by Jack Trimpey, this is where I was first introduced to the Addictive Voice (AV) concept. The Small Book argues that the Addictive Voice (AV) or The Beast is the primal part of your brain used for survival. The AV helped us survive by focusing on the pursuit of pleasure, but in modern society the AV can cause problems.The Rational Website summarizes it as follows
In effect, you have two separate brains within your head — a human brain, which supports consciousness, and an animal/beast brain which supports life itself. The beast brain generates survival appetites which drive the rest of the body toward what it demands, such as oxygen, food, sex, and fluids.
These survival needs are all associated with physical pleasure, i.e., the better something feels, the more necessary it seems for survival. Alcohol and other drugs feel better than anything else, including food, sex, even breathing. Your survival drive has become a death drive in search of physical pleasure.
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.
Jack Trimpey argues that ANY thought that would lead to drinking is the AV and should be ignored.
For example any of these thoughts would be the AV and can be ignored or disputed.
- I deserve a drink.
- I can not enjoy myself without a drink.
- I can have just one.
- This will be the last time I drink.
- I can moderate.
- I can't stand not drinking.
- I must have a drink.
- It's a holiday, I deserve a drink.
- I will go crazy without a drink.
- I don't have a problem.
By recognizing these thoughts and understanding that they are nothing but a symptom of the Addiction it is easy to either recognize and let them pass or actively dispute them. A couple of good resources that will help you deal with your Addictive Voice when they occur are.
Resources:
When AA Doesn't Work For You: Rational Steps to Quitting Alcohol
Alcohol: How to Give It Up and Be Glad You Did
The Crash Course on AVRT
