The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Spicing Up The Winter Nights With Rich Hot Chocolate And Thermal Tights!

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

I'm one of the Brave Babes travelling on this fantabulous Bus, on it's journey to the wonderful world of sobriety.

The great thing is, that the people on here are a real mixed bunch. Some are drinking regularly, some aren't. Some are sober and have been for any number of days, some weeks, months and yep, some even for years.

There's no judging pants allowed, no savoury flans either , just lots of unconditional support from many varied sources. Yes, some of us have been here from the start but please don't let that stop you posting, this thread is for EVERYONE and it always has been

If you'd like to have a look back, here are some links. One to the previous thread and one to the very first, and the reason we are all still here.

See you soon,

Mouse xx

PREVIOUS THREAD

FIRST EVER THREAD

Hello, me again, for now, we're still over HERE until the thread is full, then we'll all mosey over to this thread.

Hope to see you over there until then. xx

Hello, I'm venus I joined in on the first thread waaaay, waaaay back. I never imagined that a middle-aged woman like me would have a group of 'friends' on t'internet, and I never, ever imagined that I'd be able to wax lyrical about the delights of not drinking.

I'm off out tonight and away all day tomorrow and then busy with work on Friday, so I'm marking my place. Take care of yourself and each other xx

And yeah.... I filled up the old thread

kiki did you read my post on the last thread about buying your mil little bottles of wine?

Kik - yep, when the mood takes me but that's maybe once or twice a month if I go out to my friend's house...... not at all often. Or if DH and I have a 'date night', we'll share a bottle of fizz.

I used to be the one going through the white wine's checking which was the strongest to make sure I got the most for my money! That's the old me.

The new me, buys a wine because it's a decent wine that's half price so a steal or because it's had a great review.

In other words, I buy wine to drink it for the evening, not for the sheer hell of it.

Just taking a seat at the back - I was always the rebel smoking at the back - not smoking today or drinking though - roll on 9pm when the wine witch goes home - Have a nice evening babes x I'm going to cuddle up with my three year old on the sofa and hope he falls asleep on me, that will cheer me up xx

Hello Babes! Mwah!

Kiki so agree with Venus re the small bottle - even if you don't drink tonight a half bottle of red wine hanging around tomorrow will just be torture - can't you just say casually oh shit we forgot to get some in..sorry

hi all!

well, have just done an early supper for everyone and mil had glass of red whilst dh and I had fizzy water

they'll be back about 9.30, I rkn but I plan to be in pjs and teeth cleaned by then with a herbal tea so hopefully can resist

didn't feel tempted by it whilst eating and really noticed a wiff of the sour smell!

that is prob the thing I hate mst about wine, thinking of the kids smelling it on breath when I cuddle and kiss them

mouse, yes, I want to drink on high days and holidays really....make it the exception rather than the rule and if I drank tonight I know I'd be back to mindlessly glugging every day in a flash

I'm shaketheshame and I have been a non drinker for 14 months, yesterday I almost had a relapse. In the past I have tried to cut down but I have never manage to moderate myself for long. I used to drink 1-2 bottles a night every day. I was deeply depressed as you can imagine and my marriage on the verge of collapsing. I had no patience for my children, no much time either as the week end were spent mostly in bed recuperating from my heavy benders.

I remember the bruises from that period because I was always bumping myself. One of the dreadful things that I remember and which helps me not to drink is waking up in the middle of the night and this huge sense of guilt and failure and promising myself I wouldn't drink the next night. Promise I always failed to keep obviously. Around 6 o'clock I'd dragged my children to the offie in order to get more wine..I already had a bottle but I just wanted to make sure that I had enough.

In that local Off licence, I probably spent an average of 16 pounds a day...and oh the shame when the shopkeeper told me that I seemed to love wine a lot.

I was this desperate person who was sinking lower and lower.

After many attempts to moderate myself (everytime was unsuccessful) , I have made the decision to stop completely. It was a scary decision to make but I knew deep down it was for the best and I haven't looked back until yesterday.

