The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Carry On Into 2011!

[Mouseface]

Hello and a Happy New Year!

I'm Mouse, one of the passengers on this wonderful journey to sobriety!

We are a real mixed bunch of people, all trying to control or give up the booze - ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Come meet the others.........

And here are the previous threads, the journeys so far

Was trying then to think of a really supportive comment Noteven but I think venus has said it in a nut shell . Must be very frustrating to get to a point when not only you realise you need help but you ask for it only for that person/support network to have their fingers in their ears. At least AA is helping you and please post on here whether feeling :) or :(.

Thanls for asking Noteven but no I don't really ask for much support with regards to drinking/struggling with feelings about neighbour/abusive XP but probably because I make out that I am OK and that I am cutting down even though I am on my third drink already tonight. My family/friends were so relieved when I split with XP that I don't think they understand that it is still hard/upsetting. And as to my neighbour only one friend has met him and I am not normally one to fall so quickly so probably think it is a passing thing.

Sorry for waffling

Thank you for all seeing this through with me. No babysitter tonight but do have one booked tomorrow night and will probably do two meetings tomorrow.

Social worker appeared at 4:30 this afternoon. It was not as bad as I thought. I'll leave it at that rather than waffling.

I think I got quite a breakthrough with today's AA meeting. I've had feelings of peace this afternoon, of that sensation of "things that used to no longer baffling us". I have someone I really feel I could ring if/when I am tempted to drink.
One day at a time. I think I might change my name to that for a bit. Because that is truly all it can be.
Thank you, all, you are wonderful.

Good evening Brave Babes.

Sorry I have been awol.

Just wanted to say thank you to those who wished me and Nemo well the last day or so. I have struggled to cope with EE and have stopped watching it.

noteven - I second venus WRT keeping in touch with your GP. Mine has been fantastic, I see him every two weeks and I am always honest with him about what I've had to drink and why IYSWIM?

Last night was the first night in a few weeks that I didn't have even a sip of wine.

I had been allowing myself the odd glass or two over the festive season.

Time to hit it on the head again before it becomes a habit.

You will get there noteven, you just need to find the support that works best for you and I hope that comes soon.

Isindie - Nemo has been terrible at night of late, really unsettled. It may be that he's picking up on my mood. Just not himself.

Very clingy too! Nice for snuggles though.

desire - lovely to see you, I was wondering how you've been

Zany - give it time re NG....... are you on the same school run together?

JWN - I hope you are getting better and looking after yourself (read making DH run around taking good care of you ) xx

Silver - how is AA going? And how are things with your brother?

Red - does your DP want to come and run me a bath?

Hello to everyone else! Sorry that I've not posted to you all, this bus is lovely and busy!

noteven I'm sorry that the alcohol 'support' team were not very helpful. I hope that by keeping regular contact with your GP, you'll soon be on the right track. Stick in there

I have made it through my 'wibbly zone' and am sat drinking a chocolate Ovaltine instead - even packed my gym bag for the morning, so that I can make the most of not being hungover when I wake up! Plus with the DCs back to school it will be nice to go off and do something positive for me!

Chuss - go you!

Hi mouse - it is so difficult not to get emotionally involved in things that are presented shoddily, but I've seen some of the posts, and I hope you also feel supported by those who are posting on here who have a more realistic understanding of the issues. Hopefully this is another area where mn can be a force for good.

Well done you for not having a drink yesterday - I agree, it would be all too easy to think that everything was in control and to be back on that slippery slope. Here's hoping you feel the benefit and that your calmness transfers itself to little nemo. When my dd's were little and unsettled (feels like 100 years ago!) I used to lay down with them and breathe with them, slowing my breathing down and hoping that they did likewise. No idea whether it worked for them, but it made me feel more peaceful and in control.

chuss - I love that feeling of knowing the worst of a wobble is over. It is hard when you are in the middle of it to believe that it will diminish, but sometimes it is surporising how quickly that happens. have a great evening and well done on your plans for the morning. I have some half-hearted ideas about going swimming but I have a tender that has to be submitted by midday tomorrow so it would have to be an afternoon swim, and by then I've usually thought up lots of excuses not to go!

venus you are have described the way I feel about lying down with Nemo perfectly. I did that last night, lay down and breathed with him, just the two of us in sync.

In and out, slowly and clamly. I found myself awake more than I'd have liked but I breathed through it.

In my previous life, I'd have got up and had a shot or seven of vodka to help me pass out.

Not this Mouse

Mouse - have sent you a PM

Venus - it's funny how good it feels when a wobble is over; lately I'm trying to put myself in tomorrow morning's shoes when I'm thinking of having a drink.

It doesn't always work but at least I'm finding ways to stop and think about what I might be just about to do to myself.

Small steps and all that

I've decided to hit the hay and start on a new book - will be quite a novelty to remember what I've read, next time I pick it up! Not to mention not having to read it with one eye shut, in order to focus

Night all x

If any of you have got a free 20 minutes - have a look at this 20 minute presentation. It is about vulnerability - someone posted it on another thread. I recognise a lot of myself in it, and maybo others on here will too. I also know that on this thread I have been able to share some of my vulnerability, to ask for help when I need it and to expose something of myself (even my name), and it has helped me.

hey all - sorry not been keeping up. To those doing well, yay for you! To those struggling, hang in there.
DD still in hospital, full MRI scan tomorrow now so today a bit of a wasted day.
Had about half a bottle of wine last night and felt dreadful!! Previously that wouldn't have affected me - can my tolerance have dropped so quickly?
Tonight an back on lime and tonic

Hope you can get a better nights sleep tonight for the both of you Mouse. Children/Babies do pick up on your moods and I don't know your story (and not being nosy) but just hold him close to you and try the breathing thing again with deap breaths.

Lime and tonic sounds good ma. I have a theory about your question: I think that previously we have been drinking so much that we are never really out of the drunk/hangover phase. When we stop, we feel mightily crap for days - what MIFLAW calls seeing the hangover through to the end i.e. the whole process of rehydration and detoxing (and it takes a fair few days because of the sheer amount of toxin in our bodies). So having been 'clean' for a while, we drink a bit and feel the full effect of the toxin anew. Not so much to do with how we process it, more to do with the fact that we'd stopped noticing how 'below par' we were all the time.

Oh God Ma - how did I miss that? So, so sorry, what happened to your DD? xx

Thanks Zany xx

Night night Isindie

Off to bed here too. Been a long day with no kitchen, builders and idiots to deal with. xxx

Well that's Day 5 almost over and still no alcohol:) although as I said earlier I have no desire to drink! Don't know if it's because I am not feeling 100% percent but that has never stopped me before

Loon xx

Sorry, that was to Isindie

Hey desire - night xx

Night everyone, just seen ye are all off to bed, sweet dreams and many of them.

Night Mouse :)

You're doing well desire - I know that at times when I've been ill I've still managed to drink. When you do start to feel better, make sure you treat yourself to some lovely things: hot chocolate, ice cold cranberry juice with lime - whatever floats your boat and keeps on making you feel better.

A friend of mine who was the most practised person at giving up smoking that I have ever met, had a really bad cold a couple of years ago. No cigs for 6 days and never touched another one again.

That's three nights done for me. Made it through my own birthday and DD's birthday without giving in to temptation. This despite my DM having given me a bottle for my birthday! Not a criticism of her, she doesnt know that I have foresaken wine for the duration (duration of what I havent decided yet!).

Good night all, pleasant dreams.

That's a fine approach gnome - the duration of today is long enough to go to bed sober and wake up without a hangover. If you like it, you can decide to do it again tomorrow . Sleep well.