The author of Rational Recovery, Jack Trimpey, was a heavy drinker for 20 years. He quit drinking in 1982 and has been sober ever since. When clinical social worker Jack Trimpey introduced the concepts of Rational Recovery in 1986, it marked a major breakthrough in the field of alcohol and drug addiction. More than a philosophy or therapy, and not dependent on spiritual beliefs, Rational Recovery offers an aggressive self-recovery program to take charge of one’s behavior immediately. It is done through what the author calls AVRT or Addictive Voice Recognition Technique. By recognizing any feeling, image, urge, etc. that supports drinking/using as “Beast activity”, the compulsions will fall silent as one just simply uses their free will to choose not to use or drink. Rational Recovery does not regard alcoholism as a disease, but rather a voluntary behavior. No God, Higher Power, or spiritual beliefs are needed to quit drugs or alcohol. The idea is that once you make your big plan to never drink or use again, any thought, feeling, or urge that comes into your mind that supports drinking or using drugs isn’t you but the addictive voice. Once the “Beast” is recognized it loses it’s power. All you have to do is raise your hand and wiggle your finger to show that you do have free will and are in control. You have a choice because you have free will. This gives us hope in that we know we never have to use drugs or drink again.
