Observe your thoughts and feelings, positive and negative, about drinking or using. Thoughts and feelings which support continued use are called the Addictive Voice (AV); those which support abstinence are you. When you recognize and understand your AV, it becomes not-you, but "it," an easily-defeated enemy that has been causing you to drink. All it wants is pleasure. "I want a drink," becomes, "It wants a drink." Think to yourself, "I will never drink again," and listen for its reaction. Your negative thoughts and feelings are your AV talking back to you. Now, think, "I will drink/use whenever I please." Your pleasant feelings are also the AV, which is in control. Recovery is not a process; it is an event. The magic word is "Never," as in, "I will never drink/use again." Recognition defeats short-term desire, and abstinence soon becomes effortless. Complete separation of "you" from "it" leads to complete recovery and hope for a better life. The only time you can drink is now, and the only time you can quit for good is right now. "I will never drink/use again," becomes, "I never drink now." It's not hard; anyone can do it.

Are you starting to get it? AVRT is an insight into the nature of addiction which places you in complete control over the decision to drink or use drugs. Some people figure it out on their own, others learn by reading, as you are here, others learn better in group discussions, and others learn through skilled, personal instruction at Rational Recovery Centers. AVRT, like the Heimlich Maneuver, can save your life, is extremely simple, is based on common sense, and it's free here at the RR-Web Center.

Although AVRT is very, very simple, you have to know what you're doing, and learning it can be tricky at first. This is because your AV uses your own intelligence and personality in order to remain concealed from you. It is ruthless in its pursuit of alcohol or drugs, but it can also be quite subtle, forceful, seductive, persistent, patient, and has many other qualities.

The disease concept of addiction is without merit on scientific grounds and as an aid to recovery from addiction. Therefore, Rational Recovery has replaced the disease model of addiction with the Structural Model of Addiction: