The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Spring Into Summer.

[Mouseface]

Hello

Welcome to The Brave Babes Battle Bus.

This is a quest full of Babes, all fighting to remain sober, cut down or are somewhere in between right now.

You ticket to travel is free, it won't expire, and the Bus will always be here, even if there are days when you are not. So come say hi.

I'm Mouse. I have a thing for cheese and vodka, not together, well, not always!

Here is a LINK to the last thread, where you can read all of the previous threads and the journeys so far.

BB - definitely not! Like I said, the rain was simply clearing the atmosphere for what will be a glorious day tomorrow. BBC weather agrees with me so it must be true

Thanks for the link 4c4 - I registered with WFS but haven't had the time yet to sit and trawl it properly, today is the first time I've been online for longer than five minutes since the middle of the week! Thanks too for the link to the AV thingumy. Even though i only read a very simplistic explanation earlier I've been using the technique described all day and it does seem to be working, I can't really say how or why but each time my head has started arguing with myself I've used it and then realised about an hour later that the thoughts of drinking had been absent, which is lovely! of course then I have to do it all again Still an hour off here and there (on a bad day) is better than it being a constant brain mash.

Gawd, I'm so hungry. I only had dinner half an hour ago and I had a massive slab of chocolate cheesecake this afternoon. Sobriety is going to make me fat

Hope you're all having a nice calm evening x

BOING!!!!

had a lovely, super busy, super social weekend, am absoluty knackered and really happy! - dh and i are more or less back on track, dd and df away having lovley weekend break 'oop north' and alls well with my world!

4c - burmese cats!!!!! ooooohhh how lovely!!, i cant give advice, i have 4 cats and am a mad old cat lady at heart so not very objective! (they are people reincarnated you know!)

fantastic to see our 'new girls', bubble and frumpy, and wonderful to have isindi back!, come and tell us about your holiday!!

see you all tomorrow!

L XXXXXXXXXXXX

So good to see you 'boing-ing' again Jesus

I have a very sore throat, and a cough and a cold. I'm feeling rather sorry for myself - wandering round the house looking for some thing nice to eat, but not actually wanting any of the things that I can find. Should probably go off to bed really, but I can't breathe out of my nose properly.

isindie that sounds like an awful experience - not at all the restful break that you needed.

Hope you're not feeling too rough this morning - any plans for staying on top of things?

Isinde that sounds terrifying - how amazing that you could keep your head in the midst of it all.

I also just wanted to thank jwn and MissP for sharing your recent struggles, I have this feeling that I should handle stuff so much better in my head iyswim, and to see how other people do really helps.

I'm back to work today. I don't feel ready but then maybe you never do? Today looks really busy, which is maybe a good thing. People being nice to me still makes me cry - so maybe no mascara today?! Hope all have happy, sober Mondays.

Oh my God isindie how terrifying! I hope you are OK - that kind of thing can really shake you up

Hope you feel better not worse today [venus]

I'm new on here but I want to get to know everyone and not just be me me me in my posts so I hope I don't offend by leaping in and coming across as overfamiliar

I am on day 8 - a whole week off the booze! And I think I like it DH got drunk on Sat night and was all ranty about stuff on tv, silly mood, fell asleep and snored loudly etc, and whilst it was quite entertaining I see now what the poor man has been putting up with from me practically every night

Now I am a week in the clear I am going to tackle my weight a bit too - nothing crazy, just three meals a day and a bit of exercise. I want to be a whole new me by the time I go on hols in August...at the moment it really seems possible...

Happy Monday everyone!

Hi all, nice to have you back Isinde (and sorry about the holiday, it sounds terrifying).

I've been thinking recently about venus' grooves-in-a-field metaphor, and wondering why, if that's the case, it's not true that one can merely go back to drinking sensibly after a period of time - you know, when the alcohol grooves have worn away.

I mean, most of us used to drink sensibly, right? But it crept up and up, and bad habits were laid down, and tolerance grew, and it went from okay to problematic to alcoholic. But why is it that after a long period of abstinence, you don't re-set, iyswim?

