The Brave Babes Battle Bus - New Year, New Start, The Journey So Far.........

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

Welcome. There are all kinds of lovely Babes on board this Bus, drinkers, non-drinkers, part-time drinkers and those who have no idea what they are when it comes to drinking. Some are newer posters and some have been here forever for a little while.

Come and say hi, there are no rules, no 'must haves', just plenty of open and honest support.

You can talk about whatever you like. Your life, your love or even your laundry. We've seen it all!

The important thing is that you can post if you want to, or not if you don't. There are posters in AA and posters who are using medication to beat The Booze and of course posters who are just trying to cut their drinking down with the support of The Bus and the people around them.

See where we've been so far by following this ---> LINK TO PREVIOUS THREADS HERE

Hello Fuzzy, good name I suppose it does reflect how you feel just now. You said you were on anti-depressants, does your doc know you drink or how much you drink?

If you are on your own with a baby it can be sooo difficult when you are drinking, a really lonely isolated place, sharing is the last thing you feel like doing just in case someone thinks badly of you. You sound like an all or nothing girl like me, one is too many, a thousand never enough! I have only been here a few days but there are some really lovely babes who are so welcoming and helpful so I hope you stay and let us help if we can.

Everyone else sounds like they are coping, Mouse, fantastic, I would like to hear about Zumba too.

Evening babes,

Hope you are all well!

Still having stress over my tenants. The court date has been put back until Feb 22nd. So I have another 3 and a bit weeks living at my dads. I so need my own space as does ds.

Been for another mad swim, its the only thing that keeps me sane atm.

fuzzy hope you are still hanging on in there....along with Sssm and any other babes who are fighting it tonight.

Hang on in there xxxxxxx

Checking in ...................

Going to bed [yawn]

Love you all to bits

xx

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thanks Babes. I resisted .

Knackered though. Please please let the child sleep tonight...

Hope everyone's OK. Can't think now. Going to bed. Sleep well everyone x

well done silly - hope you get some sleep. hope everyone does - including me!

another day without a drink.

Morning Babes - back from Lunar New Year break, and still proudly riding on the Battle Bus. I think I'm on Day 29 or 30, lost count, and I've lost 7 pounds in 30 days. Sadly all of this 7 pounds is what I put on over Christmas and NY So still a way to go to get back to where I want to be.

Am keeping the drinking at bay by guzzling water and exercising lots - I feel much less urge to drink when I can see the results of my efforts and feel a bit fitter. So I do 30 mins in the gym in the morning before my daughter wakes up every weekday. 1 hour each on Sat and Sun. And 3 days a week, I go back to the gym after DD has gone to sleep to do 30 mins more.

Guzzling water - am targeting 2l a day, and have found I can drink more from a bottle with a sports cap than from a glass or ordinary bottle. Don't know why, but I can get to 2l no problem using it, whereas would struggle with 1l from a glass.

Diet is fibre rich, protein high, low carb and calorie limited.

So why have I only lost 7lb????? Never mind, keep ploughing on!

I haven't thought about drinking in a bit, but we've been a bit hermit-like in Jan. I'm sure it will come back, that urge. It always does. I do feel like I've developed a better arsenal of tactics to shoot that urge down, though. I find I need an array of different distraction techniques so that if one doesn't appeal, another one might.

Mouse Zumba! I'm impressed! We don't have that here - classes here are mainly Pilates, yoga etc. But there is a streetdance school - maybe I'll give that a go. How's Nemo doing?

Silly well done, well done, well done. You can never hear that enough times. Or say it. Every day is an achievement to be celebrated.

Will be back later, must do some work

Wow Boss that is a lot of exercise. You may be developig muscle which, of course, is heavier than fat. What about taking measurements rather than relying on scales? Do your clothes feel looser? Keet at it anyway, regardless of weight loss a healthy diet and exercise will be good for mind, body and soul . Well done on not drinking. Nice to see you back x

Morning everyone

DH had a mood bounce but it has vanished again and I am so disappointed. He's off on Saturday. I just want to wave a magic wand and make him better.

Feeling

Won't be drinking today

Oh and I am finding exercise super helpful too, boss - doing spin and swimming and a body pump. Not sure I've lost any weight either but clothes are feeling better on me.

Morning all!

It's blummin' freezing here.

In real life, I've just seen 2 friends drinking again. If ever there was a sharp gratitude inducing shock it's seeing another alcoholic leaning against a lampost at 8am with a bottle of brandy and a cigar. Or seeing a different one taking to the patient and kind ambulence men who were persuading him not to crawl into the road 'because I'm a donkey'

We are so lucky.

