The Brave Babes Battle Bus - We're All Going On A Sober Holiday!

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

Welcome to the Brave Babe's Bus. This is a bus full of drinkers old and new, sober and not, and those who are somewhere in between.

We are all at different levels of sober so you can bet that one of us has walked in your shoes.

If you want advice and support then you're in the right place.

Come take a seat or just lurk, we're happy to have you along for the ride.

And here is a link to the last thread so you can catch up on the journey so far HERE

Morning Babes and Miflaw

Mouse bless you for asking after me! I'm ok, haven't gone off the deep end!!
I am determined to make this long summer holiday, one that I don't look back on as a series of a couple of wasted mornings every week. To this end I have gone swimming early, which seems to give me the energy to get a lot done when I get back. I have also spent an inordinate amount of time traversing the County giving lifts to DC2!!!
Fantastic that you have a place for Nemo, although as someone said, it will be a maelstrom of emotions when he starts. Or perhaps not, I have a friend who's daughter was very ill during her childhoold and teenage years, and when I was distraught about Dc1 going away to university, she said that when her daughter went, and all the mums were crying, all she could think was how wonderful it was that her daughter was there, because at one time she didn't think it would happen. It's something I have always remembered.
I hope everything goes well with the respite nurse today. Sending love xxx

I'm really sorry I can't speak to everyone individually, I will lose this if I look back. I really must starting writing myself notes, when I miss a day!

Hello to all new babes, this is such a great place to be able to come to. This thread and everyone on here, has done more to support me and change my mindset, or help me to change my mindset than anything.

Indie!!!! I've missed you! How are the family?

Speak later Babes xxxx

Morning everyone, I am another one who uses the fact that her life is shit as an excuse to drink

Congratulations merlin!

I am jealous of the two stone ... I am currently using food as a substitute. Oops.

Well done Merlin and like LRD am very jealous of the two stone loss. Can I ask what ASD is?

Congratulations Merlin on your AA birthday and weight loss.

How are you Indie hope the family are OK. Your assessment was spot on and that is one of the reasons he finished it because he realised I just wasn't that into him. I am absolutely fine about it but will miss his kids.

merlin - fantastic news, you must be so pleased about yorur DD above all else

Morning Babes

Not a great day here, MIL was rushed into hospital last night, they are keeping her in today to see what's wrong. She has fainting spells and they appear worse in the heat.

TBBH (to be brutely honest) she doesn't look after herself at all. She looks after everyone else and herself last. She eats very late and is always on the go. She really does need to slow down before she burns out.

DH is worried too but we can only wait as we are nowhere near to her.

Anyway, happy Friday everyone. The sun is blazing here and DD is at a sleep over later so it's Date Night in the Mouse House.

We had a letter from school yesterday asking where DD was on 'one or both of these dates............'

They hadn't called any of the contact numbers to see where she was and we got the letter a whole week after the event.

My issues are - why did we not get a call to informs us she was missing? She could have been abducted, hurt in an accident or actually skipping school and the first we'd have known is when she did or rather didn't return home!

We were threatened with a referral to the Educational Welfare Offiice if we 'cannot provide a medical certificate excusing her from attending school'

So, this Mouse who has enough to bloody deal with has sent a rather, ahem, sharp e-mail to the school as they have failed to return all of my calls so far.

I would not want to be that person today!

Rant over, hugs to all of you lovely Babes. Fab that two of the Babes met yesterday and at the Dorchester of all places, why am I not surprised?

NOt surprised you sent a sharp email MOUse I am shocked that they wouldn't call you after doing the morning register. Looks as though they are more bothered about following prodecure rather then being genuinely concerned as to here whereabouts.

Hope you get to the bottom of whats wrong with your MIL soon

My DB and SIL and their DC's are up this weekend but just found out they aren't actually here until tomorrow afternoon. Frustrating as I have now had to re-arrange when I have the DC's with their idiot of a Dad so that they can be with their cousins as much as possible. Frustrating as I need to know in advance so I can juggle when I have the DC's and now my XH is annoyed again.

I am out at my annual pub crawl tomorrow, there will be about 40 of us, mainly friends who I have known for the last 20 years. AM being sensible and driving for the first few as I am taking my DC's. That sounds bad but the first few pubs have lovely beer gardens and quite a few take their DC's during the day so that they can play together while we catch up. Looking forward to it.

Hangover

It may be different for women (I'm a man) but, without going into TOO much detail, my sex drive is much higher when I'm sober than when I'm drunk. You just need to get through the first few days and then everything health wise (physical and mental) starts improving.

To whoever thinks

"If you had a life like mine, you'd drink too"

I used to think that too. I realised later that it would be truer to say "if you drank like me, you'd have a life like mine"!

Hi Babes ( and MIFLAW )

Day 4 here. Starting to feel a little bit less doom and gloomy; I've definitely noticed how much more stable I feel in myself after even a few days without drinking.

FWIW, I have had(in most ways) a pretty charmed life to date. I'm not a very nice person, deep down, but whether that's a cause or symptom of drinking, I don't know. Probably a bit of both. I do feel very guilty that there is no external 'cause' for my drinking. I can't blame it on bad things in my life; they are minimal in comparison with many others'. I have everything I said I ever wanted, and it hasn't stopped me drinking. I think the reason I'm here Is that I've run out of things with which to complete the mental promise; "I'll stop when [xxxxxxxxx]." My life's only going to get more stressful.

