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.

morning all

welcome sarah and anyone else i've missed.

went to see someone about my stomach problems yesterday and did a thorough history and worked out some of what's likely to be wrong and some of what will help things get right. i had a colonic irrigation and have a course of probiotics and some dubious aloe vera gel i have to drink. i have to put in lots more alkaline and lots less acid - what are my biggest acid culprits? coffee and alcohol of course. and i'm under strict instruction to drink lots more water (even though i thought i did well on that front) and to chew my food to death. mouse if you want to chat about constipation and what to do/not to do let me know - she was really well informed and i'm seeing her again next week.

my body has been struggling for a long time without me paying it much attention. time to try and give it a hand in healing itself.

it's amazing how easy it is to deny that what we're putting into ourselves makes a difference and that our body is actually quite delicately balanced and when we abuse it we abuse ourselves. oh and nasty stuff that can live in your bowels LOVES alcohol - it feeds on it and makes itself at home in there and grows rapidly on the sugar it provides. more incentive for anyone needing it

hope i have some strength to turn things around.

saturday is here. woken up at 6am. when do children stop being such damn early birds?

have a lovely day everyone.

Santa darling, old basics are best. Line your tummy if you can with milk if you can't be bothered to eat. Avoid fruit, spice, fried, onions tomatoes are a killer, black pepper and fizzy drinks. That's a start, narrows the field down a bit though.

Early birds?? When they are about 16 then you want to throw a bucket of water over them and not just for laying in!! You have a lovely day, and relax a little, keep safe. xx

milk is acid and not good for the digestive tract at all. one of our weird myths that it's good for us. onions are actually alkaline. it's really weird how the reality contradicts 'common sense' knowledge. i've been quite surprised at which foods do/are what. bizarrely lemon juice is alkaline in effect

i'm hoping for more sleep before he reaches 16 (may resort to drugging him)

Morning, tis me, Mouse

Saf - Can you PM me or message me on FB (phone still not allowing calls to be heard) with what she said you should eat or not eat please? She sounds fantastic and we're similar with the digestive issues. I'd really appreciate it. I'm so glad you've found someone to talk you through how to improve your gut etc......... I guess cheese is a really bad thing for me to be eating?

Sorry that DS woke you so early, I'm with Sarah on the teenager thing, DD would stay in bed all day if she could!

Faire - that is a far healthier addiction than or . Well done on getting through the night without picking up.

DH is ill (Manflu?) so he was turfed into Nemo's bed so he'd get some rest, and to be fair, Nemo slept really well compared to how he has of late.

DH is making bacon butties, if they are on the list of no-go, then they could be the last that I eat for a while!

I really do need to start looking after my gut more..... I guess we all should if alcohol is such a nasty once it's in there.

Santa, it really depends on how much booze you have in there. There is not an absolute, we are all unique. My bad, should really not give blanket advice!! Milk does work for quite a few of my clients, and rice pudding. Sorry approaching the thread with too much gusto, at 56 I think I am probably old enough to be some of your Mums, and I do have a very intense nurturing streak!! Have a good and safe weekend everyone.

I thought cheese was alkaline. I remember my dad had to avoid all sorts of healthy food when he had gout. It is an interesting subject but, like everything medical, a bit scary to think about.

My ds is twelve and still up with the lark. But he's old enough to look after himself until I get up. Could you ask your ds to watch tv for half a hour or so, Saf, or play quietly in his room? Then give him a sticker if he does? Is he able to pour milk on cereal if you leave everything out for him?

fortunately he eats cereal dry faire. i do sometimes leave out breakfast for him and a drink in the fridge and he will go downstairs and play by himself. however he likes to wake me up and have cuddles, grumbles, etc first. it's not really a problem, i'm just a natural born moaner i suspect he'll stay a larker and good for him really - good skill to have - i always loathed being gotten up as a kid or being woken up after a car journey or anything. has changed now i'm older though.