Remember that. Whether you're still struggling or recovering or wondering where alcohol might take you, know that it is an illness that can be beaten and that there is help out there.

Morning, tis me, Mouse

Zumba was such a laugh. It was like 'Cocoon Does Zumba' as I was one of the youngest there at 37. Not bad going eh? I did the upper body/arms and hand moves and just moved to the music, stepping rather than jumping so I kept the impact to zero or very little on my spine.

My friend who rolled her eyes at me when I said I was going is now up for it after me telling her it was so much fun.

TheBoss - Neo is okay, we're going through yet another cold, nowhere near as bad as Christmas but it's still making him lose his feeds so I'm on catch up most of the time.

Fab to see you back here again and well done on a whole month! xx

Silly well done, well done, well done. You can never hear that enough times. Or say it. Every day is an achievement to be celebrated.

Great line and oh so true. The best thing about last night was that I didn't fancy a drink at all. I came home, ate my chicken salad and had a glass of fresh OJ. Sans vodka which was unheard of in days gone by.

IsinDe - are you out there? How are the DTs? Is everyone better in your house? xx

Christi - you and your DH seem to be caught in a cycle of despair. I have no idea how you cope so well, but YOU DO. You post here as much as you can and let your feelings out, keep it up! The day when you start to hide within yourself is when the real trouble starts.

I spoke to a very dear and loving friend last night for the first time in weeks. We talked about the weight we'd lost, about me daring to go to Zumba and we talked about just how easy it is to stay in the house. Not get dressed. Eat when we're hungry and not before.

We spoke about how institutionalised you can become once the PJ days set in. I realised that because of my spine and Nemo not being so great, I've been staying in, meaning to go out, but not in the end. But I was using that as an excuse too.

It's too easy to stay at home, shut the door, light the fire/put the heating on and ignore the world outside some days.

Until last week, that's how my life had started to be. A couple of times out of the house (nursery for Nemo, nothing social as such for me) and then the rest of the time, PJs on. TV on. PC on. Glued to the sofa. Infact my sofa now has a Mouse shaped imprint!

I'm off to the docs soon for bloods. They are going to repeat my LF test soon too. Today is hormone (oestrogen levels) and underactive thyroid.

Hope you all have good days xx

welcome back boss and well done on the new healthy you.

mouse i'm so glad you enjoyed it. this is my week for forcing things back into action again - know exactly what you mean. tomorrow i have appointments and am going into town in the day and am going back to zumba in the evening and on thursday i'll go back to my singing group. i think january is a particularly easy time to end up hibernating. it's not the end of the world but it is good to know when to say enough is enough and start getting out there again. my bed has a 'lying on my side looking at the laptop' permanent shape in from recent times.

day 4 here and today i will not be drinking.

my juicer arrived today! it's amazingly easy to use and wash and i'm really pleased i got it. made a juice that contained more veg than i've eaten in a week usually and drank it this morning.

HelpYourself, that is so sad . Yes we are lucky. Thank goodness for the support of this bus

TheBoss, well done you! Blimey you sound incredibly healthy! I can't find the motivation to do any real exercise, let alone anything first thing in the morning! I'm sure the weight will start falling off soon, although regardless of the weight it's obviously really good for you anyway. You've made me feel so lazy

Mouse, "Cocoon does Zumba", ha ha . Sounds fab. Good for you getting out. I'm really enjoying just sitting on the settee in the evenings . I find that I'm actually relaxing, I now realise I never was when I was drinking, I was just kind of knocking myself out, which is not the same thing at all. How are you getting on with your new healthy eating? Noticed any difference in your digestion etc?

Saf, well done you! And I wish I could sing! That must be fab. Are you in a choir? Wow, v .

Christi, sorry about DH. Do keep posting. It must be so hard. Well done for not drowning your sorrows. Of course you know it would only make things worse.

Faire, any dramas today? Hopefully not!

Hope everyone's having good days x

If only I were healthy. This is just the start of a long road back to being the person I used to be. But I feel positive, and exercise of any sort definitely makes me feel more energetic.

I want a juicer. What do you make with it? I mean, juice, obviously, but what kinds of juices? I used to drink a gorgeous carrot and lime juicy thing when I was in Japan, really yum. And what kind of juicer do I want? I had one once and it was pants, used to faint at the sight of an orange let alone anything more solid.

SSSM - MUCH BETTER! I've lost all the bulk in my gut. I've started taking Actimel again and drinking 2L of water. I've stopped the Diet Coke and refined sugar. (Chocolate every day)

Less cheese, more veg, more fruit. Yoghurt instead of a chocolate biscuit if I fancy something sweet.