To be clear, I do (mostly!) accept that this is true, I'm not looking for a get-out-of-being-an-alcoholic-free card. I'm just wondering.

Noteven I hope you get on OK at work today, no-one will mind a few tears.

Golly HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Have a lovely day - the sun IS going to shine later

Morning lovelies,

Happy Birthday Golly and BBwanna , have lovely days!

We have been away for a few days, the weather was beautiful, and the hotel was lovely, and saw Dc1, which was real bonus.

A bit up and down with Dh at the moment, but cleared the air yesterday, so onward and upward!

This is hard to admit to, but seeing your post Tortoise, I have to be honest. Dh and I had a biggo falling out on the way home on Saturday, and so I got in at 6.30pm, after driving four and a half hours, I was tired and upset, and didn't think at all, just opened the fridge, and poured out a glass of wine, from one that was open when I had friends round earlier last week (I didn't drink!)....then I went and got another one from the garage.........So, all that time, and I still went straight back to a bottle and a half.

I should have stopped to think, before the first glass, but didn't, so never ending learning curve, for me.

I think my mindset has changed considerably, since last year, so I don't think I'll be doing it again, but, it obviously hasn't changed as soon as I have the first one!

Isindie I'm so glad you are all safely home. What a frightening thing to happen. Happy to see you back .

Hello to all lovely new babes,
Mouse how is Nemo, sleeping any better?
Noteven I hope your day goes well, cry if you need to, take care.

Sorry not to name check everyone, this has taken a bit longer than I thought, when I started!, and have to go to work now.

Much love to all of you, my lovely friends
xx

Morning

Happy birthday Golly and BBwannaB!

TinyBubbles I've been on and on this bus over the past year and I just get stuck in - no one has ever pulled me up for being mememe or overfamiliar so I'm sure you'll also be fine . Well done on day 8, I'm a day behind you!

Indie what a scary thing to have happen, thank goodness you're all OK. You'll probably be reeling from shock still, I ofetn think how I'd react in an emergency but it's not until one happens that you really take stock. Hope you are OK today - I'm making crumpets and a mug of tea if you fancy one!

venus hope you're feeling better today.

noteven really sorry to hear about your mum, hope your first day back at work is a gentle one.

Waves to everyone else - sorry if I've forgotten anyone/anything, I've experienced the dreaded back-to-school run this morning and my head is scrambled with it all! However it was much easier without that disgusting post-drink feeling and they've all gone off to school with full P.E kit, which is unheard of on a Monday morning!

Right - off to blitz this house, have a Happy Monday, brave babes!

"I know my sponsor would tell me to stick to the AA programme and not muddle it with other methods of sobriety, but I like to mix it a up a little and so long as it isn't in direct conflict with the AA steps then I can't see the harm."

Golly - hear, hear! Bollocks to your sponsor - a sponsor is just someone else farther down the road than you. All they have to offer is a method that worked for them. That can be a lot sometimes when we have nothing, but at the same time it's not very much at all; it certainly doesn't make them an authority on anyone's recovery except their own.

Sponsorship can be brilliant and literally life-saving; as long as we take it for what it is. If you have something else that helps, then go for it!

Isindie

That sounds like a terrifying experience. I am glad you are all okay.

How fortunate that you were sober when it happened and were able to take care of yourself and your loved ones.

I hope you can find it in you to get back on that horse now the panic has passed.

Morning Babes

IsinDe - no words to add to those already said. I'm so pleased you are all safe. xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GOLLY AND BB xx

Hey thurso - same old same old here but we have the respite co-ordinator coming tomorrow so I'm hoping for a couple of hours a week. Fingers crossed. I'm beside myself with the worry that we won't get any help....

Feeling sorry for myself. Horrendous period, a week late so I'm really struggling. (sorry MIF)

More coffee xx

morning all.
feeling a bit better today
Today I will not be drinking.
Hi to tinybubbles .......and any other newbies!

Hey All

indie lovely to see you back, what a horrendous experience, how fortunate that you were not drinking - could potentially have been so much worse. Glad that you are all well.

