The Brave Babes Battle Bus - New Year, New Start And With A Firm Resolution In Their Hearts.

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse and I have an ever changing relationship with alcohol.

This is the Brave Babes Battle Bus, it's a support thread for those who feel their drinking habits are not what they should be, or even those of another.

Sober, drinking or somewhere in between, come take a seat.

And for those who would like to know where this all started, HERE is a link to the threads before this one.

Make THIS year THE year that you change your life, for the better.

Have a Happy New Year, full of memories to treasure, not to forget.

Oh My Fecking God - I cannot even begin to tell you the major sibling fallout that has happened today.................

I can't actually get my own head around it

Youngest sister has caused it all and as she is probably reading this - well done love, for shooting yourself in the foot, making everyone's lives hard work and definintly losing any child care I might have done for you.

You are an arrogant, full of it, controlling, spoilt brat. In Mum's eyes you can do no wrong but you need to take a good long hard look at the way you treat and speak to people......................

Mouse hope you got some pain relief babe xxx

Need to spend some time with DP who has been forced onto the back burner with all that is going on.

xxxxxxxx

Mouse x posted - I am so sorry my love

I would do anything to help if I could, as would all of us.

Thinking of you and sending positive vibes sweetheart xxxxxxxx

Oh no!! what a horrible let down. Mouse you have every right to cry your eyes out. What a major cock up. Can you get DH to put a sternly worded complaint into writing for you. Or do it yourself when you feel up to it. It's just not on, fobbing you off like that. Have they given you any assurances that they will look into it.

At the very least you must insist on treatment for Chronic Pain. If it's so bad that your body doesn't respond to current pain relief, it's got to be bad enough for someone to do something about it.

I would even suggest writing to your local MP or the newspaper. It's ridiculous and not bloody fair.

aaaaaah

catching up
oh mouse i wish I could help you, I'm so sorry that you are not getting the help you need. would a hug help
isindie you absolutely rock Babe - 10 days is awesome and past my personal best of 9. My current personal best is zero. No excuses, just back in the old ways. I'm a tit and I know it
silver bravo to you my friend on coming back. Are we ever going to get over the start line?
faire obrigada and everyone else - hi to you all.
There's nary a seat to be had on this bloody bus these days.

fecking hell I hope so Ma

I dunno, I lurk here waving pom poms like mad for all of you and I get turfed off by ma...... Charming I'm sure :) :)!!!

Maybe I'll wait at strategic points with my pom poms and you can all sail majestically by sober and bright-eyed...... You can do this Ma and Silver.

Gentle hug for Mouse

at horses. Ok, I'll move back into the sidecar of shame and give up the seat.
silver is a crap bus driver by the way, fasten your seatbelt.

You're alright Ma, cheerleading might help me shift a bit lot of extra weight......

Good luck with your trip Isindi, you'll be fine....

Poor you mouse, that is so unfair

Isinde, just practise saying 'a cup of tea please' or 'coke with ice' before you even think of getting booze on the plane/ at the lounge.

I'm in the side car with you Ma

BUT no-one calls me a crap driver - I am the BEST driver in the world and everyone else is crap - ffs don't you know that

seriously though I am a very good driver, do it for a living, can see i'm getting a bit defensive here BUT for a good reason - because I am the bloody best.

Must sleep Babes - early start tomorrow and late finish.

Isindie WTF do you actually do - Paris - jealous doesn't even come close.............

Night my chickens

See you on the morrow

xxxxxx

It's actually horrible drinking when travelling. Especially if it's a long day and you're tired. It doesn't perk me up, just makes me a bit headachy and queasy. Far better to hydrate with plenty of water. And have a little nap .

Another booze free day nearly over and I'm already ready for beddy.

Night babes x

Mouse, I'm so sorry, that is unbelievable. What idiots. Can't imagine how angry and upset and helpless you must have felt! I hope that you or DH do find the energy to formally complain about today. It's hard having to face another battle though, I know. I really wish you didn't have to go through this. I'm getting angry myself just thinking about this . And why the fuck can't someone manage your pain effectively? I don't know what to say, Mouse. Try not to let the fuckers grind you down. Hope you manage to sleep. Thinking of you (and fuming) x

I want to go to Paris too

Night Faire. Night Silver (your sister sounds like a nightmare by the way).

Day 10 tomorrow, whit woo

Mouse have you been referred to a Pain Management Consultant?? Your GP is obviously out of his/her depth. Can you see someone privately?? I know you'll have thought of this

isindie business travel and planes and trains and drinking - oh tell me about it!