Yesterday was a bad day and I didn't drink but it was a closed one. So I need to remember what are the advantages about not drinking (feel free to add more) :

• I have reclaimed my week end
• I have more patience /time with my children
• I'm generally happier (well apart from lately but hopefully I'll sort it)
• I don't wake up in the middle of the night feeling guilty/like a failure/teary/sick
• No more hangover meaning no more badbeing
• I have bags of energy
• I took on running, something I have never done until march 2012, I can now run 5k 1-2 times a week. Hang on that is ME we are talking about, the fat slug who only ran when the off licence was near closing time.

I'm sure there are more great things but it's all I can think about. I hope you don't mind me writing this essay. It helps.

You are a real inspiration and I hope you know that, so you had a wobble, so what? We all do. Even those who have been sober for years.....

That's what we're here for. Wibbles, wobbles and erm, hobbles? Well, certainly in my case on a bad back day!

I've just spent an HOUR trying to get Nemo to go to sleep after he pleaded with me to let him go to bed.

Someone came to the door, no idea who. DD left the back door unlocked, the cat needed feeding, the kitchen tidying, lunch for school etc........ I have just brought him down, done the above and stuck Shaun The Sheep on, with him on the sofa, hooked up to the feed he decided he didn't want.

Children are enough to drive you to drink, I tell ya!

Nice new thread looks round approvingly and crawls into seat by heater. Did I mention I had 10 stitches in the roof of my mouth today? I'm milking it. DH is out tonight but offered to cancel. I've asked him for a pony.
Glad you found the new thread Shakey
Hey mouse, remember last week when we were making contingency plans for inde to start this thread? How great that Nemo is snuggled up in front of Sean.

Ah here you all are!
help that sounds awful. Poor you.
I was supposed to have a nice evening with work colleagues and had arranged for dd2 to mind Ds. However the best laid plans...... Dd2 went to Glasgow and fainted! Missed the bus home, DS home alone blah blah. So here I am.
Dd2 is OK now, think a combination of acupuncture and painkillers for back spasms was maybe a factor.

Hello all. I'm afraid I had a slip last night. A half drunk bottle of wine in the fridge so I asked DH if he was drinking it and then poured myself a glass. Pretty rubbish really but it had been there since Sunday.

I feel bad but not too bad as I only had a glass and now there is no wine in the house so I won't be drinking tonight. It just reminds me how hard this is - how that miserable "friend" can creep up on you when you least expect it. Still I have now done a total of 4 out of 5 days without a drink and that's a huge improvement - just don't want to make a habit of it.

Well done all who are sticking to their guns - and wishing you luck for a sober evening. Not very good at name checking I'm afraid esp when we have switched to a new thread.

Glad that nemo is home and on his road to recovery. Sending you both a hug across the ether.

Yep, Koti (well, pre-teen). She's argued about just about everything since she got back from school. It's bloody exhausting! She's thumping around in her bedroom right now - and I cannot be bothered to face her again. Her moods really are/were one of my biggest 'triggers'. How's your household? Quiet and peaceful?

sympathies purple. My DD is pre-pre-teen but still hard going and I hate having to deal with tantrums. It just makes me lose my temper/ feel guilty/ feel like drowning my sorrows. Am trying to think of nice TV prog to watch tonight for a cheer up.

Thanks Buyer. I think I have more patience recently but her outrageous demands and totally unreasonable behaviour makes me feel like I've failed! (And, in turn, need an old enemy/friend to turn to.) Still, have stuck to the fizzy water, the corner shop is shut now, have my PJ's on and am SAFE for tonight. Hope you find a great prog to take your mind off the tantrums.

shake you have done an amazing job and your previous life, the
Wine drinking one described my life up to last weekend in scarily similar circumstances!!! I'm only day 3 into a new life of sobriety and it's without doubt people like you that give people like me the inspiration and possibility if success, your wee wee wobble just makes you human and courageous to us. Every negative sentiment you have listed in your previous life I have been going through, I'm overweight, depressed, older looking than my years and it's all because of wine. mouse i always picked the highest vol for max effect, that one struck a chord. Anyway shake its not where you start it's where you finish and your winning the race, stay strong, your amazing x x x

Maybe it's his legacy of kindness that's touched you and made you tearful, Koti?