The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Carry On Past The Vineyard.

[Mouseface]

Welcome to the Bus!

I'm Mouse and you'll find me snuggled sat at the back where it's warmest!

If you're sober, drinking, or somewhere between the two, you are more than welcome on board.

No judging, no cliquey groups and no closed minds here, oh no! Chances are, no matter how bad you may be feeling right now, one of the Brave Babes will have been there too!

So, come say hi.

And, to read the last thread and other journeys so far, follow this link

Morning all. I didn't drink last night but I didin't sleep either - hoping Nemo took all the fairy dust to his house.

I'm cross with myself for drinking at the weekend, it's a vicious circle - no sleep when not drinking for 4 days & then just as I start to get a normal pattern back I spend the weekend on the lash & have to star sleep training from the beggining again

Only positive side to this that I can find is that although I am tired I am not hungover, so when people ask me if I am ok I can honestly reply "I'm tired".

Shuffle hug straight back at you.

Well done for not drinking at the big do. I find that sort of thing so tricky if I've not had some booze. What a baby at 33!! And you are right that most people could not give a shit about our drinking.

Morning Red, how did meeting up with XH yesterday turn out for you?

Morning desire. The meeting was cancelled again. Grr. I think he is just trying to mess with me to be honest. We're 'trying' again tonight so we will see what happens. How are you?

Morning everyone. Welcome to all other newbies!

I was alcohol-free yesterday and although I was clinging on by my fingertips at 6 pm (official wine o'clock, although usually I have started WAY earlier) I was okay by 7. Spent the evening writing Xmas cards and planning a weekly menu. Last few years i have been too drunk/tired/hungover to get onto Xmas cards, so this year will be different!

I am out this evening with an old friend, and know that not drinking will not be possible. My hope and aim is to start with a pint of sparkling water, and to just consciously slow down.

Morning clear. Well done for getting past wine o'clock. And well done for getting cracking with the Xmas stuff!

Morning.

Welcome onthe. I am going to be rather cheeky and ask if I can borrow your nanny for half a day so I can get some sleep?

As others have said, we are a HUGE mix of folk on here. No rules, no judging, no cliques. Just real and honest people with very real lives.

Lovely to have you here.

Red - half day? Part-timer!!!

JWN - GOOD LUCK!!

I now know why I've had no sleep for the past three nights. Nemo has a raging cold.

Cold = snot = cough = MORE VOMITING.

I'm hoping his chest stays clear so we don't end up with more meds! Poor little chap. It does mean more snuggles though.

Poor Nemo and poor Mouse. :(

Snuggles good though. My little guy was very snuggly yesterday, it felt so wonderful to have him breathing into my neck.

Poor Nemo. Bloody cold is the last thing he needs. Snuggles sound good though!

I love that clear. One of the best things about being a mummy is snuggles!!

See, now I want to be a Mum!!! I want snuggles!

I've lit the log burner to get the room nice and toasty too. It's bright and sunny but bitterly cold here.

Thank you for the nemo-snuggles. Feel better now!

Hello wasindie!! Been ages since we've been on the thread at the same time! How are your lovely girls?

Not too bad here Red, just trying to pluck up the nerve to ring bank to make appointment to see about getting a loan

desire Gah! I can't even think about my money situation at the moment! Good luck with yours!

o'h mouse and nemo I really feel for you - having had one pretty prem one that was a sicky baby (nothing compared to your situation), I can empathise with the "o'h god it's that time of year, more coughs and colds" - and it's amazing the amount of snot they produce and swallow!

I'm taking lots of inspiration to get through today as it's my first day one for nearly two weeks and although I think I'm in control, I'm sure i'm not really and it is backsliding as someone else said.

Mouse I'm PM'ing you

Onthebackseat

As others have said, it sounds like you have a very odd definition of "lucky". I wouldn't take your life if you paid me. I wouldn't even take it if you reduced the working hours to 15, took all the pressure out of it and gave me clients who begged me to work for them and gave me a pat on the back for showing up.

I wouldn't want your life because I wouldn't want to go back to drinking every night and not being able to stop; to worrying about my clients, colleagues etc finding out, not just about the drinking itself, but about the fact that what they were seeing was just a mask; to what you refer to as the feeling of being "trapped".

I'll go further. I wouldn't exchange the worst day of my life in sobriety for the best day of my drinking life; precisely because that "day" never lasted, but the drinking did. It bled into the next day, and the next, and the next, and long after the good day itself had become a distant memory.

"Its my friend saviour etc. Im 3 stone over weight and constantly tired / hungover and I want more than anything to stop."

Now, thinking of a liquid in a bottle - basically, a mix of water and ethanol - as a "friend" or "saviour" is a very odd thing to do really. But, more important, it's bollocks. Assuming that an inanimate liquid really can fulfil the role of "friend" then is it really the sort of "friend" you want? If a human (i.e. real) friend made you feel shit about yourself on a daily basis and all you could think about was escaping from her, would you really keep going back for more? If you're like me, you'd cut all ties and consider going ex-directory. Why is it different, do you think, with your "friend" alcohol?

wasindie yes it's going to feel frustrating that you drank yesterday however I bet that you are still drinking a lot less than when you got on the bus? I am drinking on and off at the moment but my consumption is still a hell of a lot less than previously. Don't feel annoyed - no point. Just pick yourself up and make a choice. You're doing great.

Hi MIFLAW how's things? Has the newest member of the MIFLAW family arrived yet? Apologies if I have missed a post about this.

WasIndie

Sorry to hear you picked up again.

The good news is that you can do this, and I know, because I did it, and my drinking sounds worse than yours.

The bad news is that, until you stop secretly believing that you are special and different and that, as a result, somehow you are magically going to learn to manage your drinking, it's going to keep happening. Again and again. And, over time, it will get worse.

Hope this helps.

MIFLAW Jnr Mk II is not due till early Jan - much to her mother's chagrin!

MIFLAW that last post really struck a chord with me. Thanks.