I used to order champagne, because anyone looking at me would know that I was 'celebrating' (and be jealous) rather than just another ageing lush on the train (and be contemptuous)

What I found most difficult about those situations was being tired and hungry and thirsty. There's bugger all that you can do about the tiredness (unless you're into calming meditation type thingys in which case get some stuff on your i-pod) but you CAN do something about the hungry/thirsty stuff. I stop BEFORE I get to the airport / station at an M&S food place (or something similar) and I buy smoothies, bananas, those little salads with chilli sauce, dates, apricots, chocolate mints - all the things that DO NOT go with wine. I do not buy cheese, I do not buy crisps. And I fill up my tummy.

Then when I get to the airport / station, I don't go to the food area at all (still too tempting) instead I go to the internet place. Spending £3 for 30 minutes of internet access is a ridiculous waste of money, but nowhere near such as waste as spending £6.30 on a crap glass of wine.

And have something in your work bag that you can do to occupy your hands - sudokos (if that's your thing) or a book that you want to read, or a notebook to write down your next 6 month business plan in detail.

isindie I'm sure can develop your own tactics - come on here and tell us about them.

silver I'm thinking that you are facing (at least) 2 big things - one is your dm and her illness, and the other is tackling your alcoohol problem. The great challenge is that you are trying to do both of those without the help of your usual prop - a glass in your hand.

For many of us, having a drink has been the way that we deal with all life's challenges (and celebrations). So I could leave a painful relationship because I had alcohol as a prop; I could deal with bereavement becuase I had alcohol as a prop; I could accept that I was getting older because alcohol was my oblivion. But giving up alcohol was like doing all of that without the relief. And to be honest it wasn't easy. I envy the experience of the people who can give up easily, those for whom hypnotherapy or other programmes work in the most straightforward way.

Maybe it's part of my protestant work ethic, but I kind of feel that there was always going to be parts of this journey that would be difficult. It's like being on a diet - you're probably not losing weight if you're not feeling at least a little bit hungry some of the time.

I've no idea what I'm trying to say here - just thinking that feeleing that it's a struggle doesn't make it bad, and giving in (in the face of all that you're dealing with) doesn't make you weak. But it is worth getting up and trying again.

Morning everyone

Feeling better today and swithering about going to work but trying to persuade myself not to feel guilty if I don't go - you should stay home for 48 hours from last 'attack' of D and/ or V and it's only been about 20

How is everyone today? I think today is day 12 for me!

i agree GP is totally out of depth mouse - and i'm concerned about some of the decisions they've made before with meds and stuff as you know. i think you need to get PALS involved - phone them today and weep down the phone and tell them everything - the injections you were meant to have months ago, the referrals that haven't been made, the feeling totally left without treatment etc etc etc and get them on the case. apparently they can have quite a bit of welly x

morning everyone else.

silver sorry for family drama - hope you feel calmer this morning.

i agree with venus that this is logically hard. i'm thinking alcohol is emotional pain relief for a lot of people with drinking problems therefore stopping means getting used to feeling things again and also maybe facing a backlog of emotion that has been stuffed down previously with alcohol but not resolved. so yes i think finding it hard, emotional, up and down-ish etc is probably about right and a sign that you are doing this. keep going.

Morning Christie:) take the day off work and give yourself time to fully recover! D&V can really leave you drained.
Isndie" good suggestions from venus*, stick with me, we can do Day 11 together . . Links arms:)
Mouse, so sorry about yesterday, what a shitty thing to happen to you

Morning SAF, I know I have definitely been drowning my feelings and emotions in alcohol for the last 15 years and I really hope I can find some inner strength to deal with these when they threaten to overwhelm me.

Hi all,

Just a quick hello, wonderful to see new ladies and hope all are doing well.
I'm only 3 weeks off - survived first Christmas without mum - but in outpatient 12 step rehab (go there every day and home at night and weekends) which is exhausting and hard work and great (worth looking into something similar Silver??). Will namecheck another time, but thank you for asking after me.

Love to all x

Hey Noteven, good to hear from you, one day at a time, look after yourself!

Morning all

Sounds like you have a plan noteven, thanks for letting us know how you're getting on.

Also, meant to say well done to grip yesterday, it's so great when people check in now and again, I often wonder how so and so is doing.

Mouse some good suggestions from Saf, all is not lost. It shouldn't be so hard to get help but don't give up, find the energy if you can to shout and scream and stamp your little feet until someone listens.

I am a firm believer these days that 'those who shout loudest get'. It's wrong, it doesn't protect the vulnerable, it's a sad portrait of our society, but it's true.

Happy hump day one and all. Today I am delighted to say, I will not be drinking .

Yes, Faire is right, Mouse. You (or better again, your DH) need to be shouting and screaming at all and sundry until these incompetent fools pull their collective fingers out and start looking after you properly. I'm sorry, love. I hope it gets sorted soon.

Morning all! I'm on Day 10. Not struggling with drinking, but. Last night I got home, burst into tears and properly bawled for about 5 minutes. I couldn't give a rather shocked DP (or myself) any better explanation than I was "really tired and cold". WTF? I'm wondering now if this is related to alcohol (or the lack thereof), or am I just insane?