Of course, this is par for the course during January but still, I plan to keep it up and plan to keep it very varied so that I don't get bored.

ReadyBrek for breakfast, sans sugar and skimmed milk, salad for lunch and home-made from scratch lasagne so I know exactly what is in it.

1/2 walk around town whilst out getting my bloods done and a few laundry loads, tidying, sweeping the floor, regular movements so I keep my metabolism going.

(Obrigada - SWING THOSE LEGS!) XX

Saf - I'm of your juicer.... I'm using my bought smoothies up first and then re-thinking how I get the fruit and veg into a glass!

Can I ask how much your juicer was? I do have a food thingy to try and use to do it.....

Just spotted that saf sings. I love singing. Sadly, singing does not love me.

Ssssssssssssshhhh, don't say anything to anyone TheBoss, but Saf - has a gorgeous singing voice. Very smooth, fluid, mellow and gentle on the ears. Which for me is great as mine are tiny little mice ones.

Day 2 and feeling all emotional. I know i don't have to drink today and i won't but im scared for the weekend

I couldnt find an aa meeting near me last night the one that used to in my town has gone!

Had a nice day today DD is keeping me busy and off to the gym tonight. I don't feel like excercising i might just sit in the sauna/steam room/cafe

Looking forward to getting to know everyone on here a bit better xx

They are very lovely ears, mouse!

I really wish I could sing. Right now, dd loves me singing to her, but it's only a matter of time before she realises how bad my voice actually is.

Fuzzy, this is the loveliest group of people you could ever hope to make friends with. I feel honoured to know them. Hang around a while longer, and you will see just how amazing they all are.

Sauna sound fab, I used to love feeling that all the impurities were just sweating out. Lush.

What do you have planned for the weekend? Distraction might be key.

Getting texts from DH saying that he is really low. He has spent all day outside in garden. I am so worried about him. I feel panicked and stressed.

I am remembering what doctors say about how stress is bad for you. I feel like I am fizzing inside with stress. I don't know what to do. I work all day, if I can go to the gym I do, but today for example I had a lunch work appointment. And when I get back I will have to do all kids bedtime and look after DH and cook dinner. And then the cycle continues. I know I have to look after myself but I don't know how. I do want to swim or something. I want to NOT WORRY.

Hello everyone. Sorry for miserable post.

today i had carrot, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber and ginger because that was what i had in the house. going to hit the market tomorrow and see what looks good. definitely need lemons as apparently they take away the bitterness of greens.

thanks for compliment on my voice mouse

i tend to avoid the word choir as it sounds like church music in too high a key with lots of warbling. the guy who leads it is young and very cool and a brilliant musician and teacher. we do loads of fun warm up exercises and he selects songs and works out parts and such. idea is to start performing - nervous of that. it's fun.

day 4 and just got a bit of a hankering for a beer and considered going round to the shop but i've decided that i won't and if i still fancy a drink tomorrow i'll have one.

cooking stew in the slow cooker, was so impressed with how many portions and varieties of veg i'd managed to get into it that i didn't focus much on what it would taste like. not so good, very thin and tasteless because there are no potatoes to thicken it up - have added some leftover quinoa, anchovy paste and more stock and will leave it longer. ds is not going to be impressed me thinks.

occurred to me that newcomers to the thread are probably thinking who's saf? STILL haven't changed back from my christmas name - will do it now before i forget.

sorry christiane - somehow missed your post! quickest route is something like 7/11 breathing - in for seven out for eleven. basically just make sure your outbreath is longer than your inbreath. shorthand explanation is it changes the signals to and from brain, puts you into rest and digest mode rather than fight or flight and releases the lovey chemicals rather than the cortisone. breathe. sorry you're feeling so stressed x

hi Christi
so sorry to hear about your stress levels, when you can't get to the gym could you and the DC do something together - put some music on and fling yourselves about a bit, it always used to end in fits of giggles when mine were little, which is a great stress reliever in itself.

Christi - sorry to read your post xx

Saf - it's true, you have a gorgeous voice. I was very fortunate to hear a snippet and I loved it. xx

Just popping in to say g'night xxxx

fuzzy well done on 2 days and for coming back to post how you're getting on. Don't worry about the weekend yet, don't even think about it. Just enjoy your day today, not drinking .

Christi what does dh get out of texting you? Does it help to calm him, or have you asked him to let you kow how he's feeling? I was just wondering if it's really necessary for him to text you at work because it just makes you worry and feel anxious.