The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Are Going To Need A Bigger Bus!

[Mouseface]

Which is FANTASTIC!

Welcome to the Brave Babes Battle Bus, I'm Mouse and I'm addicted to cheese, but have a pretty nasty relationship with alcohol too, mainly vodka.

This Bus is for anyone and everyone. Drinking or sober, or somewhere in between or just not sure if you're drinking too much........... this is the place to ask and maybe have a chat too.

No pressure, no judging, no cliquey savoury flans (although I'm rather partial to a cheese slice ), we're all on The Bus for the same reason; alcohol.

Even if it's not you, and you'd like to talk about someone you know, come and say hi. We won't bite, well, not unless you ask very nicely!

And, if you'd like to see our journey so far, follow THIS LINK and read back through the previous links there.

See you soon xx

Thank you saf

Thank you Soma it'll take me some time to choose which photos and resize them etc, so blog will be a while yet. Just about to leave for Hereford now. Well done you for enjoying a sobasoma night out!

Have a great weekend Brave Babes xx

have a lovely time mia

sobasoma - see??? life is still fun and crazy if you want it to be without the booze. well done on your sober night out and not sulking in a corner

Thanks Honest for asking after me! I'm fine. Drinking less, but still drinking every night. I have discovered that if I eat a decent meal I drink less. I think I drink more when hungry.

Apart from that, I'm fine - had a few small mood swings (bipolar) but nothing major. It usually happens when the weather changes.

Hope all are okay. Mia that is great re. the nymphs! You have inspired me to dig out my old Panasonic digital camera. It isn't as up to date as yours but I think there is life in it yet!

Morning all,

saf I was going to suggest a wrap dress but Soma beat me to it. Personally I think they can look really smart without giving off the power dressing vibe.

soma I'd also like to know if I've managed to shift any weight but we don't own any scales and I don't know what I weighed before. But, on not drinking a bottle of wine every night, I've saved 5750 empty calories so that must have done something?

greyhound I always drank much more quickly when I was hungry, could you try and alternate say a glass of fizzy water? sorry probably a sucking eggs idea.

Today is day 11, I had a proper emotional melt down last night, bawling eyes, running snot and everything but I didn't reach for the wine, I just knew it wasn't going to make it any better.

Wishing you all a fantastic day x

Morning all

Saf I reckon it might be worth investing in a good bra, and maybe something to pull the tummy in if it bothers you. The right undies can really change your shape, then it's much easier to find clothes that 'look' right. And you are more likely to re-use the underwear than some suit that you don't really like and don't feel comfortable in.

Greyhound drinking less is going in the right direction. Learning to stop after one, two or even three drinks is still better than finishing the bottle. