Rational Recovery Feedback
Feb. 25, 1999
Dear Mr. Trimpey,
I want to take this opportunity to tell you how
REFRESHED I feel after reading the various postings from your
web site. I feel like I just woke up from a bad dream.
As I stated earlier, I was helping my friend
Lori with a college assignment on rational recovery and after
going to your site I was compelled to read all that I could. Like
Lori, I stopped going to AA meetings for many reasons, some of
which were outlined in your web site. I have been clean and sober
for three years and I don't feel that I owe that sobriety to AA,
but to myself and the life decisions that I made on my own.
I have to admit that I, too, was caught up in
the AA doctrine since going through a rather extensive (7-month)
treatment program. Actually, five of that seven month stint was
done at a halfway facility in central Wisconsin. When I left to
go into the "Real World" I tried AA for awhile but found
that it was all religion-based and that "God" was NOT
keeping me sober as I had been brainwashed into thinking. I had
a real desire to make changes in my life and to live clean.
Without going into my life story as it were,
I also experienced being shut out by my so called friends after
I stopped going to meetings. Many of those people are convinced
that I will soon die because of that decision to stop going to
AA.
I seriously feel that there is a better way to
recover from drug and alcohol addiction and AA just doesn't do
it for me. I'm going to the mall this morning and see if I can
buy your book (The Small Book) at B. Dalton. I don't know what
else to say. I have been up all night printing and reading from
all of the pages and pages I have found on Rational Recovery.
Words cannot describe how much better I feel
right now. I guess I have thought the same as you on the teachings
of AA but were afraid to say anything. I thought that I was the
only one, and who would listen to what I had to say about it.
Lori and I are going to start a group here in north Iowa for people
who want an alternative to AA. At this point, I would appreciate
any advice or feedback that you may be able to offer. Thank you
again,
Sincerely,
Jeff W, IA
Dear Jeff,
You have been ignited by freedom, like many others
who visit our website. Your complete recovery from addiction to
alcohol and other drugs should be prompt and speedy. I am sorry
you got drawn so deeply into the AA cult, spending 7 months in
that toxic environment. It will take you some time to get the
step-nonsense out of your head.
You will notice that your Beast will attempt
to undermine your confidence by pumping the 12-step program on
you. You will likely hear, from time to time, telling you that
maybe AA is right, that maybe you do have a stealth disease that
will cause you to inexplicably drink, that forever is a long time,
and that you never know when the other shoe will drop. You may
also get a yearning to drop in on the groups, which of course
is the Beast longing to mingle with its own kind, never sure exactly
how long it is until the next drink. When you finally see the
entire 12-step movement as the embodiment of the collective Beast,
you will feel more recovered, more free than ever.
The Small Book is no longer recommended as the
introduction to Rational Recovery. I urge you to get Rational
Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction (Pocket Books,
1996), which is light years ahead, and brings the entire episode
of addiction to closure.
You experience of being shunned by your former
friends in AA is very common. AA is a cult, and cults accept only
their own. Now, you can associate with normal people like yourself,
without regard for whether they drink or not.
By the way, I did not make up AVRT. I listen very
carefully to the many thousands who call and email me, and then
synthesize it into a common thread of success. I have gotten very good at bashing
AA because so many have taught me so much about it. Its ironical
that in order to defeat addiction, most of what AA stands for
must be disputed and reversed.
Welcome aboard, and welcome back to sane society,
and back to reality.
Jack Trimpey
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February 26, 1999
To everyone at Rational Recovery,
My warmest and deepest thanks to your program.
I had recently identified that I was a problem drinker, and had
attended one AA meeting. I was definitely off-put by my personal
mores (trained scientist, agnostic) and felt that something was
wrong with AA. On the suggestion of a friend, I visited your site,
took the crash course, and was amazed. I've had neurobiology,
and several classes on addiction neurochemistry. Your simple,
easy, and profoundly effective method is a piece of genius. I
realize that I had never lost control, become "addicted,"
but merely let that damn lower brain start talking to the neocortex.
Happily, I've been able to completely abstain since that course,
without any cult indoctrination or help from others. The problem
is individual; it must be solved by the individual.
I am a published writer, specializing in scientific writing for
laymen, and would love to help your cause. If there's anything
I can do, please write.
Warmest Regards,WB, University of XXX
Dear WB,
Welcome to the real world of Rational Recovery,
and congratulations on your Big Plan! You may be aware that people
such as you are considered with the addiction treatment industry
as "the most difficult to treat." If you had been referred
to an EAP or the campus health center, you would have participated
in a lengthy assessment, invading your privacy and dignity, and
been sent to an addiction treatment center for a month or until
your assets were depleted. As a well-educated man, you would have
rejected the nonsense of the program, and that would have been
taken as evidence of "deep denial," a grim symptom of
the dread disease, "alcoholism."
The experience would
have been so exasperating and depressing that,
according the stats of addiction treatment, you would probably have gotten very drunk
shortly after being discharged. That, of course, would convey
to everyone how seriously diseased you were. You would probably
have wondered about yourself, and begun to think maybe there was
something wrong with you. Fortunately, you stumbled upon this
website, where anyone can recover for free and save tens of thousands
of dollars and many years of frustration. By recovering independently, you have joined a crowd you
will never get to know, a crowd much larger than AA, the population
of self-recovered people who take personal responsibility and
don't make a big deal of it.
I think it is fair to say you were "addicted," unless you prefer no descriptive term at all. Now that I think
of it, that would make good sense. In AVRT, addiction simply means
consuming alcohol and other drugs against your own better judgment.
That was apparently the case with you, because your ambivalence
caused you to seek out AA.
An interesting fact is that devoutly religious
people appreciate AVRT just as much as agnostics such as you,
because they, too, have beliefs that are deeply personal and are
equally offended by the schmaltzy, heretical, 12-steps.
I suspect that you might submit a verrrry interesting
article to some publication of your choosing, shedding light on
the virtually unreasearched phenomenon of self-recovery from substance
addiction. I would also like rights to publish that in The Journal
of Rational Recovery.
I also suggest you fortify your AVRT with Rational
Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction (Pocket Books,
1996), which is a comprehensive volume on Addictive Voice Recognition
Technique. The website is adequate, but the book tightens the
screws considerably.
Jack Trimpey
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February 20, 1999
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Trimpey,
I have to give you a sincere thank you because
you didn't save my life. You showed me how to save my own. 12
step groups almost killed me. After 3 inpatient treatments, and
countless 'relapses' I was in a state of total despair and considering
suicide. I didn't understand why I couldn't stay clean (but was
assured by many that I couldn't. Huh?). I did everything my group
and sponsor told me to do. I went to meetings everyday. I called
my sponsor. I read the big book. I prayed. I waited for this miracle
that would remove my compulsions forever. And it never happened.
I spent hours with people trying to figure out what I was doing
wrong, feeling less and less in control by the minute. I examined
my childhood for hidden traumas that caused me to use. I began
to develop 'aberrations' to help explain my use. Each time I went
back, I was told my problem was simple. I didn't accept my powerlessness,
and was therefore unwilling to turn my life over to the care of
GOD as I understand him. (Problem is I don't understand him at
all.)
My first treatment was in my 2nd year of college.
Since then I have been suspended from school, lost my scholarship,
discharged from the military, let go from several jobs, etc. If
I had known then what I know now, none of that had to happen.
I was cured one night about a year ago. (several
months + 1 year, I don't keep track anymore) I was broke, depressed
and feeling pretty hopeless. I needed someone to talk to, or I
would have done something stupid. I couldn't bear yet another
humiliating meeting and 24 hour chip, so I went online and looked
up recovery sites. I had heard about Rational Recovery before,
but it was passed off almost with derision. RR was for those cowards
looking for an easier softer way who were incapable of being honest
with themselves. These people were doomed to fail and would be
back, if they lived that long.
I clicked the link anyway and was
amazed. Somebody was actually badmouthing the 12 step program?
Somebody sober I mean. I've badmouthed it many times sitting on
a barstool with other program failures/rejects. That's to be expected.
But somebody actually comes out and says it doesn't work? Sacrilege!
Of course while in the program we talked about other program members,
but never came out and defied the sacred text. But I read and
I understood.
The Crash Course in AVRT, right here at this
website, was all I needed! IMMEDIATELY, all the hopelessness left
me. But the Beast reared up quickly, pumping the Program on me,
"You're on a pink cloud. You can't quit using. Will power
doesn't work!" It was amazing how much ammunition the 12
step program and people had given my Beast to keep me using. But
it was easy. I don't use. For years I had been trying to figure
out why I got drunk, and had many reasons (excuses). But reading
through your site showed me the only real reason I ever got drunk
was because I picked up a drink and poured it down my throat.
End of story.
Since then I haven't used. I work, I'm about
to reenter school and I have so many things I've never had before.
And I did it all myself. But I harbor a hell of a resentment toward
AA and the like.(I guess I'm on a dry drunk, ha, ha). I'm happy.
RR works where tens of thousands of dollars worth of 'medical'
treatment failed.
I see clearly that AA is a cult. They prescribe
for you how you should interact with your higher power. They engage
in rituals of confession and humiliation. They demand you share
your innermost private thoughts and feelings. They shun you if
you do not. They take credit for your successes and blame you
for their failures. I can tell you nothing spurred my cravings
on more than listening to others go on and on for the umpteenth
time how much they used, what they used, why they still want to
use, and could use again at any moment. They give members awards
for not lifting a drink to their lips and swallowing and have
you listen to nauseating acceptance speeches praising the miracles
of the program which they now owe their lives to. They tell you
many ways not to get drunk, but never emphasize the most important
part. Don't drink. I don't understand it, and I never will. Thankfully,
I don't have to. Sadly, many others who could get on with normal
lives right now will spend years in the recovery quagmire. I only
hope they find a way to stop before it's too late. I did, and
you helped me. For that, I am grateful.
I understand how important it is to speak out
about AA and such. One thing that really gave me the creeps was
a sentiment expressed by several AA members that the world would
be a better place if everybody was recovering and living the 12-step
program. I heard this in many meetings. A terrifying idea.
Sincerely, C.R.Garvin, Normal person
Dear C. R.,
I would prefer that you be extremely grateful
that you live in a country where it is still legal to speak out
against AA. Already, it is illegal to refuse AA, in the sense
that people who resist AA can be jailed, condemned as a parent,
made unemployable, denied parole, fined, arrested, and discriminated
against in countless other ways.
Alcoholics Anonymous fosters
zealotry rooted in the vision of world domination. Their missionaries
travel the world, instilling US-bred addiction hysteria and offering
AA as their only hope for social and political stability. AA is
affiliated from birth with Moral Re-Armament, the name given to
the Frank Buchman's Oxford Group when it dissolved into disrepute
in the late 1930's. MRA is a theocratic movement born of the same
social cultism found in the 12-step movement. Driven by a driving,
subjective experience they call "God," they strive to
convert the world to "God-control." Their energy is
boundless, since it arises from the polar, black and white mentality
we call the Addictive Voice, expressing the primal, biologically-driven
side of human nature, i.e., the Beast.
Futuristic writers have described autocratic
societies energized by technology. The ingredients for even more
bizarre and oppressive regimes can be found in the 12-step recovery
group movement and the bureaucratic Beast now emanating from Washington,
DC. As you discovered, the 12-step program is the Beast's human
voice, defending itself against moral accountability, procrastinating
moral decision, and disguising its carnality as disease victimhood.
That our government is pouring billions of dollars annually into
the Beast's warchest is truly frightening!
Congratulations on your Big Plan, and welcome
back to reality. You are another citizen nearly digested by the
US government's toxic campaign to protect people agsinst themselves.
What you do about the harm done to you is your business, but if
you want to go to the mats with the bastards, start here.
Jack Trimpey
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Dear Rational Recovery,
I just wanted to take a minute and let you know
how much I have enjoyed the information at this website. I was
given the assignment of researching Rational Recovery for a class
assignment in my Advanced Methods for Drug and Alcohol Addictions
through Washburn University in Topeka Kansas. I have been completely
absorbed for the last two days.
This is soooooo what the field of recovery needs!
I have been struggling with the 12-step movement for a very long
time. When my employer stated I had to be working on a recovery
program to maintain my job (I'm a drug and alcohol counselor in
training) I attempted to attend some local AA meetings. I hated
it. No one took responsibility for their substance use and looked
at me as if I had lost my mind when I stated very clearly "drinking
has ALWAYS been a concious decision I made for myself. I have
never been out of control."
It appeared the idea of someone taking responsibility
for chosing to do something destructive was alien to them. I am
in hopes I will be able to utilize some of the methods in RR in
the treatment programs I provide. Though this will be met with
resistance (my supervisor is a 13-year NA groupie) I plan to push
the idea that alternatives to the 12-step program should be made
available.
I would love to hear any suggetions you have
that may make my attempt more palatable. Thank you for putting
into words and practice the ideas and values I have. It's nice
to know there are other people who no longer drink or use who
aren't able to buy into the 12-step program. This is the first
time I have not felt completely alone in my "recovery"
SW
Dear SW,
I'm glad you took a minute to email me. The reason
Alcoholics Anonymous has gained so much power is because people
are very reluctant to speak out against AA. You are entering a
field that is dominated by the 12-step syndicate, and I imagine
it will be very difficult for you to hold your tongue now that
you know about Rational Recovery. You might even reconsider your
vocational plans, since you are likely to be discriminated against
by 12-steppers who will not be able to tolerate your views. Addiction
counseling is a dishonorable profession.
I wish I could make your vocational plan sound
more palatable, but I cannot honestly do so. There may be future
opportunities within RR, but it would take a willingness to work
hard, take risks, follow difficult rules, and absorb hostility
that very few have.
That said, thanks for the note. With your permission,
I would like to post it, with or without your name, at our website
and possibly put it into The Journal of Rational Recovery. I urge
you to read Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction (Pocket Books, 1996), and subscribe to JRR in order to keep abreast
of social, legal, and political issues that will directly affect
you as a formerly addicted individual.
You are welcome to submit other materials, particularly
your personal observations of 12-step recovery and other forms
of addiction treatment. We cater to people who can express themselves
clearly and wish to make their viewpoints known.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Jack,
I had my first drink at age 4. By my fresman
year in college, I drank every day, and have continued drinking
until I quit 60 days ago. I am 43 now. About 90 days ago my wife
got me to go to counseling for marriage problems. Alcohol quickly
came up. One thing lead to another and I decided I needed to quit
drinking for good. I detoxed myself, and four days later I was
feeling great.
It was then that both my doctor and counselor
began pushing me to regularly attend AA meetings. I came out of
my first AA meeting thinking "This is crazy," and after
two more meetings I had had enough and quit attending. I explained
to my counselor and doctor that it made no sense for me to identify
myself as an "alcoholic" since I no longer drink alcohol.
Furthermore, how could I accept that I was powerless over alcohol
when I had just succeeded in beating alcohol. They wouldn't listen,
and continued to push AA on me. "Try another group"
they would say.
Then I came across RR in The Recovery Book though it was only briefly mentioned. I was immediately intrigued.
A few days later when I was supposed to attend another AA meeting,
I got on the internet, and looked up your web site. What a great
relief it is, to know I am not the only one who thinks that AA
is defeatist and depressing.
I can say with a great deal of confidence that
I will never drink again. I always thought sobriety would be boring
but necessary, but I have never in my life felt better. I feel
naturally high, not drunk, but feel happy. I thought communicating
with my wife would be somethig I would have to work at and wouldn't
really enjoy.
But communication with my wife has come naturally
and has been quite enjoyable. The only problem with your book
is that now I am very angry at AA and the health
industry for joining up with them. How can they be so stupid!
I'm grateful that you have taken it upon yourself
to take a stand against AA. Though I am sure AA has helped a number
of people I can't help but think AA has totally confused many
more. As for me, I am too selfish to join your battle, because
I will be too busy enjoying my new life. I will do one thing for
you though. I'll make sure my doctor and counselor get a copy
of your book, and I'll insist that they read it.
DJ, Asheville, NC
Dear DJ,
You are very lucky to have escaped the AA cult.
Many people who feel as you do eventually give in to the authority
of medical doctors, psychologists, and others who will trust you
based on your affiliation, but not based on your word. This is
a dangerous trend in society, because all anyone ultimately has
is his good name, his word of honor, to reap the benefits of a
free society. To say that you must affiliate with AA in order
to be trusted is an outrage.
During your very brief stint in AA, you acquired
a minor recovery group disorder, e.g., "I am sure AA has
helped a number of people." I am sure this is not so, having
become very well acquainted with many people who claim to have
been helped by AA. They have not been helped, they have been converted
and cannot perceive the monstrosity that has replaced their active
substance addiction in their lives. I have not met someone who
has been helped by AA, but I have seen thousands who, like you,
have finally taken moral resonsibility for permanent abstinence
when the results of drinking/using became personally unacceptable
or harmful to others.
You have already noticed that abstinence pays
off immediately, and that it takes little if any effort. This
is the abstinence commitment effect that is so carefully concealed
by the recovery group movement. You aren't a dry drunk, and don't
need marriage counseling, because the problems were the result
and not the cause of your drinking.
Trust yourself, recognize all self-doubt about
permanent abstinence as the AV, and you will do beautifully, I
am sure.
Jack Trimpey
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Dear Jack and Lois,
Thank you for helping me to save my own life.
RATIONAL RECOVERY WORKS! When I was in AA, I was going nowhere,
doing nothing with my life except concentrating on my so-called
"recovery." My "friends" in AA all were making
a career out of smoking, drinking coffee, and gossiping about
what other members were doing. Since I quit AA, I'm sure I have
been written off as "dead in a gutter somewhere." With
Rational Recovery, I have not only stayed sober, but I quit smoking
(almost 2 years now), I have a job I love, I take evening college
courses to get my degree, I just recently bought a house, and
my husband and I are considering having a family in a few years.
I actually wanted to apologize for not writing sooner, but I have
been so busy LIVING! I can't say "Thank You" enough.
Very sincerely, LSW
Dear LSW,
Thanks for the feedback. RR doesn't have members
to proclaim how grateful they are to be in endless recovery. It's
very good when someone looks back for a moment and sends a little
encouragement to others who are on the verge of doing what you
did. It's also extremely important for the public to understand
that you are the kind of example that should be held up as a standard
for addicted people to live up to, rather than the abject victimhood
exemplified by Bill Wilson and his following.
Jack Trimpey
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Dear Rational Recovery,
After reading your information, I agree with
all that is said. I have been sober for
almost 4 years now. I started this journey in 1989 and put 2 years
together. I looked good in recovery but drank again. I went back
to AA, put another 2 and half years together and ended up addicted
to prescription drugs. Then I went into treatment with a social
model program. I have not used since then and don't want to.
However I don't attend meetings anymore and I will not conform
to the recovery system I went through. Because of this, I am being
shunned and losing a relationship over it. I have been very abused
and rejected because of my personal beliefs and ideals. I went
to therapy the whole time for past abuse issues. My doctor now
tells me that she was actually treating me for cult abuse.
I wonder, which cult? AA, or the recovery system
I went through? I am getting my own thinking back, finally, and
will be without any friends for awhile. But it is all worth it
to be a in dependant thinker, free from recovery groups. My brother
went thru the same thing and had 10 years sober. He lost a family
and almost killed a sponser that gave his wife his 4th step.
The person I have to leave is a "counselor"
from where I went through drug treatment. He is involved in 2
other cults besides AA. The really sad thing is he really believes
he is a free spirit. He would do anything they told him to do.
I am so sorry I ever started this journey with
recovery it has almost ruined my life.
It will take me some time just to straighten out the damage to
myself, my family
my career and my convictions. I just want to get around normal
people again, and
have a life of my own without being controlled with thinking the
12 steps are the solution for life.
Thank you even though I never used RR I am sure
it is a solution to addiction and only hope some day soon I will
put to rest all this power of recovery groups to control my thoughts
and actions and my life and my family. Keep up the good work,
Jack and Lois. I am sure there are many others that have gone
thru what I have. May God Bless You. C.P.
Dear CP,
Very few who suffer from recovery group disorder
are willing to speak out against the bullies who have exploited
them. I am glad you have the courage to tell the truth, so that
others can understand the danger of Alcoholics Anonymous and its
12-step program. The people who become leaders in AA are the least
capable of helping other people, because they are the most dependent
of all. At one time, when they were desperate and vulnerable,
and were abused by cult members who offered them friendship and
acceptance in exchange for obedience and submission. They sold
out on themselves, and many years later the cycle of abuse continues,
but with them now in control, abusing you and others who are down
and out in the same way they were mistreated.
The abuse I speak of consists of telling substance
abusers that their behavior proves they are defective, powerless
to stop their substance abuse unless they become blindly obedient
to the 12-step program. The groupers know how it feels to squirm
in confusion and fear, but feel compelled to perpetrate the drama
of stepwork on newcomers.
Our society increasingly reflects the values
of the 12-step cult, and many are forced by courts and laws to
enter the recovery group movement. You are wise to withdraw completely
from the recovery group movement, and to avoid all counselors
who purport to treat addictions. You must know by now that there
is no help for addictions, that your so-called "addictive
disease" is ordinary, human stupidity, and that you are entirely
responsible for and capable of lifetime abstinence.
It's a great life, if you play your cards right,
and AVRT is how to beat any addiction. I think you are using AVRT,
even though you haven't named it anything. Keep studying AVRT,
and you will pick up some good pointers. - Jack Trimpey
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RE: Your Website!
I can hardly believe what I found at your web
site! What a wonderful page! Now, I am convinced I can get the
help I need, the way I want it! I will now concentrate my thoughts
on "KILLING THE DAMN BEAST!"
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! :)
Bob Walters, MI
Reply:
Dear Bob,
Welcome back to reality. I know where you've
been, even though you didn't mention your 12-step entanglement.
Be sure to read Rational Recovery: The new Cure for Substance
Addiction, which goes much further than this website. A lot is
at stake, and the book will help you screw that sumbich down so
it can never harm you again.
Drop us another line when you know you have a
bulletproof Big Plan.
Jack Trimpey
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Dear Mr. Trimpey,
First of course I would like to thank you for
compiling this method of recovery, which has once again proven
successful, for I am on the list of winners. I saw your book Rational
Recovery in a bookstore on a Friday, and I briefly looked through
it. I spent that whole weekend blindly drunk. (something I had
been doing for years). The following Monday morning I bought your
book. I read it in a few hours. I had scheduled a meeting at a
treatment center that afternoon. In response to my questions,
I was angrily told that they could do absolutely nothing for me
until I recognized my powerlessness. I stood up, thanked them
for their time, went home and made my Big Plan.
That was months ago. I don't count. There is
no need to count time. I have my brain back and and I am functioning
well. I don't shake. My life has changed in so many positive ways.
I don't have suicidal thoughts and I will never spend another
night in a mental hospital in this lifetime. The processes you
describe so clearly in your book work quickly and instantly.
I feel hope for the future and life is looking
good now. I have recommended this book to several people. Have
a pleasant Holiday Season and I wish for you a successful New
Year.
Lucy Marlett, Benicia California
Dear Lucy,
We are delighted to hear about you. You have
experienced the abstinence commitment effect (ACE), a sense of
confidence and well-being that will never leave you. I still wake
up sometimes, 15 years or so down the line, with a smile, thinking, "Wow, no hangover." Although I have plenty of practical
problems, I can't get depressed, even if I try. And I was such
a depressed drunk.
I think the ACE is the most important unresearched
phenomenon in the addictions field, as it results in more benefit
than the most optimistic hopes of addiction treatment. You have
not only avoided further suffering from addiction, you also escaped
the clutches of the AA brown-shirts at your local hospital. That's
a double win, I think!
Jack Trimpey
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Dear Jack,
Nice thinking! My deepest thanks to you (and
to Lois) for putting together a wonderful, freeing, and profoundly
educational experience. I just finished AVRT: The Course, which
was instructed by Dave Trippel in Chicago.
After I spent 4 years suffering IN THE ROOMS
OF 12-STEP HELL I left, announcing I would rather be high than
take in any more of that crap. Four years later, after four great
days of AVRT: The Course, Jack, I have a Big Plan. I WILL
NEVER DRINK OR USE DRUGS AGAIN. I am certain of this, and free
of the whole mess. I always spoke about a little voice in my head,
screwing me up. How much fun it is to finally confront the Beast
and simply recognize my Addictive Voice. A hug for you, buddy.
You did good!
John
Dear John,
Putting AVRT together didn't come in a flash
of white light; in fact, I proved to be a slow learner. When RR
first began, AVRT was all there was, only it wasn't named AVRT
until The Small Book came out in 1992. By then, I had added some
pop-psychology, not recognizing the significance of the Beast/AV
concept, resulting in much confusion about the nature of Rational
Recovery. For several years, AVRT remained in the background,
but finally came to life when it exposed counseling psychology
as so much AV, and when mounting evidence from consumers such
as you became overwhelming.
It's not surprising that AVRT is explosively
effective, since it is the accumulated wisdom of self-recovered
people. We now hold up people like you as the proper model for
addicted people everywhere to follow, independent, resilient,
and self-reliant, rather than the images of chronic disease, powerlessness,
dependence.
Your years in "12-step hell" were as
damaging to you as addiction can be. Your trust in AA was based
on the dignity bestowed upon it by the government, by the courts,
by the health professions and by the public media, but you were
not provided any information on how to solve the problem you wanted
solved, i.e, how to quit your addiction to alcohol. Instead, you
were told that your desire to quit once and for all is beyond
human capacity, a symptom of the problem for which you desired
help. The information you desperately needed, planned abstinence,
is abundantly available in every community, but it was withheld
from you by the keepers of the turnstiles of our public institutions.
I am glad you feel great, now that you have conquered
your addiction. As you know, this is the abstinence commitment
effect (ACE), which will never really leave you. You probably
also recall that any such feeling of hope or confidence in your
ability to remain abstinence was squashed by the recovery group, "honeymoon," or "pink cloud." ACE, when it
becomes known, will be the undoing of the recovery group movement,
because very few in their right minds would trade a life of AA
for the authentic freedom of an undiseased, self-defined life.
Thanks for the note.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr.Trimpey:
I purchased your book about 9 months ago. I was
at the end of my rope. I felt there was no hope for me concerning
my drinking. I wanted so much to be different. I read Rational
Recovery four or five times. I took sections out and read them
over and over.
I wrote to you several times and you responded
to me.
Well, it has been 6 months. I have not drank,
nor do I wish to. I am so thrilled. It is a quiet happiness. I
have told no one, only my husband knows, but he does not know
about your book, or you.
I just want to thank you for my life. I want
you to know you have made such a difference in me. All the things
you say about depression, why one drinks, etc, are true, and so
is what you say about how you will feel after you stop.
I am forever grateful to you. I wish I could
return the gift you gave to me.
What a wonderful holiday gift for me. It feel
good not to have to make a New Year's Resolution.
When I sit quietly, or am in my car driving,
I think of you often and what a change has been made in me. It
was ten years of drinking, and now I am free.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Ann Marie
Dear Ann,
I imagine you will have the happiest holiday
season in many years, and be able to cherish the memories. Remember,
though, that my role in AVRT is peripheral in the sense that I
did not make it up. Thousands of others like you contributed their
experience to build the knowledge base of self-recovery. I compiled
that information, organized it, and named it AVRT, and today we
spend a good bit of our time protecting it from piracy and corruption
by those who would change it.
I looked through my email archives and found
your earlier emails. You certainly were at the end of your rope;
I'll not print them here, because you are already mercifully forgetting
the horror of self-destruction. Forgetting why you never drink
is natural and useful in AVRT, because your decision to abstain
is final and needs no justification or explanation to anyone,
including your Beast.
As you know, recovery groups and addiction
treatment involve telling and retelling past war stories, ostensibly
to discourage drinking. It is as if those folks are attempting
to frighten the Beast out of its immutable desire to drink, which
is impossible. So, let the past fade into a dim memory of the
bad old days, and relish the spice of your abstinent life.
You
are obviously experiencing the abstinence commitment effect (ACE),
which is proof positive that you are indeed recovered, perfectly
confident in your ability to abstain for the rest of your days.
Your quiet happiness is the natural satisfaction of mastering
a serious problem, so take full credit for what you have done.
I understand your gratitude to Rational Recovery,
since information on planned abstinence is still very difficult
to find in our society, but be sure to take all of the credit
for applying the information and for your present favorable situation.
You paid your RR dues, since I made a dollar when you bought the
book, so consider the matter settled.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
My friend's roommate got a DUI and got ordered
to attend those AA meetings.
Now he's totally annoying and nobody can stand him. You can't
talk to him like
a reasonable person because he just quotes all these tired, stupid
AA slogans.
He says that I've got something missing in my life and all this
B.S. I'm a
computer programmer who has a beer now and then, I'm fine! My
life isn't
unmanageable! It makes me so mad that this simpleton talks down
to me like I'm
some clueless fool just floating around aimlessly. He thinks he
has all the
answers and tries to get all his old friends to go to AA meetings
with him.
I've been to those meetings before. I've never seen such a bizarre,
twisted,
socially maladjusted group of people anywhere! I wish all newcomers
would stop
going to AA. Then that pathetic organization would wither up and
tear itself
apart. That's the only way that it survives-- by dragging people
like my
friend's roommate in. Thanks for having the courage to speak out
against this
nuisance to American Society. Henry C.
Reply:
Dear Henry,
I'm afraid it's more than a nuisance; it's a
menace to society. AA provides the conceptual foundation for the
War on Drugs, which is destroying the American way of life. The
disease concept of addiction stigmatizes people so that their
civil rights may be violated with impunity. Everyone "knows"
that addicted people are in denial, and every word they say can
be discounted, at least until they are "in recovery," segregated from mainstream society, spouting weird nonsense as
you describe above.
We hear from many people who grieve the loss
of family members, not to addiction, but to the 12-step cult.
A common comment is, "He/she did stop drinking, but he/she
sure got weird. I'd rather he/she drink than act so weird."
You are correct, that AA must induct new members
in order to survive, expansion for its own sake. The attrition
is extraordinarily high, 95% of newcomers per year, so they readily
use force to gain newcomers. Your friend has "snapped," and has lost his identity to AA. He is not the same, and he knows
it, but tries to induct others into his strange ways rather than
look at himself as others do. He uses the recovery group as his
sole source of information about himself, and rejects compassionate
criticism such as yours as a threat to his survival. You will
find a framework for understanding the AA cult experience at The
Embodiment of the Beast.
Your friend demonstrates that the fact that one
voluntarily attends AA after initial coercion doesn't make it
right. He hasn't been helped, if we look at his potential to be
his original self, a normal person who simply doesn't drink for
personal reasons. Part of the indoctrination is to alter one's
perception of their pre-cult life, so that it appears life was
devoid of satisfaction or meaning prior to AA. This applies especially
to the perceptions of one's original family, who are always perceived
as the cause of life's misery, through defective genes, deprivation,
or abuse.
If all newcomers would stop attending AA, no
more would die from addiction than now. As it stands, only a tiny
percentage abstain for long, and people caught in the revolving
door of recovery die like flies. Rational Recovery stands as an
alternative to addiction, and a warning against entanglement with
the recovery group movement.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
I made the conscious decision to take control
of my life and quit drinking alcohol forever two days ago. I have
only read the first 80 pages of Rational Recovery, and I am amazed
at how the words echo my feelings and thoughts as though they
were my own! Over the past few hours I have come to despise my
"AV" and am committed to giving "the Beast"
a slow, painful death. What a liberating thought this is! I am
finally hopeful and confident that my future without alcohol in
my life will result in great things for myself and my children,
wonderful things that would never have been possible had I not
made this choice.
I am interested in finding out if there are any
Rational Recovery self help groups in the West Palm Beach, Florida
area. If so, please email me with a telephone number and address.
I would be interested in speaking with another individual who
believes, as I do, that only I can change my life and that only
I am in control of my actions and future.
Thank you for the validation of my belief and
knowledge that I will never drink again and that this can only
be done by me!
Susan
Susan,
Congratulations on your Big Plan and welcome
to reality. I imagine it must feel very good to have your addiction
behind you, and know that you will never drink/use again. There
are no Rational Recovery groups in your area, which probably is
a good thing for you.
Ask yourself why you have the desire to speak
with an individual who believes, as you do, that you are in charge
of your life and will never drink again. The answer you get will
be your Addictive Voice, telling you that you don't already know
enough to be confident in your ability to quit for life.
The recovery group movement is the embodiment
of the Beast. Our experience with the recovery group movement
has been almost completely negative, since people who turn out
to attend or lead meetings have agendas that invariably conflict
with immediate self-recovery, as you have already done. Where
we have groups, we don't strongly recommend them. When they are
done according to our rules, they send people home with encouragement
that they can do much better on their own by reading the book,
Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction. But most
of the time, people become engaged in discussions that get further
and further away from the matter of whether one will continue
or desist from the use of alcohol and other drugs. There are many
other good reasons to congregate, such as sports, art, religion,
music, hobbies, adventure, etc., and these provide much more wholesome
social outlets than to hang out with others because they love
to get drunk. -- Jack Trimpey
A final response from Susan:
Mr. Trimpey,
Thanks! Your insight is enlightening (or should
I say, I knew the answer you gave, but I just didn't trust it).
Thank you for your response and yes, I do feel such a sense of
unburdening and control over my life now. I thought it momentary,
but as I continue to look towards my future and what lies ahead
for me I feel more and more calm and in control. I am proud that
now, when "It" does consider drinking, I can deal with
the thoughts and put things into perspective knowing that it's
a part of me over which I have complete control and total responsibilty!
I agree, and know from past AA experience (5
or 6 meetings in 5 years or so) that this group feeds on self
fulfilling prophecies. I have no desire to associate with the
group nor with any of their members. This feeling translates very
logically into not associating with other RR practitioners. All
of the information needed is in your book, and right here on the
web. The necessary knowledge and motivation is in my heart and
mind.
I will talk to you again, perhaps in 5 years,
proclaiming the effect that Rational Recovery has had on my life
without alcohol.
Susan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
No amount of money can ever pay Jack and Lois
Trimpey for what they have done for me.
Can you recommend a book that helps pull the
marriage together again? You
see, my real self in in control and it has created a chaos between
two people
that truly love each other. Your suggestions if any would be appreciated.
Larry Willis
P.S. Die, Beast. Die
Reply:
Dear Larry,
I have lived through the turmoil and aftermath
of addiction, and have also learned from many others about some
ways to repair the ugly mess. First, it is essential that you
start building a new relationship with those whom you have offended.
That new relationship must be based on the truth about addiction
rather than the lie of addictive disease. Let your wife know that
your love affair with alcohol was first class adultery, a betrayal
of the bond that holds a man and a woman together. A marital relationship
is a sexual bond, upon which an affectionate relationship rests.
Sex produces extraordinary pleasure, but cannot compete with the
pleasure of alcohol or drugs. Addiction creates a love triangle
that destroys trust and affection as surely as any extramarital
sexual affair. It is essential that you not plead the disease
defense, because with that you will never regain sufficient stature
in her eyes to spark the bond of your heterosexual relationship.
The idea that addiction is a family disease makes her a sicko,
too, and that is not a very sexy or affectionate reminder, either.
Your Beast did none of the drinking; you did.
It talked you into it, to be sure, but it was you who did the
act, every time. So, don't try the old "The Beast made me
do it" act, because it won't fly, and it's a lie. It is you,
and not your Beast, that twists slowly in the wind. You were a
sucker, you went for its line, you acted, and now you pay.
Take a direct moral hit for every drink you ever
drank. Admit that you fell in love with booze, that you loved
booze more than you loved her, that you betrayed her for the greater
pleasure of alcohol. This will naturally anger her, because the
truth hurts more at first than the lie of addictive disease. But
you must apologize without attempting to make amends, for you
can never undo what you did over and over during those tumultuous
years. Ask her for her forgiveness very directly, and tell her
that there is no reason to expect that she will. This is very
truthful, because addiction is exactly what it appears to be,
even to a child, the ultimate self-indulgence at the expense of
others. Addiction is immoral conduct with knowledge of wrong,
every single time, and until you accept the moral burden for everything
you did, the anger will remain either unspoken or expressed in
many disdainful ways. Offer no excuses for any of it, especially
the old, "I don't know what I was thinking" routine,
because you did know what you were doing, and she knows your knew.
Give her plenty of time to forgive you. Give
her the rest of your life for that, because in some ways it will
never really be over. You will always have to live with the knowledge
of your immorality, and you will have to discover your own ways
of dealing with it. You see, when you were drunk, you didn't have
to put up with you. She did. You were feeling no pain when she
was horror-struck at your behavior, and when you were babying
your hangover, she was looking at a horror show in which she was
the leading lady. You might find yourself wondering, "How
long until she will trust me again," which is your Beast
trying to set a time limit for her. The better question is, "How
long will I have to compensate her for the damage I have done?"
You've read in The New Cure about shifting. You
can do that with her. Let your Beast look at her. Notice how it
cringes and seethes. Then you look at her and notice how loving
tears can well up. Those are human emotions, unknown to Beasts.
If you are having trouble with irritability, shift on her instead
of the rhyming counterpart. When you separate from the Beast,
you will be able to engage her without dragging the dead weight
of your Beast into the discussion.
The disease approach is the easier way out, "Gosh,
honey, I drank all those years because I have a disease that makes
me drink like crazy. But I'm working on the problem by going to
meetings." You can say you're a disease victim, and spouses
will usually respond accordingly, "How can I blame him for
being sick?" But the worst part of the disease defense is
the lingering uncertainty it brings, the one-day-at-a-time wait-out
that taxes the nerves of sturdy people. She won't believe you
at first when you tell her you'll never drink again, but with
time reality sinks in, and gradually she may start regarding you
as partially human, rather than the animal you were, and with
whom she patiently cohabitated.
You are in no political position to ask her for
anything but forgiveness, out of her generous nature. She owes
you nothing, she is not a codependent, and to say she enabled
you to do what you insisted upon doing is adding insult to injury.
To place even an ounce of burden of change upon her is a manipulation
in the service of the Beast. However, if she is involved in 12-step
activities, like Al-Anon, beware that that program is anti-family
and uses your past failings as leverage between you, to create
endless mistrust as well as both of your undying gratitude and
devotion. It wants to be more than a substitute family; it wants
to become your family. Speak confidently as you tell her that
Al-Anon is crazy, and tell her that she should abandon her trust
in that organization in favor of her role in her own family.
There are many books on marital conflict, and
I don't recommend any of them for the aftermath of addiction.
Our society is so saturated with disease thinking and psychological
bullshit that there is not a book on the subject in print that
operates on the principles of self-recovery, al a AVRT. The matters
in this note are being compiled with other materials into a manuscript
which will come out as Addiction: First Class Adultery! Don't
wait for it to come out. Get busy with what you already know,
and start apologizing like your marriage depends upon it, because
it does. Twenty years from now, apologize once and a while out
of the blue, because the past will never go away, and because
you care.
© Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery:
IT WORKED! I recently found, or actually went
looking for you, on the Internet. I heard about your program years
ago when I was struggling with food addiction. I had been a faithful
12-step member and attended AA religiously in order to maintain
abstinence. I was going crazy though, because my thoughts while
not eating were constantly about alcohol. What a rat race! I wrote
to your organization at that time but was so "into"
the 12-step cult, that I dared not step out of the program. I
actually trashed the flyer you sent without looking into your
organization any further.
I entered a treatment facility and spent 30 days
surrendering control while giving the program all possible credit,
so of course, when I came home and didn't have a daily program
(my AA only met once a week) I "relapsed." Poor weak
me. I was suffering, but not from a disease. I began to doubt
the AA jargon and saw the hooks in the AA literature, especially
the line about ,"There are those who are constitutionally
incapable..." I have always thought of myself as capable,
and this program said I was hopeless, and it gave me no hope.
It guaranteed my misery, but promised to be right there with me
so at least I wouldn't suffer alone. Misery does love company!
I took the plunge and told my Beast that I would
never drink again. The Beast railed against me, making snide remarks
about how many times I've tried to stop him. Now, I am actually
able to hear the Beast. I know that what I am battling is incapable
of making me pour alcohol into my face. The Beast has no control
of my muscles. He is dying quickly. I told him today that he could
drink in 2098. He was elated. Boy, how dumb is that Beast! And
to think I let it run the show for 40 years.
Thank-you for finally saying what I've felt for
a long time. The twelve-step program is a cult. I wish that people
who have been snared by it would open their eyes to see how pervasive
the program is. "1984" has arrived in the form of the
12-step program.
I thank me for stopping the madness. I thank
you for telling me to believe myself. I hope others will quit
being defensive and dishonest about their addictions and start
telling their Beasts to sit down and shut up. NEVER again will
my Beast be my boss!!
(Name withheld by request)
P.S. I work in corrections, and yes, the inmates
are forced to attend AA, NA or 12 step treatment to earn good
time and to be eligible for parole. Please don't use my name if
you post my letter. I need my job.
Dear Ms. XXX,
Congratulations on your Big Plan and welcome
back to reality. I assure you I won't publish your name, but I
would like to post your letter and use it as an exhibit of shame
against the 12-step recovery group movement. The idea that you
would be fired for speaking out against AA is an outrage against
our Constitutional democracy and against human decency.
The public doesn't understand the dark side of
the recovery group movement because it shows a friendly face to
hide its tyranny. We get calls every week from people who are
being discriminated against in court, in their employment, by
insurance companies, and in their own families because they object
to the 12-step program. We know a number of people who have been
fired from their jobs for questioning the authority of the 12-step
program, and many inmates who are in prison, passed over for early
release, solely for rejecting AA.
The fact is, you would be fired if you took Rational
Recovery into the workplace. RR frightens the prison addiction
treatment industry so much that one Substance Abuse Program director,
Steve Kenny, said to the (New Hampshire) Concord Monitor, we can
offer many alternatives, anything but Rational Recovery!"
Concord Prison, like all American prisons, has been forcing AA
as a condition of release, but one inmate, Bill Yates, has stood
up to the 12-step bullies by filling a civil rights lawsuit. His
case has been making progress, and he is being joined by a number
of others in a class action against the State of New Hampshire,
ostensibly the "Live Free or Die!" state.
Yates has
been through numerous 12-step treatments, which naturally aggravated
his drug problem, and he was in desperate condition by the time
he learned about AVRT. Now he is completely recovered, but the
State will have none of it. They will not accept his word that
he will obey the law by abstaining from alcohol and drugs because
they view him as congenitally defective, unable to know right
from wrong. One of Yates' counselors who initially defended his
position was immediately placed under administrative review, and
his employment was in jeopardy. Prison officials are attempting
to do an end run by substituting psychological disease for the
medical disease of addiction, so they can use cognitive psychology
to "treat" him.