I read once that the Tommies in the trenches, (understandably baffled as to the reasons for it) used to sing "we're here because we're here because we're here...". In my head I've changed that to "I drink because I drink because I drink because I drink".

Sorry not to catch up properly, am popping on while the baby's napping and have a pressing appointment with some laundry

Meant to add, I have huge respect for those of you dealing with this in the midst of other problems in your lives.

mouse, I'm so sorry to hear both about your MIL and your DD. It all happens at once, doesn't it?! Hope you get things sorted.

FWIW, I have no idea where my libido's gone ... I have very, very little sex drive atm but I think that is more to do with feeling unattractive/weight issues than sobriety. I'm not sure.

ooooohhh i got here just in time! mif talking about his sex drive!! wellll hellooo!!!!

on a serious note - talldrink, i drank because i drank!, i havent had a bad childhood, never been abused as a child etc, always had more than my fair share of the good things in life, lovely dh, fantastic dd...... whatever!! - i dont analysis why i drank these days, i just get on and focus on getting better, look forward rather than back and just enjoy soberity - navel gazing is ok in its way but if you do it too often you forget to 'live' in the present! (and fwiw, i expect you are a perfectly nice person deep down!)

Afternoon all! I went to the doc this morning. She is very kind. I told her that I'd already got in touch with the drugs and booze people, and she said that they will probably send me on for councelling. Must keep my hands on the steering wheel!!
I saw a very old and dear friend yesterday who is in a very similar situation re: siblings. We don't know what happens behind closed doors at all.

Mouse, I don't think you'd like my 'paper' much! It is made of ground up bits and pieces, and not very flat. I'm not sure it deserves to be called paper. I made some once out of grapefruit peel and it looked just like snot.

Schools are very strange places. Poor you, Mouse. I hope you have a really good HOT DATE!! YAY!!!

hi all
INDIE me old mucker, I'm battered and bruised and jump out of my skin everytime a car comes near me ,but I'm ALIVE!! ya for me. how are the DTS - the offspring, not the shakes!
noteven so good to hear you sounding so positive after all you've been through.
Thurso - haven't chatted to you for ages. How are things with DH - are you still on avoidance tactics? I know I am
mouse just - hello! enjoy your date night and don't do anything too naughty.

well where is everyone??

heeellllllooooooo!!!! (thats an echo! )

i hope everyone is having a lovley evening!, im a bit pissed off, we were supposed to be seeing friends tomorrow and they have had to cancel, no big deal, i was just looking forward to it - it seems to have been all work and no play for a few weeks here and i want to paaarrrtttyyyy!!

Morning everyone. I posted a while ago that I'd be back in the near future and here I am. Nearly one year on from first joining and here I am
back in the same place. In fact for those who remember poo-gate from last year - would you believe DD is back there too.

Drank too much last night. Spent part of the day sorting DD old baby stuff and gave some away - we won't need them now. The. I drank a lot of wine the minute DD went to bed.

So today is day 1. Here goes. Today I will not be drinking. This time it's for me.

Hi MsGee, hope you're not feeling too bad.
I remember poo-gate, sorry to hear about DD, what do you think is causing it?

I think I'll join you at Day1today, I've got to sort this out once and for all. DH's birthday yesterday so many glasses of whiskey were drunk. Not feeling too bad .......but that scares m more considering how much I drunk!

Today I will not be drinking.

I've got lots of cooking to do. There's a Guides thing this afternoon and it's tipping with rain. Double rain. Triple rain. The air is white with water. I also need to take the dogs out.
Dh and I drank too much wine last night, and I have felt better. I hope everyone else on the bus is ok. Last night I fell off it. OUch!

I drank last night too. REalise now that I was feeling lonely, friday night on my own and no kids and the thought of a holiday on my own with them for the first time isn't going down too well. Very a bit worried about work too -we dont seem to be doing very well.

Anyway my brother is up from down south today and it is the annual pub crawl where I am looking forward to meeting up with loads of friends.

Sorry to hear your feeling bad MsGee - it may be day 1 but think of all the days you haven't had anything

Silent I am dreading taking the dog out in this weather. Unfortunatley the rain doesn't bother her al all!

Hi munky and silent, Day 1 all round eh?

Munky - not sure with DD, it's like she's lost confidence and is worried about the whole thing. The past few months have been tough all round, although we didn't tell her she definitely picked up on things when it all went horribly wrong with the pregnancy. Although not sure if that's it. On the whole we are all dealing with it better than previous poo gate. She is generally much more confident and happy.

Time to put on those marching clothes, eh Zany! Waterproof trousers, wellies, coat with all the pockets chewed out. Mmm. So flattering. It's not the rain I mind as much as the wind. I hope things improve for you MsGee. It's very hard when life tips out of control and hurls brick after brick after brick.

My brother is lying about his alcohol intake. He said to a family friend that he no longer drank, then drank a couple of glasses of wine, then went home and got drunk. Last night he was in his 'comfort' pub, which is frankly a horrible place. It is not good to be lying about these things, I don't think.