all meat and dairy is acid along with other yummy things like white rice, pasta etc etc.

sarah this is not really booze related for me, other health issues, the booze is just on the list of 'foods' i should avoid as much as possible rather than the initial cause of anything.

happy weekend faire - hope you get some rest.

morning all
DS is 10 today - my baby!! that's the third "big" birthday in a row, one 18, one 21 and one in double digits as he informs me!
DD1 is making the most amazing gingerbread house which is going to be a work of art. she was up until 1am this morning and the bit I saw before I went to bed was fabulous. the windows are made of melted clear mints and have iced on sparkly shutters (the sparkles to appeal to DS inner liberace!)Can't wait to see the finished product - there is a fence made from matchmakers and the cutest marshmallow pigs...she is so clever.
I have spent the morning cleaning the house only for it to be trashed in a few hours as the boys arrive. thank God its sunny and i can turf them out over the park to let of steam. tomorrow they are going karting.
I am focussing on all of that, rather than the talk of redundancies at work as the council looks to take our service in-house.......

Oooh ma could you take a photo of the gingerbread house for us to see, it sounds fabulous. Pretty please?

(just realised where confusion came in - i'm not talking about the ph of the food but the ph it forms on digestion - so you get alkaline forming foods and acid forming ones and they're not what you'd expect i'm finding. sorry had a pedant moment)

will do faire - just had a sneak preview and one of the walls is covered in white marshmallows and every single marshmallow has a different pattern piped on to it!

Hi all, sorry to not name check everyone just wanted to pop past and share a realisation I had today. I stay sober attending AA amongst other things (not lifting a drink being up there obviously). Sharing honestly at meetings has always been an important part of this but I've recently gone through a real phase of being reluctant to do it... I think because i was afraid of breaking down and crying.

There is lots going on for me- recently married, pregnant but the major thing I have realised I have been avoiding talking about is the fact that my dad has terminal cancer. Have had a really hard week with it - it has now spread to the bone in his shoulder and he has been increasingly struggling with pain. I have been managing to deal with (or maybe just defer)my feelings about this, a day at a time, but it all just hit me this week. I spent a day at home, in bed, in tears on and off, feeling like I have to do something to fix how I feel about this until I realised that I don't, I just have to feel my feelings even though they are real feelings of sadness. I am just letting myself feel them as they occur - it's very new to me. I have been continuously sober for 15 months and I am still surprised by feelings! I spent so many years just anaesthetising myself and terrified of feeling anything.

Anyway, I hope this doesn't come across as self congratulatory or anything like that I am just still amazed to realise that I am the kind of person who can cope with real life stuff without a drink or a drug. I'm still very sad, but that's normal and OK and sober I can be there for my parents and that is a gift. I shared this morning at AA (and did cry- which i find so hard, being vulnerable in front of people! Aaargh!) and all of this fell into place for me.

I suppose I'm just trying to carry a message of hope that it IS possible to deal with life without a drink, even the really crappy stuff, it's not always easy and it's pretty sad and sore but it's possible and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Saturday to all and I hope this doesn't sound lie I think I am some super sober saint because I'm not, I'm just muddling through, without a drink.

Afternoon

Hi Enid, thank you very much for that post. So sorry about your dad . You are doing brilliantly and hearing from people like you is priceless in my opinion. That you can live without anaesthetising your emotions gives me great hope and reassurance that maybe I can do the same. I think your post was very humble and certainly not self-congratulatory, but you know what? I think you should be feeling really proud of yourself. Sobriety is bloody hard work and I think all of you who manage it are flipping amazing . And obviously everyone on this bus is amazing too, drinking or not, because we're all trying and being honest and supporting everyone else who is struggling . It must be so hard for you right now. Stay strong.

Ma, happy birthday to DS! That cake sounds out of this world. How lovely of your DD to go to so much trouble for him.