The prison industry is obsessed with
treating inmates because they keep coming back; it's great for
repeat business! Yates, who is a nonviolent offender in good mental
health, is also refusing psychological addiction treatment, for
it is also religious, based on the religion of secular humanism,
as earlier upheld in Supreme Court decisions. The State is frightened
of RR because we have unraveled the illusions of addiction treatment
as well as the recovery group movement. RR negates the Therapeutic
State by turning over the problem of recovery to inmates, leaving
little for treatment staff to do.
You are like Yates, held hostage to the 12-step
program while your captives made a living at it. Addiction treatment
is a fraudulent practice across the board, an example of social
cultism at its worst. Your recovery experience is authentic, and
anyone can do the same if that is what they want to do, and if
they are provided the information on planned abstinence provided
at this website and at the Rational Recovery Bookstore.
Aside from that, I suggest the title of your
email should be, ``I worked,`` rather than "It Worked." This is part of your AA hangover, ``Don't ask us how it works;
it just works!`` Nasty stuff.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. and Mrs Trimpey,
Thank you. I've wanted to quit for several years,
but until I got your book from my sister last month, I didn't.
I had been to several different AA meetings and remember telling
my wife " AA is not going to work for me ." AVRT is
brilliant ! I really can't tell you the affect you have had on
my outlook on life without getting emotional. But I will say this,
" I NEVER DRINK "
Thank you for everything,
BPJ, Jr.
PS. My wife and 2 year old son thank you too.
Dear BPJ,
It is significant that AA did not suggest or
recommend planned abstinence, and would have allowed you to perish
before doing so. I will hound those people until they finally
release people from their grasp by telling them about AVRT. I
don't know how long you languished in the grip of addiction, but
it was unnecessary from the moment you knew you had a problem
and wanted to do something about it. When you went to your first
AA meeting, you were 95% recovered and needed only to be shown
how to quit drinking for life. Instead, you were waylaid into
a cult that activated your AV in forms that became cunning and
baffling. Disease and powerlessness are irresistible to the Beast
of addiction, and quickly become the bond that keeps people coming
back to meetings year after year.
I understand very well the emotional release
you have experienced from learning AVRT. It is such a common phenomenon
that I have named it the abstinence commitment effect (ACE). You
have apparently aced the course on AVRT, and are entitled to every
respect for doing so. It is ironical that you did not become a
miserable dry drunk by quitting for life. When I think of how
many people are wasting their lives in recovery instead of facing
the Beast head on, as you have, I am appalled.
Thanks for your letter; it will reach and inspire
the people who need to hear a voice other than my own, and a voice
other than that of the Beast. Together, we can form a new image
to hold up before addicted people, examples to live up to, rather
than a lowest common denominator to live down to. Self-recovery
casts a long shadow over the recovery group movement, and will
eventually take its place as the most accepted road to recovery.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
I have been around AA for 20 years (I'm 38) I've
had 13 sober years put together mostly on my own. I have done
all of the AA requirements, sponsor, sharing, speaking and working
the steps but i would feel so much guilt if I missed a meeting
or wasn't working my program. I found your web site and purchased
the RR book today. AVRT makes sense to me! Four years ago I was
diagnosed w/bi-polar disorder (which i really believe I have)
so, I'm going to continue to take my meds and practice AVRT. Any
suggestions?
Thank You, Tom from PA
Tom,
Congratulations on your Big Plan, and welcome
back to reality. Here are some suggestions:
1. If you see anyone with an inexplicable need
to help you with your past addiction, RUN as fast as you can in
the other direction, and HIDE. The 12-steppers won't let you go
without attempting to undermine your confidence in yourself to
remain abstinent on your own.
2. You are suffering from a recovery group disorder
to some degree, since you attended so many meetings, and devoted
yourself so much to AA. You can prove it to yourself by repeating
your Big Plan to yourself, "I will never drink again."
Listen in the background of your thoughts, and you will hear the
Beast pumping the 12-step program on you. It will say, "But
what if AA is right? You're setting yourself up for a big fall.
One day at a time is the only way to go. What makes you think
you're so special, that you can beat the rap and be a normal person?
You know there's something deep wrong with you, and it will always
be that way. Things can't really be any different, and you'll
be drinking sooner or later, probably sooner." And so on.
3. Tell your doctor about RR and let him know
that you are allergic to recovery group meetings of all kinds,
and that exposure to AA can destroy you. Make sure he writes this
in your chart, so that later on, this can be used when the steppers
come after you.
4. What do I mean by that? Come after you? I
mean that for a long time, every time you register for public
services, apply for employment, try to get insurance, or to compete
for the good in society, someone will be looking over your shoulder
to see if you have a billing code for addiction treatment tattooed
on your neck. It is not uncommon for AA dropouts to be forced
into expensive addiction treatment programs years after they quit
their addictions. We hear from them frequently. If you find you
are being discriminated against on account of your past addiction,
contact RR immediately. It's good to know who your friends are.
5. As you can see, your recovery is mostly from
recovery. Addiction recovery is a piece of cake with AVRT. Make
new friends with people regardless of whether they drink or not.
If they get drunk, you won't want to be around them, and if you
don't drunk, they'll probably get rid of you. Think about what
you are really interested in, and define your life as a pursuit
of good and interesting things. Avoid dark people, the ones who
sit in folding chairs in the evenings. They're up to no good.
Find people who laugh a lot; get into their stream and go with
the flow.
6. Watch out for Mr. Beast. He's a shrewd, patient
sumbitch, and will lunge when a perfect opportunity occurs. Listen
for the Addictive Voice all around you, and realize that our culture
has gone stark, raving mad with the addictive disease thing, that
everyone thinks they are experts on addiction, but no one knows
how to quit one.
7. Stay on your MDI meds, and review your prescription
often with that physician. Remember that the recovery group disorder
mimics a number of psychiatric illnesses, including depressive
illness.
8 Feel 100% confident that you are recovered,
all of the time. All self doubt on this is your Beast, up to no
good. 99.9999% confident is not good enough. That .0000001% is
your Beast, trying to find a hairline crack to leverage you back
to booze. That's why your Beast may get homesick for AA once in
a while, to hear all the steptalk telling you what a powerless,
incompetent, predestined person you are. The guilt you feel for
missing meetings is your Beast, telling you to go home so it can
hear the comforting murmur of the herd, and makes you think all
is well as the storm gathers.
9. You are as happy as you choose to be. With
AVRT you have a lot to be happy about, for the cause of much misery
is gone, and you will never have to feel guilty for missing meetings
again. Your problems should already be fading somewhat, and with
time you may discover that you have very few problems, indeed.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
Please allow me to express my most profound appreciation
for teaching me how to rid myself of a menace that nearly destroyed
my life.
Almost two years ago, I became addicted to crack
cocaine the most addictive drug in the world according to
many authorities. A nine-month binge cost me my job, virtually
all my material possessions, my self-respect, and many business
and personal relationships, not to mention the toll it took on
my family and closest friends.
That binge ended (temporarily) only because I
ran out of money and had nowhere to live. My parents took me into
their home with certain conditions. One of those conditions (which
they imposed after consultation with a professional substance
abuse counselor) was that I attend daily NA meetings.
I knew nothing about 12-step programs before
my first meeting. After my first meeting, however, I recognized
the religious nature of the program and asked the professional
substance abuse counselor how NA could possibly benefit me, since
I have no belief in a divine being. I was given the usual answers
("your Higher Power can be anything", etc.), but when
I pointed out the inadequacy of those answers, I was basically
told my reasoning was impaired because of my drug use and I should
just shut up and accept what the counselor was saying on faith.
So I honestly and diligently tried to do just that.
I went to thirty meetings in thirty days, and
I stayed clean for those thirty days. But I also thought about
smoking crack constantly during that time, and as soon as I came
into some money, off I went on another binge. The irony of it
is that the 12-step program actually helped to perpetuate my "relapse".
Before attending meetings, I did not believe I was powerless over
my addiction -- I just believed I needed some mental tools to
help me resist the urges I was having. In fact, I rebelled against
the idea of powerlessness for quite a while. But, eventually,
I gave in. I reasoned, "every expert I've talked to agrees
I'm powerless; who am I to argue?" That logic provided a
great rationalization for my second binge, which lasted more than
six months.
During those six months, I genuinely wanted to
quit, but believed I could not do so because I was powerless over
my addiction. I tried going to a few meetings during that time,
and I tried to stop drugging several times, but I kept failing.
During one of my brief episodes of abstinence, however, I happened
to be in a bookstore and I happened to have a few dollars, so
I checked out the "Addiction Recovery" section, found
your book, and bought it. Unfortunately, a couple of months of
additional drugging went by before I actually sat down and started
to read it, but once I did, I immediately knew I had found the
solution to my problem.
