The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Head To The Summer Of Sobriety

[Mouseface]

Hello

I'm Mouse

Welcome aboard The Brave Babe's Battle Bus. There are a whole host of lovely posters here who will support your journey to sobriety, however you choose to get there.

We are a Bus full of drinkers, non-drinkers and those who are somewhere in between.

BUT - we will never judge or leave a poster out in the cold. So, find a seat and settle down for the journey ahead.

And HERE is the last thread and those before it too. Just follow the links to read the journeys so far.

I strongly suspect that Anti-D's "thoughts" are adapted (or cut and pasted) from an American site where AA tends to be more popular and evangelical, and where as a result younger people attend (I think a 9-y-o is a member.)

Sadly for Anti-D (and luckily for everyone else) the UK AA is very different in every respect (and, therefore, more in keeping with AA's traditions) - it is non-evangelical and actively anti-recruiting (when AA briefly advertised on TV it caused heated debate verging on uproar in meetings up and down the country), it relies on the member coming to AA under his/her own steam, and so (as most alkies are the last to know that they are alkies) even members aged under 20 are extremely rare, let alone vulnerable children.

I have reported your post again Anitdenial

MIFLAW It's interesting what you said about AA in the US being more evangelical. I wanted to say it myself in one of my earlier posts but wasn't sure of the facts because it's only recently that I'd heard that US AA being slightly different to AA in the UK, in that sense. I'm going to a thing soon where there is a speaker from Texas and I think it'll be interesting to hear him because although I will be listening for the similarities, I will also be listening out for the differences in the message, for curiosity's sake as much as anything. I don't think I'm the sort of person who is sucked in to someone's else's propaganda easily. In fact I'm a very cynical person on the whole (character defect? ) which stands me in good stead when it comes to sifting out the crap from the good, although it has also given me a few headaches when it comes to accepting some aspects of AA.

Hello all,

I am still finding this whole malarkey difficult...so so annoyed with myself all the time. I think I like the alcohol because it switches off my mind which is constantly going round and round with worry, yet it is ironic because a lot of the worry comes partly from the drinking. Need to break the cycle.

Kandinsky

Same advice as before - watch the film. Do you really "like" alcohol - do you like what you see?

Golly

It's not so much that US AA is different as the culture it exists in is different. Big example, the higher power - because most Americans are churchgoers it is much more of a "given" in the US that the Higher Power is a religious (Judaeo-Christian) god. You get a much broader range of opinion on this in the UK (e.g. I am atheist but still able to acknowledge a HP).

Similarly, it is a culture where it is normal to be interested in your neighbour's business - so it becomes (in an AA context) acceptable to "stage an intervention" and basically SEND someone to AA, whereas in British AA even the help line will tell a concerned relative that the alcoholic really needs to call on his or her own behalf.

No I dont, yet I still open that bottle...why???

Because you think that next time will be different.

Start to accept that this is going to happen EVERY SINGLE TIME - in one way or another, it is going to turn out shit. EVERY TIME. You can drink as often as you want, as much as you want, and no one ca nstop you - but don't kid yourself that it is ever going to go back to being like it was when you were 18. Your drinking is now fucked, and is going to stay fucked until you die or stop (whichever comes first).

Also, the nature and quantity of shit is going to get worse. Your "yets" are going to turn into "alreadys" and then "agains".

I think you know why - you are, by your own admission, drinking to numb or delay pain. If this was physical pain, would you keep putting a plaster on it or would you try to sort out the pain? That's what you need to do.

Do you think you can?

Oh that is so true 'because you think next time wil be different'

Can I just say, it's a little like child labour. You seem to forget/block out the really painful stuff and just remember the nice things.

I just composed a long post and lost it, but thanks to Miflaw and Mouse for fighting our corner. Those interlopers seem to think we are stupid and helpless or something, and it is a real shame that they are disrupting a real source of help (this thread).
Kadinsky have you started your first drink yet this evening? If you have chuck it down the sink, and if you haven't, well done! Spend the evening here with me NOT drinking, think how smug and cheerful we will be tomorrow morning!
Congratulations Zany have a lovely evening in YOUR house.

