The Brave Babes Carry On The Charabanc Trip - Leaving The Booze Behind!

[Mouseface]

Hello and welcome!

This is thread number eight!

The Brave Babes are all at different stages of quitting the booze. Some have stopped, some are thinking about it and some are just cutting down.

They are full of support and wisdom for those of you wishing to climb aboard the Bus or Charabanc!!

The Babes aren't an exclusive club, they never judge and they don't charge for advice either!

So, come meet them. I'm Mouse, by the way, and I've been sober since August 2nd 2010, something I would never have even considered without the support of these threads.

Here are the first seven threads, if you want a bit of history.

JWN's original thread

Thread two

Thread three

Thread four

Thread five

Thread six

Thread seven

Hubba

You sound like stopping drinking will make you happier.

So stop.

It sounds like your husband - for reasons of his own - doesn't see a problem.

So ignore him.

Happy to go into more detail if required.

Hello.

Silver - well bloody done for stopping at the front door. No one is allowed to get off the bus until all bars and offies are closed!!!

Christi - great news re the docs, please let us know how you get on.

getting - you sound very positive this morning which is so refreshing.

Wasindie - where have you been, you've beem missed. xx

MsGee - glad LittleMsGee slept through, must have been the brandy!!

Nemo was a little better last night, I was still up 5 times to settle him.

I had the most horrific nightmares last night. I woke up screaming and crying, all sweaty and shaking. Awful. Just awful.

It takes me hours to get them out of my head. I don't have them often but when I do they are really bad and vivid.

So, the sleep I got was disturbed!

However, today I will not be drinking!!!!

Well never made it to counselling yesterday, Flipping tonsilitis, am waiting to hear if they can fit me in later in this week, hardest part is I had geared myself up for it:(

hubba You'll feel brilliant if you stop drinking, and if your DH doesn't want to then you have to leave it to him - often those around us who don't want to look at their own drinking try to sabotage our best efforts!

If you can't go to the gym and that would make you feel better, how about a DVD at home, 30 day shred is great, effective and only takes 20 minutes!

desire don't worry and get well soon

ok....so i do want to stop....what next, ive been trying every day for months. how
do i make today the day i actually stop, especialyy when ive got 2 ciders in the fridge

You take it one day at a time hubba, starting today. First of all, pour the ciders down the sink. Go do it now.

desire i sounded glib. I'm sorry. I'm in counselling adn I'd be gutted to miss a week. I hope they can fit you in htis week, otherwise do they still have you down for next Monday? How's the throat? Are you on ABs?

What has "trying every day for months" entailed? What are the practical steps involved in "trying"? What do you you do when you are in the middle of trying and you want a drink?

Most improtant of all, how do you end up taking a drink when you are trying not to? Bear in mind that it doesn't just happen - you buy a drink, open a drink, lift the drink to your mouth and swallow. How does that come about?

Hey Mouse

Glad Nemo was a bit better - but sod's law that you have had a nightmare!!!

Done dreaded shopping and got cake so all systems go here - walked longingly past bottles of wine (at the bloody door as walked in supermarket) but just muttered 'fuck off fuck off fuck off' under breath as I walked past and didn't pick up.

Now shall I have a coke (line of - I wish!), lemonade or capri sun with tea!!!!!

Or a good old cup of PG Tips - best drink of the day.

Been mulling over your thoughts MILFAW- always good to be challenged on things you assume to be the case x

Right - egg butties to make.............xxx

Hi Christi, throat not too bad, it's the flipping flu like symptoms that accompany it that is worse, am on anti-biotics so between them and the anti-depressant staying off the drink isn't too much of a problem at the minute:) Yesterday was to be my first counselling session

poor you desire - got any echinacea?

No Christi don't have echinacea? Is it good? Mouse so sorry you are having nightmares, sleep is so hard to come by for you that it's not fair that you have nightmares when you do finally get to sleep:(

desire

Sod's law I do believe!!!

Or as we say in Ireland, Murphy's Law:):):)

I'M FUCKED AND IT HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET

just blown up 16 balloons - feel sick - thank god my mother on way and coming to the rescue!...................

Silver - go stick the kettle on. Have five minutes to just breath.

Relax and enjoy Silver:)

Hello babes. Can I hitch a ride on the charabanc - I have jellybabies and mint humbugs to share?

Inspired by your lovely thread I had an alcohol free night last night and won't be drinking tonight.

I think I'm more of a heavy drinker than an alcoholic as I CAN have one and stop. However, I've been sliding down a slippery slope aided and abetted by DH, who I suspect is a high level functioning alcoholic. I enjoy alcohol a lot and I think we've been subtly egging each other on - sharing at least a bottle of wine every day, often breaking into (but not finishing) a second one - although he will generally have beer/spirits too. I drink more at weekends too.

I told him last night that I wasn't going to drink this week and he was very . And it felt so weird sitting down to dinner without a glass of wine when he was having one.

Has anyone got any tips on how to stop/cut down when a partner is intent on drinking?

I've also dropped hints that maybe he should join me but deaf ears really. I see there is also a thread for partners of addicts, but I've just seen that a poster was advised to leave her DH because he has a few beers regularly every night, which seemed a bit harsh.

I'm hoping that if I can reduce my intake and feel happier and healthier then it might inspire DH to join me. I could also do with losing a few stone pounds, so I want to see some health benefits and give my liver a rest for a bit.

Apologies if this is a bit "me me me". This a the first time I've voiced my concerns (even if on line) so its quite a step for me.

Hello strong ladies and gentlemen. Day 2 is booze-free so far; went for lunch with my mother, who is staying with me and who I caught looking up my internet history this morning including this thread. She tried relatively forcefully to get me to have a glass of wine with lunch which I happily refused, quite possibly because I am still feeling shit after the last binge. Whenever I have tried to tell her I have an alcohol problem she has quite vehemently asserted that I do not, so.... Anyway, it's my problem, not hers. Hubba, I chucked a fair bit of booze down the sink yesterday in a ritualistic fashion and found it a very satisfying experience and so far no regrets. Tonight I am also going to adopt a previous poster's excellent suggestion of getting into pj's in that tense, tortured half an hour before the shop shuts. Far too lazy to get undressed and dressed again.

Hi DC - just wanted to say, my mother has a huge problem with me not drinking. It was fine when I used to drink and we'd have the occasional 'I think I drink too much' conversation - but when I actually stopped, she got really funny about it, in spite of having shown some interest in AA but never actively asking to go with me.

Recently she's started asking me, in public, if I want a drink. When I say 'no thanks' she says 'Are you sure?'

Don't know quite what to make of this, except that it's her that's uncomfortable with it, not me! She's embarrassed because it doesn't fit into her social scene (wouldn't do to have to explain away an alcoholic daughter ) and because it's a reminder to her that she is secretly worried about her own intake.

Stick to your guns. Mothers can be incredibly controlling.

Hello swallowedAfly (or may I call you swallowed) and CJ -- my Mum can take or leave booze in an enviably nonchalant way. As she is both controlled and controlling, the idea of being even squiffy is just appalling to her. I think her issues with my, possibly () having a problem brings up issues that involve both shame and a real lack of understanding of addictive behaviour and addictive feelings. Now that I am typing this, though, I am thinking about the very strange relationship she has with food... CJ what do you think is holding your Mum back from AA?