The Brave Babes Battle Bus - On Their Way To Giving Up The Booze For Lent (or just for today)

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

Welcome to the Brave Babes Bus where you'll find a mix of drinker, non drinkers, those who has been sober for a long time, and those who are getting there One Day At A Time.

Come and say hi....... we won't bite

And if you want to know how this all got started, HERE is a link to the previous threads.

I don't want to leave the bus either (and I certainly don't want you to Faire and Sssm - your posts really speak to me) and I have been controlling my drinking for about 4 years. Its just that I want to control it even more . I have never posted on here on drinking days though.

Also, if I may just say this to get it out there so that it becomes real:
have decided that, when my complete abstinence for Lent is over, I am going to give up white wine (the only drink I consistently want to drink too much of) for a further six weeks. I can trust myself not to drink too much red, beer or spirits. And see where I stand then.

Wishing all babes, old and new, a super sunny day.

oh blimey!! i certainly wasnt implying that anyone should leave!

faire, you are , for me, the voice of successful controlled drinking, i think you knew it needed taking in hand and have done just that, hopefully before it DID become a larger problem, i only wish i had had your foresight and done the same myself, but hey ho! i honestly like to hear a babe say that she can now control the booze, that it isnt the 'be all and end all', that is a fantastic result, i am at the way you can say 'not tonight but maybe at the bbq next week'! i know thats never going to be an option for me again!

what i do worry about are the babes that come here, say they are worried and think they have a problem but carry on in the 'boxing ring' in the same old cycle of worry, guilt, remorse..... tbh i suppose it frustrates me, when i made my first post i was so down, so desperate and so unhappy and i keep seeing parts of me in other babes, i just want you all to have what i have! its just peace, plain and simple! i dont have to worry about rules, what the time is, what day it is, if my liver is hurting or have i just got indigestion, i dont have to worry about what i did or said last night, i dont have to make special trips to the supermarket or worry about evening activities or meeting friends - i just have a peace of mind that i wouldnt swap for the world!

the thing is, it didnt happen over night, there was no miracle cure, i had to do it myself, for myself, i had to look really honestly at myself for the first time in years, it wasnt nice! it was/is hard work, it can be lonely and scary at times and we can only help here in a fairly small way, we can be supportive but we cant do it for you, somewhere you have to find the will to want to change, i do believe we DO all have that will deep down, you just have to really want to find it!

Hey, day 4 here

I totally get what you are saying JWN, I try and try to control but it doesn't work and you know what - I am MUCH happier not drinking but I still try and try and try to find a different way.

The stark truth is that I just haven't tried hard enough in the right place - to stop drinking totally.

Anyway, day 4 and I am starting to have a wee bit of a boing. Still hugely dehydrated and I suspect I might have slept better last night if DD hadn't wet her bed and come into mine and then insisted on sleeping with her arms round my neck all night.

Faire - everyone has said it but you are great, you have found what works for you and your input is valuable, so stay put. If you try to leave horridbabydoll will be sent to look for you.

dim moment - am intrigued by "boings" ????

its that bouncy boingy feeling you get in the morning when you wake up refreshed and realising you don't have a hangover (I think anyway!)

to be honest its taking me a few days to get the boing this time. I feel like I really am seeing the hangover through to the end...

a 'boing' is what you get after a few days of soberity! i boing out of bed these days, in fact i boing all over the place in a very irratating manner!

Cooeee! I'm up here clinging on to Roger, the rigourously regulated roof-rack.

Sorry to post and run earlier, and thank you for all your kind messages and support, as usual, you amazing babes. I was just a little concerned that my drinking and talking about it might be getting in the way of those who want to stop and don't want to hear about it. However, on the days I don't drink I am the same as anyone else, just not drinking for one day. I firmly believe that.

And if it all goes tits up for me and I slide back into old habits then I am not afraid to knock it on the head once and for all. Being sober is bloody brilliant and I am not surprised JWN that you want that for us all. I thought I didn't want to give up daily drinking until I did it. Then I realised it was the best ever. I get that boing every day now, even the crap ones, because I know I don't have to drink and I never, ever thought that could happen for me.

JWN is absolutely spot on about giving up. If you try to moderate and can't control it, why fight the fight? It's just not worth it, really it's not. The one thing that makes it easy for me not to drink is that I know I won't. I make that decision in the morning and that's it. Done. It's only when I've dithered about in the past that I ended up drinking when I didn't want to. Once the decision is made it really does make it easier to stick too. The cravings are less frequent and don't last as long. They are easy to ignore.

I agree with Isinde that the diversity on this bus and all the new people joining, keeps it a fresh, fun, interesting place to me. That, together, we weave a rich and varied tapestry and there is perhaps a place for all of us here, drinking, abstaining, moderating, or dithering .

bibbity I have never posted on drinking days either but the urge to 'be honest' makes me mention it afterwards. I don't want to give the false impression that I've given up entirely because that would be untruthful. But perhaps it would be wiser to not mention it?