That was over six months ago. I have not used
drugs since then and I know I never will again. Although I have
yet to fully repair the damage I did to my life, I am well on
my way to doing so. Today, I consider myself cured of my addiction.
I still have occasional thoughts of drug use, but they are so
mild they barely constitute an annoyance, let alone the sort of
powerful cravings described by 12-step devotees.
How do I thank someone for showing me how to
save my life? "Thank you" seems dismally inadequate,
but I have little else to offer but my most heartfelt thanks and
my promise to spread the word about AVRT. Thank you so much for
having the courage to swim against the stream of "professional"
opinion and publish such a useful book. I never go into a bookstore
anymore without checking to make sure Rational Recovery: The New
Cure for Substance Addiction is on the shelves. And, whenever
it isn't, I make sure to advise the manager to order it. (Name
withheld by request)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
I am interested in your class action lawsuit.
Is this still in the works? I have been involved in 12 step programs
for 21 years, and I am sick of it! I have ALWAYS felt there was
something wrong with me because of all the questions I had. I
could go on forever here, but to keep it short, I would also like
to know if you know of any good books that can help me "deprogram"
all of the guilt tactics used by AA. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Mary C
Dear Mary,
The Class Action is a roster we keep of potential
litigants in future lawsuits against the addiction treatment industry.
We will add you name to that database at your request and contact
you as developments occur.
Be sure to read Rational Recovery: The New Cure
for Substance Addiction, and get the complete collection of The Journal of Rational
Recovery, which is a zesty publication (1988 - 2003) about the social, legal,
and political issues in the addictions field. It’s a CD at the Rational Recovery bookstore.
When you recover with AVRT, everything comes
into focus, and you will be effectively deprogrammed. Unfortunately,
you will be madder than a hornet that you have been so seriously
misled by so many people who asked you to trust them.
When you leave AA, take a few of them with you.
There are many, many unhappy campers just like you who are afraid
to leave AA even though they detest the whole thing. They fear,
as you have, that they will explode if they don't keep coming
back as if on a long rubber band.
Keep in touch. Even though you will meet few
if any of us, we are all around, and it's good to know who your
friends are -- even if you don't know them.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there,
It sure makes sense to me. I made my big plan.
I did as suggested and waited till the following day to read the
bullets, as I had already had two pain pills and a few beers when
I opened the site. I am alcohol and drug free. Thank You. I am
going to share this site address with some other abuse survivors
I know who use. Once again, thank you so much. Kjac
Dear Kjac,
When I hear people say "thank you," I always reflect on the many individuals who helped build AVRT
into the addiction-killing device it is. Remember, AVRT is the
lore of self-recovery, as reported by many who have successfully
gone before you. I hold those people, and you as well, up high
as a better model for the nation to emulate. Until we expect more
from addicted people, they will expect little of themselves.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
Ten days ago I could not have written this letter.
Ten days ago I was still an active heroin addict, despite everyone's
attempts to "help" me. A friend of mine mentioned RR;
my curiosity was piqued (mainly because if I heard one more 12-step
cliche, I was going to engage in a much-needed bout of projectile
vomiting), and one morning at work, I found myself reading your
website and almost screaming "HELL yes!" "Exactly!"
I've been clean ever since; friendships that would have been jettisoned
according to 12-step rules have been saved (although my best friend
is still an active addict and not likely to change, there's so
much more to her than that; one of the hardest pills to swallow
(pun definitely intended!) about NA was their insistence that
the ONLY reason she and I were friends was the shared bond of
drugs. Not so, not so, I said; but of course, I was just "in
denial". (Excuse me...I feel a hairball coming on.)) and
generally, I feel like an entirely new person--not some powerless
wet rag of amoebic protoplasm. Powerless, my ass, I said...but
of course, I was just "in denial". (My skin still crawls
off my body at the mere mention of those words.)
Now. heroin, by all accounts, is a nasty bastard
of a drug; the statistics would say that I'm doomed, doomed, doomed.
And ten days is an eyeblink, an absolute sliver of time. Nevertheless,
it's also the longest I've been clean in over a year. And here's
the -real- test: I don't WANT the shit. I threw out my syringes
a few days ago, and I didn't cheat and leave just one to "stumble
upon" later. Hell, I've even watched the aforementioned best
friend sticking needles in her arm, over the past ten days; I've
even driven her to the same block I used to buy on, talked to
the same dealers who used to hook me up. "You okay, baby?"
they ask me. "Yeah, I'm straight." In more ways than
one, I think.
Yes, ten days is a short time, but in my thinking,
it might as well be ten years. Shortly after I started using,
circumstances shocked me into staying clean for a year and a half.
Watching one's fiance die will do that to a girl. During that
time, there was not a moment when I felt as secure in being clean
as I do now. I always wanted it. I thought about it all day. I
think about it now, but only about not doing it, about how grateful
I am for its absence. I think about it in the negative, as an
afterimage of someone I used to be and didn't like at all. The
junkie version of me was a seriously awful bitch, I tell you.
So, thank you. My mother (a 12-step evangelist!)
thanks you. My psychologist thanks you. My college roomie, my
best friend from kindergarten, the guy I met in cyberspace, my
ex-husband, my current boyfriend they all thank you for
me. Mostly I thank you. Thank you for having the courage to stand
up against the prevailing winds of 12-steppism, because if you
didn't, I don't know that I would have. And if they'd kept telling
me how diseased and powerless I was, how helpless I was, how doomed
I was, inevitably, I think, they would have been right.
If there's anything else I can do to further
the cause (other than spread the word, which I've am doing in
a big way) just let me know.
Regards,
Regina Endart, age 28
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Folks,
I just finished reading "Rational Recovery".
Whew! The past 4 days have been incredible. I drank everyday -
most days not heavily, one or two glasses of wine or a couple
of Absolut & tonic, but everyday nonetheless - for seven years.
I'm only 29 but I feel like I have lived several lifetimes. Lost
one husband to drinking (by divorce), married another because
that was all we had in common, and just about married a third
after proposing to him in the throes of a three day drunken/stoned
episode. I am well-educated and have a good job. I recently purchased
a condo. I guess I'm not what society would have considered an
"alcoholic". Whatever. When you plan your entire day
around when the cocktail hour is to begin and you worry about
your "entertainment budget" constantly being too small
to include lots of liquor - well, you get the point. I couldn't
understand why I was always depressed.
I decided after a hellish night in some strange
man's apartment (I was too drunk to drive home so he "kindly"
offered me a ride) that perhaps enough was enough. I checked Rational
Recovery out at my local library and it has truly changed my life.
What is so weird is I quit cigarettes and pot in exactly the manner
recommended in RR. I simply quit. NO BIG DEAL. Ah, but liquor
was different. Because, you see, my father is an "alcoholic."
So, you know, it runs in the family. Heaven forbid someone would
just up and quit. This whole disease mentality had me suckered
in too!! After four days of abstinence I can firmly state that
addiction is not a disease. It's a choice. The depression has
lifted. I laugh at my AV trying to trick me into all sorts of
silly behaviors to get a drink in my hand. NO MORE I say with
a smile. What a relief. I added up all the money I've spent on
booze in the last year - I do keep good records at least - and
I've decided to spend the $1400 on a new kitchen instead!
Thank you so much for having the balls to put it like it is. I
am very interested in obtaining information on RR Centers in Indiana
- I'd like to volunteer or help in some way - but I found no addresses
on you website. Perhaps I need to call for info. Which I will
do. Thanks again. Sincerely,
Christy Smith
Dear Christy,
Congratulations on your Big Plan and welcome
back to reality. You would have recovered much sooner had you
not been waylaid by the steppers. AA had your Beast really panting
heavily for the disease concept, and naturally you went for it
under AA's artful group indoctrination techniques. You are also
making the most important discovery in the addictions field, that
when people really quit, as though AVRT, they begin feeling better
immediately, and the feeling doesn't go away. Depression, which
is universal among addicted people, lifts, and life goes on. This
is such an important discovery that I have named it the abstinence
commitment effect (ACE). I am shocked daily that we aren't trampled
by people who want to verify that ACE is really so. The way you
have recovered is commonplace, but casts a long shadow over the
recovery group movement. In due time, the truth shall come out.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi!
I just read most of Rational Recovery The New
Cure for Substance Addiction over the last week and a half. I
feel CONFIDENT that I will never drink again. This is absolutely
amazing!
I have been going to an alcohol counselor for
over a month now (she is really nice), and she said that she was
going to get me information on AVRT. Well, I went on vacation
and found the book myself, bought it, read it, and made my Big
Plan. I see her tomorrow, and I don't think I will need to see
her again.