Saf, all the alkaline/acid thing is far too complicated for me . I do know that cutting down on carbs has made me a lot less bloated and bunged up. Bread is evil, I am convinced. I love bread

Hope everyone's having good days. The kids are irritating the hell out of me. I know it's PMT but I still feel the need to get out of the house. By myself! Might go to the 'recycling centre' (a few big bins). Rock n roll

Afternoon, tis me, Mouse

Just got back from shopping, bought a gorgeous dream catcher (watched the lady making it) and a few other nik-naks which are just perfect for the inner white witch/spirit/fairie in me

Got a little step for Nemo too so that he can now reach the sink in the bathroom and do his own teeth (I have to them at the mo and pin him down! ) so I'm hoping the whole 'big boy step' will help.

Sorry to read about your dad Enid

Ma - 10 already? Wow, how time flies.

Hello SSSM - you okay? xx

Saf - I'm about dairy being acid. Time I took a good long look at my diet I think, to help myself.

I'm off to the gym for a gentle workout but will set up a new thread just in case it's needed.

Same as always, can we PLEASE fill this one first so we don't lose anyone and keep an eye out on the new one for new posters? Thank you Babes xx

New thread is HERE

Be back later xx

Thank you for setting up the thread Mouse, we used to have a little step for our boys >.
Hope you have a lovely time at the gym.
xxx

P.S Happy 10th Birthday to DS Ma.
I remember mine when they were that age

eeeeh, I'm missing them today, can you tell

Enid So sorry to hear about your Dad, I second everything that SSSMum has written, you should be feeling proud of yourself, you are dealing with your emotions without reaching for an anaesthetising crutch, which for a lot us, certainly for me, is very hard to do, but so worth it. Sending love xxx

lot of us.

These days it's me who needs the step. Both my dcs are taller than me. Oh, for little ones snuggled on your lap

Why is it we only remember the good times, sniff .

Thanks for sharing Enid, I'm rubbish with emotions too, I always blub over the tiniest bit of opening up. You've done so well, and it's great to realise you don't need the alcohol any more.

some photos on my profile but they don't do it justice...

Ooh nearly new thread time!!

Hope everyone is well and happy this chilly evening.

mouse hope the workout has done the trick [grins]

ma hope ds has had a wonderful day and I know what you mean about your babies growing up far too fast. My ds will be 16 this year which is amazing. He has grown into a lovely young man despite his mother's fuck ups

enid sorry to hear that you are having a tough time of it atm. Your points regarding long term sobriety was good to read. I'm only nearly a month in so have a long way to go. It is true though, you can cope with shit and not be hitting the bottle as a way through.

Well I hope all you babes are having a good evening, be you imbibing or abstaining! [grins]

Am waiting on a text off ds for a mum's taxi - so I can't drink even if I wanted to.

Take care!

xx

the gingerbread house is amazing ma! well done to your dd - that must have been so fiddly. how sweet of her.

sorry to hear about your dad enid - you're absolutely right imo that you need to feel these feelings. need a bit of dual processing obviously to be able to switch between feeling and getting on with what needs to be done but they are definitely not something to be fixed. totally natural and healthy i reckon.

doing ok here. no alcohol. had a wibble earlier thinking about it for ages as to whether i was going to let myself have one drink then managed to chuck it off thankfully. done really well on foods today and drank loads of water so other than the smoking it's a healthy day.

everyone doing ok? any wobbling going on?

Enid you are remarkable imo, dealing with such a maelstrom of emotions when your hormones must be all over the place. AA isn't for everyone, although amazing, there is a great book called Turnabout by Dr Jean Fitzpatrick, an alcoholic with a remarkable story. I recommend it to my clients and her philosophy. Hope your Dad has a good cancer team.

Been to see my 22 year old baby at his Uni today, and I sob everytime I say goodbye, and yes HueyMorgan, even though I was wild, he is beautiful, sober, and we adore each other.

me too thurso DD has had a very exciting, and important for the future week, and I have only been able share by phone

I remember when she used to rush to my arms with her certificates from school...