The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Carry On Past The Homebrew In The Shed!

[HammerMouseOfHorrors]

Hello, I'm Mouse.

Welcome to the Brave Babes Bus. You can get on at any point in the journey, there is plenty of room, it's free to ride and there is always someone who will be along to hold your hand over the speedbumps!

So, no matter where you are in your quest to quit the booze, join us for support, advice and a fair few laughs along the way

There is no judging, no cliques, just real poster with real problems being real and honest!

Come and meet the others.....

Here is the previous thread where you can read all of the threads so far, including JWN's original thread and the reason we are all here.

See you Monday bright and early Red

I know I will drink tonight, I have always felt like I have the 'right' to drink of a weekend...

loopylou In knowing this are you happy or would you like this Friday evening to be different?

loopylou -

Join the club we all have | had that feeling -

Question is what are you going to do about it .. Are you just going to sit there and drink cause 'your worth it' or are you going to grab the bull by the horns and say no .. tonight I wont drink because it does yyz to me and I dont like it.

Its very simple in the end its YOUR choice whether you are going to have that drink ..

Once you make the choice and say no .. then next step especially in the early phases is coping mechanisms for cravings .. but first step is for you to say NO

Well I know I shouldn't be, but I'm sort if giving myself permission coz its 'the weekend'

Fridays are a bit of a trigger for me too. I didn't drink last night at all, but I had a blow-out on Wednesday. No real reason I can think of- it just seems to follow that once I start I keep going.

I find it quite tricky being on mumsnet on a Friday evening actually. All the talk of wine o'clock. It's my responsibilty though, I know.

I started reading the first of these threads today, and followed the link to AA. There is actually a meeting at the end of my street mid-week, and I was wondering whether to turn up next week. It would be a bit awkward if they haven't updated the website though and it's not on any more. I'd have to tell my family I was going, and why.

Hmm, not sure.

Thing is, I like drinking. I just don't like staying up stupidly late doing it and being exhausted all the following day. That is the main problem with it. Plus I have to take medication for an unrelated thing, which I'm not meant to mix with alcohol. The thought of stopping altogether is so depressing though.

Sorry for the ramble- just getting my thoughts down and seeing if I can 'fit' here. I am obviously not very far down the road of squaring up to this as a problem

loopylou and tippler Could you try to distract yourselves as the desire starts? Lots of us would say that we know it can be very intense but it doesn't go on forever and doesn't get stronger and stronger. Try some of the suggestions others have offered - cleaning your teeth (nothing tastes good), doing something out of your routine, go for a walk/run. I always found if I had a coffee straight after a meal it brought drinking to an end because it stopped tasting nice.
tippler keep working on what drinking means to you - if it is a problem what is the solution? - it may be that you can still like drinking but with more control - it might be a problem that is best sorted by not drinking at all.

Stay on the bus both of you - your experiences will help all of us and I hope those of others will in turn help you work out what your relationship with alcohol should be, so that you no longer think of it in terms of being a 'problem'.

Evening wobblers.

loopy my girl. Now then, what are we going to do to get you through this?

How do you want to handle tonight. I believe that you will drink and actually, that's fine. I think that maybe it's pre-set in your mind already today so not much we can say will help.

So, what's your plan. What are you going to drink? Let's start with that ok?

And FWIW, I have been in your shoes way too many times and totally understand how you are feeling so I hope you don't think I am patronising you. I'm not, I just want to see if I can help you tonight.

Hello white not said high to you for a while.

How are you holding up?

'hi' - doh!!

Loopy Tippler

you are basically justifying your self ..No need for that in my opinion if you want to drink drink - but remember what brought you here in the first place will not go away.. That feeling that something is not quite right in your relationship with alcohol ..

Dont get me wrong I like(d) getting slaughtered (a lot ) but what I didnt like were the consequences of it ..

• bad health
• lack of concentration at work ( risk of loosing job)
• damaged relationships (with family and GF )
• always out of money despite a good job
• one dimensional life revolving around pubs and lying on the couch with a hang over when not working.

So question for me was what am I going to do about it .. In my case stop drinking completely - because I basically can not have a single drink with out it not ending in debauchery ..

If you feel like me ie the positives outweigh the negatives - then as WNP said .. keep your self busy for an hour .. the craving of Friday night beer o'clock will pass.

"high" LOL - in holland there is a saying that goes - > what the heart is full of the mouth will spill over with..

Something you want to tell us Mouse

mouse All well here - Elderflower calling. Sorry to read that nemo's health is such a worry. Have a little experience of the worry but hold to the view that, mostly, we have within us the strength (no matter how far down it rests) to cope.

Can I say too - thank you for the thread 'admin' that you do. I can't tell you what a relief it was to stumble upon the third or fourth thread back at the end of July. There were other people 'out there' just like me!

errrr just realised - it should have read negatives outweigh the positives doh -

Tippler, I like drinking too, very much. There's nothing quite like that warm fuzzy feeling is there? Sometimes it even makes me fly. But keep Diabolik's wise words in front of your mind - you have "that feeling that something is not quite right in your relationship with alcohol .."

No matter how hard I try to justify my drinking to myself, I know I can't drink in a sensible way and probably never will. I've just overcome an immense craving by doing some sketching (very good at concentrating the mind) and eating with the kids. White is right, the feeling doesn't go on for ever and you can do things to make it abate. I have no desire whatsoever for a drink now whereas an hour ago I was almost out that door to the offie (don't risk keeping booze on the premises anymore).

Have a good Friday night all, whether you're having a drink or not.

White - that's why I always links to the other threads because there are so many Brave Babes out there but so often, until they see a story 'like theirs', they feel unable to post.

And I love the fact that even though we are on the 11th thread, we are still getting new posters and people wanting support.

It gives me a huge lift to know that these threads really do help. And it's all thanks to JWN being brave enough to start her thread about how she was about to lose it all.

Tough cookie that one!

Dear Loopy, have you sort of made up your mind to drink tonight? I know that's what I do, and then I'm up to the shops.

I had a real, real urge for a glass of wine at abou 5.30, but somehow it passed. I think I haven't tried to let it pass in a long while.
I sorted the washing, shut the curtains, laid the table, all really boring, but the bitter lemon wasn't doing it for me!

Now it's nearly dinner, and if I eat, I don't feel like drinking so much.
Take care, Loopy. I will struggle too.

'link' not links, innit?

Thank you u lovely lot, your support is outstanding and I can't thank you enough. Mousey you are right, its programmed in my mind for tonight, feel guilty tho

We need an edit function Mouse :)

diabolik Any plans for running/swimming challenges on the horizon?

dipso Good to read that you have that craving menace in your sights. What do you like to sketch? I envy artistic talent - arts and crafts is 'outsourced' for my DCs!

So, those who are wobbling, why not wobble together tonight?

Keep posting. Come and talk on here. Keep busy.
Even if you do drink, come back to the bus. No-one is going to think any the less of you. You haven't failed. You haven't upset anyone by drinking.

It's your choice so don't worry about being yelled at. I have done my yelling for this week!!

loop - Nemo needs a bath etc now, but I will be back later. Just pace yourself ok? Maybe add some water into the mix stave off the hangover?

Keep posting lovely xx

diabolik - yes and a spell checker!!!!

WNP - I plan to sign up for another 10k ( end of November ) step son says he will join this time but he is waiting for me to sign up first lol.

after that dunno yet .. but will be looking at doing at least one event a month - I am really enjoying the exercise at the mo and as I am an original beach bum. I will actually be in decent shape by next summer if I keep it up :)