

I agree with RR in almost every way but the one mentioned above, Pauly ( I guess the Beast imagery doesn't really work for me either, but I do like externalizing the damaged part of my brain from the real NS).

He apparently had a really negative experience with AA. You're right - we need to develop our own programs from formal programs and from what we learn elsewhere and from one another.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

[paulywogg]

I imagine my beast as a spider,its lays hidden but ready to strike, also since its a spider it can't drive,spend money,it has no I.d to buy al so unless I give into it,its powerless Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too and thank you for your views

[idefineme]

that's good, Pauly! It can't do any of that stuff, but it CAN use it's poisonous voice to lure you into thinking you want to do those things. And more than we like to admit, it works! Enter our own vigilance and strength to fight this a$$hole off! I do like the spider analogy.

[paulywogg]

Idef,if you go to the RR website there's a crash course on AVRT which is recognizing the AV and learning which is the "real you" and teaches you to separate the two,the real you knows drinkin sucks and is harmful but the addictive voice is the trouble maker that causes us to react in such a destructive way,if we choose to succumb to its seductiveness,give it a looksie when you get a chance,I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving too

[paulywogg]

"For those with a year or more of NHP sobriety,an appropriate motto is"Its no big thing".When a substance is absent from the body for a period of time the appetite for it wanes and eventually dissapears. Formerly carnivorous vegetarians report that the appetite for meat is one that must be fed to be sustained, and those who refrain from sugar for various reasons often remark how repulsive the thought of sugar now seems. Something just like this occurs in the alcoholic body,so that the subjective feeling of "temptation to drink" gradually lessens and eventually disappears"
But we do know that the Beast of RR usually doesn't dissapear altogether. It may reassert even after many years of pleasant sobriety. Even so,we do not feel threatened by the mere thought of drinking, because of the sense of mastery that we have achieved over our old nemesis."-The Small Book,Rational Recovery