HMMmm!?

[Barbara1234]

HMMmm!?

Keep doin' the work LIT, and it's making sense.
BTW I was happy for you that your wife is standing by your side through all of this . That's awesome! You're a very lucky man. There are many of us who don't have that kind of support, so finding people like yourself here at the site is quite inspiring!

[LostInThailand]

HMMmm!?

Your survival appetite is aimed at the wrong stuff, to be sure, but addiction is more a reflection of health than of a mysterious disease. The desire for pleasure fades among sick or diseased people, further suggesting that addiction is a reflection of health rather than a disease process. In RR, some call the human midbrain "the party center," because of the bond between pleasure and addiction. Of course, it is often quite stupid (self-defeating) to act on healthy desires or impulses, as in substance addictions.

The Human and Beast Brain

We call your desire for the pleasure of alcohol and other drugs the Beast?. The Beast of Booze, or the Beast of Buzz, is ruthless in getting what it wants because it is about survival. It cannot speak, it cannot see, it has no arms or legs, and it has no intelligence of its own.

The Beast is utterly powerless to act on its own. Instead, it uses your thoughts and intelligence, sees through your eyes, creates strong feelings, and persuades you to use your hands, arms, and legs in order to obtain its favorite substance. It must appeal to you to get alcohol or drugs into your bloodstream.

Although your beast brain has no language ability, it uses your language and thinking centers to get what it wants. It is an animal mentality that can talk in your head. For example, if you wisely decide that drinking is bad for you, and that you will stop, you will soon hear that old, familiar voice telling you why you should continue drinking. You may even imagine a picture of what you want to drink. That is your Addictive Voice, the sole cause of addiction, expressing the Beast's demand for alcohol/drugs. Addictive Voice is to Beast as bark is to dog.

There are two parties to your addiction - you and your Beast, ?I? and ?it.? You can easily recognize your Addictive Voice using the following definition:

Any thinking, imagery, or feeling that supports or suggests the possible future use of alcohol or drugs -- ever.


AVRT allows you to become acutely aware of Beast activity and dissociate from it so it can no longer instigate action. Then you may confidently decide you?ll never drink again, and feel the grand relief of knowing your addiciton is finally over.