Thank you for the post and question. It is a great one, to be honest. I have never read any of Mr. Carr's books so I am looking at this in a vacuum but, if you want my opinion....

I think it is horrible advice and I don't reconcile it nor do I agree to disagree. I just happen to think it is horrible and dangerous advice. Especially the part about going to a pub or party "immediately." Here is why I think this way:

• I have been sober and in recovery for almost 4.5 years now. I actively participate in the "recovery world" every single day whether that is through online forums, AA meetings, a professional organization for which I am a volunteer peer mentor, at rehab centers, and other ways. I have literally seen and heard thousands of stories of recovery over this time. As we know, most of these stories end in failure but I have also seen hundreds upon hundreds of stories of success as well.

I can honestly say that I can not think of a single person I have met or spoken to with long term sobriety who has credited any part of their sobriety to an early "test." Now, I know that there might be some people out there who have. In fact, every time this subject comes up there is at least one SDer who proclaims that he did it and it was the key to his sobriety (personally, I have a hard time believing that person but, regardless, the number is so small as to be irrelevant to my analysis).

On the flip side, I have seen and spoken with multiple hundreds of people who have failed in their attempts at sobriety. A significant number of people in this subset have stories about going out to bars/parties and "testing" themselves in early sobriety. Their stories usually fall into one of two categories: First, they go to the bar/party with good intentions but no plan and ultimately say "fuck it" and drink. Second, they go and make it through the night with sheer willpower and go home. They are so proud of themselves their mind starts to convince them that they have it all figured out. So, they repeat the same process. Eventually, they fall into the first category.

Now, the above rule you cited is #10. Maybe with Mr. Carr's approach if you complete the first 9 rules you will somehow have incredible immunity from drinking and, therefore, early tests are recommended. I doubt this, but who knows.

Here is the thing: failure in recovery can be deadly! There is no doubt about it. It is not a game and it should be treated with the utmost respect and deference. If I fail at my test today with my nail there is no harm, really. If I fail at a test about sobriety I can die or kill others. When I consider all of the facts and evidence I have seen over the years, I do not see how anyone who is taking recovery seriously can believe "testing" yourself in early recovery is a good thing.

I don't know if that answers your question or not but it is my honest opinion. Thank you so much for bringing this point up for discussion.