Right, enough warbling from me. Laters x

Ah, no wonder I don't know what a boing is!! It's been that long since I was properly sober think my body wouldn't recognise a clear head in the mornig if it smacked me in the face . Strangely even after 4 days I am still waking up feeling hungover, is that normal?? I s'pose it will take time for my body to clear out years of toxins.
Such a lovely day here, long may it last!

chasing - you are doing what MIFLAW calls 'seeing the hangover through to the end' - it took me about a week and half to actually feel the real physical benefits of giving up, all i can say is stick with it!, if you are anything like i was, it was years since i had given my body a rest from alcohol so i guess it would take a few days for it to kind of flush out iywsim?

I LUUUUURVE THIS BLOODY BUS!!!!

So Isindie was it you or me - I'd read back but I can't be arsed

Ma are you joining us today x

Welcome Chasing and Rain - you are in the right place and I think what happens when you join this thread, is that you totally focus on your drinking and go through a process of understanding where you are at with it, what you want to do about it, and how to go about that......the main thing is that you are DOING SOMETHING about it

JWN as usual, an inspiration

Mouse Mouse come out of your house

xxxx

Indeed where have you been MILF

Come and say hello

Hello Babes
Not drinking, but feeling crappy emotionally. Just checking in, love to all xxx

@ roger, the rigorously regulated roofrack. With the sidecar and the roofrack, Gerald looks a most peculiar contraption.
things are very bad. I had to flee from work this morning to sit in the car and have a HUGE domestic, forgetting that I had a 10 o clock meeting so there were 4 guys waiting for a meeting and half the staff out looking for me! then I got to the meeting late, held it together, then fled the building again only to miss my 12.30 meeting. the boss is not amused but they think its because dad is ill and deteriorating, not because my pyscho of a H is trying to put spyware on my phone .
Please don't tell me to leave the bastard, you only have one life, think of yourself etc. I know all that. so I should be in the sidecar but really need to be on the bus with you guys just now.
thanks

Oh ma, massive hugs.

ma, dosent matter where you sit, we are your mates and we care - have a ((((hug))))

hang in there Ma xxx

ma when I read your post I was going to pm you, but then worried that if I did, you might read it on your phone (I'm not that sophisticated, I only do old fashioned phoning and texting on mine ), but if you want someone to listen, I'm very, very good at that, so let me know if you want to meet up again xx

Ma

Oh Ma . Your life sounds so stressful at the moment. Can you take some time off work, even if it's only a day or so? You can put it down to your dad. I don't know how you are holding it together. Come and sit with us x

OneSunny, how are things? How are things with your DH today? Well done for not drinking

Herbert, sorry I forgot to say hello yesterday . Well done for going to the GP and tackling this thing head-on. Hopefully you'll get good results next time and you'll be able to stop worrying so much. It is a worry for lots of us. It sounds like you're doing everything you can to limit any damage though so well done you.

Bibbity, wow you're doing great. I'd not thought of giving up one specific drink. Hmmm I'll ponder on that. White wine can trip me up too.

Hope everyone's doing alright tonight. I am eating the equivalent of a day's calorie requirement in the form of chocolate penguins.

oh, thank you all so much.
am seeing someone at work tomorrow to check my phone out. i don't use it for MN as it takes too long.
found a load of stuff on the browsing history of the computer too about how to track peopl, how to tell if they are having an affair etc. he researched the hotel I stayed at on Monday night, the hotel my friend was at (said friend is 67 btw), and the delegates at the conference I went to on tuesday.
He is denying it all, even though I printed out the browsing history as hard copy.
Seems the phone and pc have been "hacked" . Must think my head zips up the back. Am going along with this preposterous theory to buy myself time.....
not going to get pissed as need a clear head for a better day in work tomorrow after today's fuck ups. but am having a glass or two.
have got DS's costume ready for school play and potted on 35 coriander seedlings for DS to sell to earn some money and gain a sense of entrepreneurship.
DH not home until midnight, have set a PIN on my phone to prevent further investigations. Am going to buy a cheapy pay as you go and keep that in reserve.
Making plans.
thanks for being there Babes

Well done ma and good luck with your plans. More hugs xxx

SSSM I've calmed down a bit, am going to have an early night as I didn't sleep well last night. I'm not drinking tonight :)

Thanks everyone for the supportive comments. It really is helping.
Sorry for those of you having rough times at home. I can't imagine having the strength to go through crap at home/work and not resort to wine.

Need to get through these first few days/weeks but am feeling positive. The blooming sunshine isn't helping is it? My association is beer gardens an bbq's. 3 rd successful night this week, so keeping focused.
What I have eaten since getting home from work reads like the hungry caterpillar though. Oh well.

herbert bloody well done on 3 days! That is seriously impressive. Good for you