I have been through all the AA crap since high
school (locked adolescent eval, alcohol counseling, outpatient
group alcohol treatment, inpatient alcohol treatment [at a "prestigious"
Hazelden facility no less], a half way house for addicts, and
the cult, oops I mean fellowship, of AA). I can so much relate
to how the disease concept of addiction KEPT me from dealing with
my addiction. AVRT gave ME the knowledge I needed to never drink
again. This is soooo COOL!
I especially can relate to the "addicto-depressive
disorder." I was thinking, "I have that!" when
I read about it in the book. I am currently seeing a therapist
(in addition to the alcohol counselor) and have been diagnosed
as Borderline Personality Disorder which has many similarities
to this addicto- depressive disorder stuff. (Being addicted to
alcohol and having suicidal ideation are "symptoms"
of BPD.) Now I am thinking... HA! Maybe I can actually "get
better" and I have hope! I can totally relate to my AV as
trying to keep me "suicidal" in order to keep its source
of deep pleasure. That was totally eye-opening!
So, anyway. I am so elated to have found a cure
for my addiction, instead of fumbling around in recovery the rest
of my life. Thanks!
Lorrie
Dear Lorrie
It is good to hear from you. Welcome back to
reality, and congratulations on your Big Plan!
You have been experiencing the abstinence commitment
effect (ACE), which will never really leave you. You will always
be glad that your addiction and the dark cloud of recovery are
behind you, and that you are on a level playing field in your
life.
Be careful with your addiction counselor. Your
recovery is probably unacceptable to him/her, and he/she may attempt
to undermine your confidence in you ability to remain perfectly
abstinent under all conceivable conditions. Expect your counselor
to regard you as a normal, non-addicted person with normal problems,
or run as fast as you can.
You don't have any addiction ``issues.`` None
exist, except pertaining to problems your drinking has caused.
I doubt you suffer BPD, mainly because such a diagnosis is difficult
with addicted people, or people in addiction treatment. The profile
of BPD can mimic addictive behavior. The ACE includes the mitigation
of your problems across the board, and the disappearance of others.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second Letter from Lorrie
Dear Jack Trimpey:
Yes, I too was somewhat worried that my addiction
counselor would try to undermine my confidence in my commitment
to abstinence. But I had seen your web site a while ago and when
I interviewed outpatient "treatment" programs, I specifically
asked first, if I was going to be required to attend AA meetings
and work on "steps" (I did not want ANYTHING to do with
that!). I also stated quite emphatically that I did not want to
be involved in "groups" because I didn't like that environment.
Finally I asked if they had heard of "Rational Recovery"
and AVRT.
Well, as luck might have it, I called one of
the "treatment" places on the right day and got a counselor
that said he knew about Addictive Voice Recognition Technique,
although he worked mainly with "steps" in group. He
said it was possible to work on an individual basis, that I didn't
have to attend AA (although he encouraged it), and that I should
come in for a consultation.
I did, and he matched me with a counselor to
work on an individual basis. It was mainly just counseling. My
counselor wasn't a "recovering alcoholic," but had chosen
to quit drinking on her own. She worked with me mainly on past
trauma and was patient about my continued use. I finally asked
for more information on AVRT and she promised to find some for
me.
I then went on vacation. I saw the book, Rational
Recovery The New Cure for Substance Addiction and bought it. Although
I got a "taste" of AVRT from your website (I never went
there sober before so I always quit before I got to the good stuff),
the book was really what I needed to learn AVRT. It was on my
way home from vacation, reading in the car, that I came to the
part that said not to read any farther if I were drinking that
day.
I read on ... and made a commitment to abstinence.
The next three days were hell.... I felt like crap! It helped
to think about how I was just going to have to deal and was "paying
back" for some of the pleasure drinking gave me. After that
it was easy. JUST RECOGNIZE the beast is what helps me and keeps
me from "struggling" with it. And I feel GREAT! So many
other times I quit, I felt miserable for sooo long. Now I have
ME back!
Well, I brought the book into my alcohol counseling
session, and explained to her that even though I enjoyed talking
with her, I wouldn't need to see her anymore since I will never
drink again. I read the part of the book about the "addicto-depressive
condition" and she seemed to agree with how much it fit me.
She also told me her doubts about my BPD label. She offered to
send a letter to my therapist telling him that I had all the tools
I needed to stay abstinent. (I had signed a "contract"
with my therapist to find and attend "outpatient alcohol
treatment.") And she agreed that I wouldn't need to see her
anymore. (She also wanted to get a copy of the book, since she
was not as familiar with AVRT as she would have liked to have
been.)
I also wrote an email to my therapist explaining
my new outlook on my drinking (and "suicidal") behavior
after reading your book and included an explanation (straight
from your book) about the addicto-depressive condition AND included
a link to the RR website so he could perhaps briefly look at AVRT
and not think I was "off my rocker" when I came in for
my next session. He emailed back and wrote, "I think you
are onto something."
I realize I am writing a quite lengthy letter
back, but I wanted to convey my positive experiences with professionals
WILLING to accept Rational Recovery as an option that was BEST
for me. I think I deserve this, since I have been struggling with
treatment centers, counselors, therapists, and other "recovering-type"
people who were NOT helping me with my addiction for over 15 years.
I now have found some people who maybe saw that stuff like AA
didn't work for me, and are maybe glad that I have made a commitment
to abstinence and learned the skill, AVRT, to overcome my addiction.
Thank YOU, Jack Trimpey, for giving me another option and the
much needed information on AVRT.
Thanks again! Lorrie
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear RR,
I don't agree with your website. I cannot stay
sober or clean alone. I need AA to stay serene with the God of
my understanding. After all, "No Man Is An Island" How
long have you been clean? Without a program, I got drunk and high
7 months after picking up my 3 year medallion, that was 5 years
and 8 months ago. Since I have returned to the various 12 step
programs of my choice, no one else's, I have maintained even emotional
balance and an excellent outlook on life. I do not use just for
today. In love and service,
Michael
Dear Michael,
Be glad you live in a country where the government's
religion can still be criticized. Many of your AA associates would
like Rational Recovery to fail, cease to exist, or suffer disgrace.
Be assured that AA will always be there for you, and that our
criticism is aimed to help people who are not suited for your
approach to life. You have met many of us, sitting right next
to you in meetings. We asked too many questions, or sat silently
while others shared and worked the program.Many of us left AA
and died from the "take what you like and leave the rest" advice. They were addicted and found the disease concept very
appetizing because it didn't expect or permit them to immediately
take personal responsibility for permanent abstinence. You knew
they wouldn't make it in AA, but you didn't tell them that they
had hope without AA.
The rest of us, and there are many of us, left
AA and survived, and discovered there is life after addiction,
and happiness without AA. We, too, believed AA's predictions we
would drink again because addiction seizes on any excuse to indulge.
But we discovered within ourselves the natural ability to abstain
under all circumstances, without struggle or white-knuckling,
and were elated that our problems and character defects faded
or disappeared with time.
Make sure everyone in AA knows how to get in
touch with Rational Recovery. Many of their lives depend upon
it.
If you fear life without AA, that is of your
choosing, and you will always be able to safely leave the fellowship
following the leadership of Rational Recovery. Choice is precious,
the essence of freedom, and you are now free to choose AA or a
self-determined life. Not a bad deal, eh?
You asked how long I've been abstinent. According
to my Beast, about 25 years. I don't count time, because I would
only be measuring my remaining lifespan, not a very interesting
task. My Beast, of course, is counting time until the next drink.
Poor thing.
Jack Trimpey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rational Recovery,
Some people have commented that they would have
liked to have quit their addiction after they learned of the existence
of AVRT. They wonder what it would be like to have done so. These
are people who had already quit their addictions before learning
about AVRT. I quit my addiction myself (the way most people do)
using good old common sense and AVRT, and I can describe what
it was like for me.
A while back I became very motivated to quit
my addiction after one (of many) especially embarrassing incidents.
This incident involved my stupid, selfish, self-indulgent, pleasure
seeking, addicted behavior (stupid behavior in a non-stupid person).
Immediately after this embarrassing incident, I made a commitment
to quit my addiction, and to look into Rational Recovery once
again.
I had already become familiar with Rational Recovery
years earlier by reading The Small Book, when RR still used the
principles of rational emotive therapy, which it has since dropped.
The Small Book was interesting, but of limited help to me personally.
While AA's "Big Book" repulsed me (and still does),
too many parts of The Small Book just didn't "click"
with me personally. It seems there is much of value in The Small
Book, and I gather that many people have quit their addictions
with The Small Book's advice.
The day after the especially embarrassing incident
mentioned above, I located the RR website with the help of an
Internet search engine. I read the entire site, and was very impressed.
I quickly recognized that Rational Recovery had matured with AVRT
and the structural model. It just made sense. It's super simple
presentation of the principles underlying addiction correlated
with, and in no way co
