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

Morning Hippychick always room for people on here.

What has encouraged you to jump aboard today - a health and fitness drive, a sneaking suspicion that you might have something in common with some of us on here, or a really bad hangover driving you to do something different? Doesn't matter why, if you've been watching us you'll have some idea of what the rest of us are trying.

Nice to see you.

Hi venusandmars. Not sure why today, but I do know that I should be on the bus. Every morning I get up and say I definitely won't have a drink tonight and every day I do. So far my alcohol consumption hasn't caused any major problems in my life, but Iknow that I am not in control of it. I drink half a bottle of wine every night - often more at weekends, and have done for years.

Morning everyone and welcome hippychick. I relate to the habit you are in and also that no major damage has been done yet but it has more power than you are comfortable with - or at least that is what drew me to the bus. Good to see you here

I still feel rubbish, you know I don't think alcohol agrees with me{wink]. That sounds really flippant I know but having had a long break the effect of the poison (I guess that's what it is) is really obvious and my body does not like it, let alone my mind. I prefer not drinking. What a turnaround.

Glad you survived the night Silver and the girls had a good time.

Hello JWN, Venus, Mouse and all other babes. It is a comfort day here - blustery walk, roast and a film and of course lots of central heating. Feel very sorry for those coping without. brrrr

Do you know what you are aiming for? Cutting down and having just a glass a night (if that is possible), having several drink-free days each week, or a period of not drinking at all?

What would you like to achieve today? If today is a day when you plan not to be drinking, is there a particular time / trigger when you will start to find that difficult.

Depending on your tastes and circumstances lots of people on here can suggest ways to help keep to that. If you have alcohol in the house can you hide it / move it / lock it up / get rid of it. If you don't how difficult can you make it to but any more today. Do you have alternative drinks that you really like - sweet fizzy stuff like coke, or sour things like lime and soda, or lovely rich creamy hot chocolate. And do you have other things to distract your mind / occupy your hands?

Hi Hippy

Today we shall be travelling through the Lake District - beautiful mountains and lakes that at so serene you can see your reflection in them. Everything is calm and quiet. Time for contemplation and to get lost in your own thoughts. At any point you can ring the bell and i will stop the bus - but I think you might decide to stay aboard because the company on here is beyond comparison......

Silver

The choice is entirely yours

xxxxxxx

hi all!! welcome aboard hippy! nice to meet you!

venus!, i would be beside myself now with excitment!, i have always wanted to go to india , i would imagine that dehli is a bit like cairo, wonderful and terrible all mixed in! we went to cario earlier this year, i have never seen such terrible poverty, filth etc, but my god it was fantastic too!, the people, the sights, the sounds, the noise, the bustle!, it made us really think about how lucky we are, we could look at all this and then retreat to our western hotel and all its comforts! please take loads of photos and put them on your profile!

pav, your day sounds blissful!, dh and dd are out all day so im pottering about in teh kitchen, baking, pickling some more onions and stuff like that, roast later on then DOWNTON ABBEY!! at 9 this evening!!, im looking forward to it no end!!

im resisting putting the heating on as it interferes with my hot flushes! , i can become overwrought in seconds when they happen!, im sure they have started early though cos im not 50 yet!

LUCI!! come and tell us about last night! whatever you got up too!, it dosnet matter!, we are all here for you!!

silver!, the lake district sounds wonderful, do you know, i have never been there! , ridiculous isnt it!, we have been all over the world and never set foot in the most beautiful countryside that britain has to offer! trouble is, holidaying here is so bloody expensive in comparision and then it rains on you as well!

JWN! "most beautiful countryside"?? ahem ahem - Scotland?

Morning, just!!

Hey Babes. Hope you are all well. Welcome abord Hippy

Silver - christ woman, do you ever sleep? I'm with you for today's journey. I'm exhausted but not due to Nemo being up, I have a cold and my wisdom tooth feels like it is trying to get out of my face.

So rubbish sllep for me but Nemo slept like a baby!

Luci - hope you are ok and had a great night.

venus - we live in an old cottage so I could not live without heat! Due to Nemo's SN we are priority for heat with British Gas so that makes me feel better, especially as the boiler is 17 yrs old!!