Miflaw totally echo what you say about sponsors. Can be incredibly valuable, but they are not oracles, just recovering alcoholics slightly further down the road than we are.

BB and Golly happy happy - may your days be filled with sunshine moments.

Mouse nothing worse than a bad period, it's the pits isn't it < hands mouse strong coffee and several slices of venus's choccie slices>.

Had a busy busy weekend here, so much so that I am really tired this morning, just had a large double shot latte to try and wake me up . I realise that I am keeping physically busy so that I don't have time to dwell on any emotions. When will this crap with my ex go away . However this has meant that I have achieved loads and loads over the weekend. So am chuffed with that .

Onwards and upwards BB's, am so blessed in many ways, and it does no good to dwell on the negatives in my life, need to focus on my blessings, one of them being managing to stay sober ODAAT for over 6 months!!

Stay well and safe BB's.
Love to all
Bafana

Hello girls, been doing a thing i never do and lurked a while !!!!

Anyway, may I ask some advice?

I quit alcohol last Thursday morning when I woke. Its been a long time coming and that's me made it to day 5. However, since Thursday, I have had really bad pains in my tummy......it started as what felt like bad indigestion and has turned into more of a gastric pain, the whole tummy area. Eating hurts, not eating hurts, and it just hurts all damn day and night. So far today I made it to drop my kids to school and have been back in bed ever since (slept 2.5 hours). Feeling awful.

Is there a connection? Or do you reckon its just coincidence and have I just picked up a nasty bug?

I was hoping it would just go away as I am not in a position to visit the doc atm (long and dull story).

Also, a little worried about if it is a bug then that could be the reason for waking up and thinking "no more alcohol" and that when I am better I will crave it again and find myself back on the horrible path I was on.

I'm a bit scared and bothered to be honest. Scared at how many days I've felt crap and that it might have been me that did it to myself through drinking.

Also, I didn't name change. Is that just ridiculously stupid for a girl who holds privacy up there with all the other high up stuff.

Hi frumpy (seems rude calling you that!).

I'd say you've picked up a bug, certainly sounds like one. Maybe you've been run down physically though and been more susceptible to illness? I know that I've had a run of crap health lately (not to mention strange aches and pains in places I've never felt before) and I'm convinced that my body has become run down and might even be trying to tell me to reel myself in? I am with you on the feeling scared thing - I posted last week with awful symptoms but I keep doing as MIFLAW suggested and am holding that memory firmly, because it's that fear of what I'd done to myself that is helping my stay focused, in that I never want to feel that low/ill/scared again. So for today, I won't be drinking.

Either way you've done great to get to day 5 - as for worrying about what'll happen when you feel better again, well one thing I've learned from these lovely babes is no projecting! Just take it one minute, one hour, one day at a time and remember there are always wonderful and supportive people on here to come to if you wobble

Totally off-topic but yesterday, DD1 asked me to paint her nails and I felt a strange mixture of pride yet shame that for once my hands weren't shaky on a Sunday afternoon and I could make a nice job of it. Really starting to question life that bit more atm - it's cathartic yet scary

hello grumpy! - can i ask how much you have been drinking?, if you have been downing litres of spirits everyday then you need to be careful about how you stop! you need medical advice and help!, i used to drink at least a bottle and a half of wine everyday and didnt need to 'detox' i dont think anyone here can say if your tummy pain is related to giving up the booze - i really do think that you see the doc if you are worried!

if it is simply a bug then thank it for giving you a head start on giving up!

Frumpy - if you read through the threads, you'll see that tummy pains are a recurrent theme. I have no idea what causes them but my guess is that your stomach and your insides are appreciating the lack of pickling going on so you digestive system is getting back to normal as it were.

I know that I experieced lots of physical changes when I stopped using vodka to pickle my organs.....

It takes time for everything to get back to 'normal' and each of us will react differently. It took me 2-3 weeks of feeling flu like, ill, sickly.... it is withdrawel to a certain extent. To what degree depends on how much you drank each day.

Keep going, you'll start to feel better and sleep better soon, I promise xx