Kandinsky I found the circular thoughts really awful to deal with, they took up way too much space in my head and became draining and quite frankly disabling. The only way I felt I could deal with them was to give in and drink to shut them up. Its like feeding a greedy monster. I haven't had any alcohol for nearly a year, and I promise you that the obsessing does stop. It is very liberating, I now feel like I have space in my head to think, and process my thoughts. You can do this, you are worth the effort. x

Thank you all for the replies. No I havent had a drink tonight yet but am heading to meet some friends in a bit so I will have to be very strong later.

Yes MissPerrier my mind is my worst enemy I think, I am exhausted by it all.

Antidenial -

"I apologize my comment was to mouseface-not babes.
@mouseface-I thought you appreciated my comments yesterday?
I guess they were not sincere statements."

Yes, I thanked you for sharing your thoughts, I was being polite. There's no need to keep banging that drum though.

You made your point, we all saw your post, most will have read it, some maybe not, but to repeat and repost time and again becomes a little, well, annoying.

Actually, the more of your posts that appear, the more I feel that you are infact plugging your own website or organisation.

As I said, I've reported your posts and I will continue to do so until you stop.

I take it you and Purplebrick are in cahoots?

Look, you've made your point which actually is not so relevant in the UK, and we've given you your 15 minutes of fame for doing so.

Any further posts are for your own satisfaction, not for information purposes in my opinion.

Stop please.

The Guardian is 11 years old!!!

Antidenial - I have reported that post aswell

obv. meant Guardian article - it is dated 5th july 2000

I have also reported antedenial
I am an alcoholic not an idiot, also an alcoholic in recovery, and not killing myself incremently a little each day.

I would never dream of taking my children to a meeting, and am quite capable of making judgement calls about the people that I bring into my life.

Whether I meet a person in AA, or through toddler group, at the school gate or at work, I will slowly bring them into my life at a pace that suits me not the other way round.

I realise that that make me sound naive, and or vulnerable, but quite the opposite is true!! I am sober and ODAAT remain sober, and therefore my children are at far less risk that they ever were when I was not sober.

Your link from Daytona, is full of pictures of people in a public place minding their own business, fgs, they are not even dropping litter, they are placing it in the bin, I am sure that you would have a greater problem with a group of drunks hanging round the park, rather than a group of people staying sober.

If this is the only message you have for the Brave Babes, thank you for bringing it to our attention, but constantly reposting is not in the spririt of what this thread is about!!!!!!!!

To everyone else
Love ya
Have a great weekend
Stay safe and sober and happy

Now back to the real business... Kandinsky do you have a plan for your eveing out? Venus always suggests making the first drink a long soft drink, you could back this up with 'I'm really thirsty/on antibiotics/antihistimines/a diet/driving later' if you then choose to have an alcoholic drink try to alternate with a soft drink. Good luck, and have fun.

Right - no nonsense whilst I go to my AA meeting!!!!!!
Kids are staying here with their Grandad - do you think that they will be ok (sarcastic smile)!!!

and a big mwah to you to bbwannab!!

Actually many people who are at the meetings do litter and throw
cigarette butts as well. Also I am sure you realize that many who attend meetings are not sober. So you have people doing illegal drugs and being steps away from children. They have also threatened the local citizens with violence.

Just because the article about sexual abuse in the AA UK is dated from 2000 does not make it any less important. it does show that the UK does have a problem as well.
I am glad many hear have the sense to not take their kids to meetings.
But many do not,plus adults are at risk too.

@mouseface- I have no idea who purple brick is. Is it that hard to believe that people have issues with AA/NA and might agree about the risks?

reported these posts as well

I'm beginning to think you're a spam bot, Anti-denial, throwing out randomness for the hell of it.

Which part of 'no one here is advocating taking children to an AA meeting' aren't you getting? .

If you have issues with AA meetings being the cause of anti-social behaviour around you, why not inform the police or your local council?
That's the last I'm going to say on this matter, you're quite clearly not getting it.

Good luck for later kandinskysgirl, there's some great advice for you there. I know how draining the internal debating society can be, I hope to step off this endless circle too! (but lapsed last night so I'm not nearly there yet, clearly!).

I've just downed a pint of sparking water - it fills me up and puts me off alcohol (shame about the burping that follows, but that's not going to kill me!).