The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Carry On Past The Offy!!

[Mouseface]

Well, this is our tenth thread so we are throwing a little party!

Everyone is invited! No booze of course, soft drinks and mocktails only!

I'm Mouse, hello.

There are all kinds of drinkers on board the bus. Come and join the journey, whatever stage you are at, drinking, cutting down, wanting to stop or sober already.

Everyone is welcome to post here. Come say hi.

The journey so far is below.

JWN's original thread

Thread two

Thread three

Thread four

Thread five

Thread six

Thread seven

Thread eight

Thread nine

Hi munkymaz and dementedma - I know it could have been worse. I suppose the sense of achievement over the last few weeks has given me a real lift. I don't think I even enjoyed the taste, and maybe it's psychosomatic, but it really hasn't made me feel well.

dementedma - I'm in the North East of Scotland.

The old 'I've done so well, i'm going to treat myself' trick.......he's my personal devil and I fall for him all the time. Usually happens to me after approx. 1 week....I'm trying not to project but I am convinced determined it won't happen this week.

Definitely time for bed........night all x

It seems so obvious after the event - things have been really tough at work so I convince myself that I need to treat myself - not problem with that, but to see alcohol as a treat is just stupid.

The trouble is, I don't think I was aiming to abstain completely but now I don't know when it would be OK to have a drink. I have had such a mixed up relationship with alcohol for so long I have no idea whast 'normal' drinking is?

I need to head off as well.
I will definitely be on the bus tomorrow!
Night all.
x

Have just caught up on posts and am glad to see things have calmed down. MIFLAWs advice has been invaluable to me. Mouse you are an absolute star too..Am so concerned at the turn things have taken and hope we are all back on track. The mutual support is so important and has made such a difference to so many of us. Love to you all xx

Hey All

I also fall for the I deserve it, I have been so good trick, sucks doesn't it! hippychick at least you are recognising the triggers and why you are doing it, I have gone so long not recognising why I kept repeating the same patterns over and over!

I feel that I am getting there just by realising where the behaviours come from.
Don't beat yourself up, just make sure you have tried to learn something from tonight, and at least you didn't go on a complete bender! baby steps.

I am also in the frozen north - the temp has really taken a nose dive today . the heating is back on again.

Night all - I hope you all sleep well.

hello!, just back from chating to my grandad, hes been dead 48 years but he sounded pretty chipper tonight!

anyway, i have been giving some thought to the events of today - now, i believe we are all here for the same purpose, to get sober!, i think the very nature of our illness means that we are extreme characters, after all, none of do anything by halfs do we?, so, we are all resonably intelligent, we have opinions, we all have egos and as such that means that occasionally we might have a bit of a falling out!, oh well, never mind!, its not the end of the world, these things happen in the best of circles, not just on a bus full of ex pissheads! , so, lets move on!, lets start the new day as we mean to go on, support each other, share experiences, hopes, dreams, anger, angst, whatever - lets just remember that we all after the same outcome - a happy and sober life!, how we get there is almost immaterial, no one way is the 'right' way, we just deserve the best life possible!, in that vein, i would like to remind ALL passengers that

TOMORROW WE WILL NOT BE DRINKING!!

see you all in the morning lovley babes!!, and lastly, on a purely selfish note, I NEED YOU ALL!!, you are ALL contributing to MY sobriety and i want and need that to carry on!

L XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

fallen sending you a hug. Hope you sleep well.

what is wrong with my phone?

Anyway, note to self, even small amounts of drinking disrupt ypur sleep and you know it christi so don't do it again. Aaaaargh.

Very quiet on the night bus apart from the odd snore... Who is that??!

I caved.
Today is a new day. Will come on here in future. Have poured anything remaining alcoholic away so once DD in bed I can't do it tonight.
I can't just have one. I need to accept that and walk away before even one.
I definitely need to stay. I need a good slap actually.

Probably me!
Morning all...new day.
I think we all agree JWN

Hey Brave Babes GOOD MORNING.
Wasinde I hope you got off on time this morning
Red Hello if your out there I miss you! x
I have been thinking (steady synapses firing up) The longer I don't drink, the less sense it makes. IYSWIM It is slowly becoming more and more alien to me. Now don't get me wrong , I know myself well enough to know that I am capable of making spontaneous decisions ie quick - descision made before rational thought kicks in - Bob's your uncle half a bottle of Pinot Grigio done! How did that happen? Lets do it again... now! But lately I seem to be wondering Why would I choose to do that? I think what i am trying to say is, It is not an automatic response anymore. Right I need to lay flat now,to recover from my outpourings!!

morning all ... - day 7 .. its slowly getting light, I love this part of the day.