Today I will be watching the workers build the log cabin for the offices and guest room outside in the cold whilst I snuggle with Nemo and DD.

I'm hoping that there is a soppy film on for me to watch this afternoon.

Beef casserole and warm crusty bread here later. Yum!!!

Venus tomorrow we shall be taking a long slow drive through the stunning landscape that is the highlands and lowlands of the very north of Great Britain. the Bus is leaving early so get your tickets now - or even better just stay on board until we get there xxxx

God, I can't spell, I have JWNitus

JWN - pack your cagoule/cagoole/cagule - you know what I mean - a bit of rain never hurt anyone - just be prepared!!!

xxxx

sorry venus! i have been to scotland and it is lovley!, we drove all teh way from suffolk to inverness for a wedding! , god know why as the bride and groom lived in enfield and just wanted a 'scottish' theme!, my bum was dead and we tried to get to fort william before murder was done, dd was 10 and had had ENOUGH! - got lost and ended up staying the night in a fantastic sort of lodge hotel right next to a loch!, we had haggis for dinner and black pudding for breakfast and we enjoyed it more than we did the wedding!, i cannot understand why loads of londoners wanted to dress up in kilts! you expect the accent to be more 'och aye tha noo', not 'hello treacle!'

silver!, do i sound like the type of bird wot owns a 'cagoule'!

JWN then bloody buy one!!! Not the most attractive garments I will concede - but they do the job!

Mouse - can you see a dentist today - emergency one? I heard from somewhere that holding an aspirin onto affected tooth can help? Oil of cloves (any chemist) is supposed to help - not tried any of these myself so don't hold me accountable!!!

Is it wisdom tooth coming through? I am very lucky in that I haven't got any - wisdom teeth that is - not general teeth.

Anyway babes - off to cut the grass - this may be the last dry day till winter sets in

xxx

The Lake District sounds perfect for today, especially with the sun shining and a cold wind blowing.
Venus I think what I am aiming for is to not drink in the house, unless maybe I have friends over which isn't that often. It feels ironic that after being married to someone with a raging alcohol problem for 20 years I now feel uncomfortable with my own drinking. I hardly drank when I met him, but pretty quickly picked up the habit of fairly heavy social drinking. When I went through a horrible speration 3 years ago, I almost felt like I deserved to be able to drink however much I liked, now that I didn't have to manage his alcohol problem - bonkers I know!!

makes total sense to me Hippy - similar situation for me but for a much shorter time with exH - now dead at 38 - and one day that could be any of us

Silver - yes, it's a wisdom tooth. They go up and down a lot. Hurts like hell. I'm hoping it buggers off of it's own accord.

I have shed loads of pain killers so will consume them until I can get to the dentist. It's buried under my molar so they'd have to operate to get the thing out.

Nice.

Hi Silver my ex still drinks a huge amount though is in total denial about it - if no-one else sees it then it isn't real. I keep waiting for the news that he has been found dead. His eccessive drinking has made mine feel 'normal', but I know that I drink more than any of my friends and I am on the slippery slope of minimising it and even hiding it.

Hippy - do you have child/ren with him?

I have a DD and DS, now in their early teens.

Forget the grass - now have to watch Kung Foo Panda with very very very tired dd (3.30am they went to sleep). She's on a real downer cos all he mates have gone and 'the party's over' - bless. Also dp out climing some stupid mountain or other with mate who is now coming to stay the night and STUPID ME says 'shall i do a roast dinner then?' - just been and done shopping while muttering fuck off fuck off fuck off at bottles of wine trying to make me give in and buy them - why didn't i just suggest we had a take away? sometimes I want to slap myself............... VERY HARD!

xxx

Hippy how do they feel about their dad

Glad to hear you are not cutting the grass Silver - I was feeling guilty about my overgrown garden! My 2 have mixed feelings about their dad - they know about his drink problem even if he doesn't. I think my DS worries about him and stays over with him sometimes. My dd is very loyal and won't hear a word said against him, but makes every excuse under the sum not to see him.
How old is your dd?

She was 10 on Tuesday - I'm really sorry but got to sign off for the length of this film -don't go away be abck in an hour or so....