For those of you who need encouragements and or put life in perspective

Have a look at the Chilean miners as they are certainly a reminder that things could be worse and that there is all ways a way out.

After that crime against the English language with that terrible pun .. I ll be off and have a fight with the useless systems at work.

take care of your selves

Morning all, am I in time for the bacon butties?? Can I have two? I am very hungry this morning, after a number of battles with DD!

I have been watching the Chilean miners too and its made me very teary, a good reminder diabolik that things could be a lot worse - and shows the incredible strength that we humans have. People's ability to deal with awful and difficult situations is amazing. As are all of you.

MissP - I know exactly what you mean. I am starting to get there myself.I can't think of a single way in which drinking would have enhanced my life in the past 2 months.

neam you don't need a slap,its a big realisation that you can't just have the one. The fantasy that we can control it is very very strong and I can honestly say that it is easier not to have the first than it is to not have the second.

Mouse hope you are ok today and that Nemo is ok? Is the reflux easing at all?

Red you are missed, we just want to know if you are ok and safe. No explanations needed, just let us know if you are ok.

All ok in the land of Gee. LittleMsGee is in nursery and strategy #3464 worked today, no tears or limpet manouevres. Thanks to everyone for the input on the girly front. JWN you will have to be DD's girly mentor if this continues, she will learn nothing from me!!

I have a spa day booked for tmrw, catching up with a good friend from overseas so I have to be really good and work hard today. This weekend will be difficult as friends are staying with us, then next week my mum (aka drinking buddy) is over - the ultimate test. However, I am not projecting.

Today I will not be drinking. Or frinking for that matter.

Day 5, good morning all. Could murder a bacon butty...drool.
Three spritzers last night, two the night before, one the night before that, and none at all the first night. Anyone seeing a pattern here?
Going for zero tolerance again. Tonight I will not be frinking.
Fastens seatbelt.

Msgee Well done for not projecting, I still struggle with that, if anything out of the ordinary is on the horizon. But hey, we will be right here if you need us. at the thought of LittleMsGee x

No frinking for me either today.

Hope all well.

ma sorry, will stop eating all the bacon butties . No tolerance sounds like a good plan. Can you come up with a postive plan though, i.e. rather than not doing something can you list all the things you want to do tonight - read a book, have a bath, sort out the crap drawer in the kitchen etc.

MissP thanks, am going one day at a time. I know that I can do it, as MIFLAW would say, its not impossible for me to just not pick up a drink! LittleMsGee makes me all the time, I am in awe of her!

Demented Yep I have cleverly spotted a pattern I know if I decided to have two and half sips of Chablis a month, it would become four sips, a glass, two glasses, half a bottle. Eventually I would be back to a bottle a night, and two at the weekend... to make it feel like the weekend. HOLY SHIT thank you for reminding me x

Morning Babes.

Right, Gerald is fuelled, not in the same way we all used to be , bacon butties are on board, tea is made, water-proofs are under your heated seats and today's DVD is 'Keeping Mum'

Wicked british, black comedy. Thought we could all use a chuckle!

So, we are ready to go. Everyone here?

Morning everyone
More bacon butties on the way.

Neam and Ma I would agree with MsGee. It is much easier just not having the first glass. I would go so far as to say that I am not brave enough now to even give 'just one glass' a go as I have no idea what might happen. That is a real change from 'just one glass will be fine I'm sure I'll stop there' thinking that occupied the first few days/weeks of my not drinking.
Today we will be enjoying the ride, counting our blessings and NOT DRINKING.

Hi Mouse you sound bright and breezy! Did you manage some quality sleep? x

Mmm, bacon butties. They should keep me quiet and contented for a while!

Day 7, here we come.

MissP - yes, that's exactly what I do (only rather more quickly). Trying to find something else to 'reward' myself with (at the moment I'm promising myself a book I really fancy if I get to day 12).

morning all! - WNT - i really get what you mean!, the thought of the first glass now terrifies me, i KNOW now that it will lead to my destruction and i feel so scared with the thought that i can single-handedly ruin my own life, it dosent stop the odd 'oh how about a drink' moment though, which i find even more scary!, i dreamt the other night that i was drunk, i woke up feeling totally disparing, in the few seconds it took me to come round i could almost taste my own future - it was horrible!

ma!, yesh, theres a pattern emerging there!, time to give it the 'fuck off' treatment i think!

btw pass me a butty please!, im starving!!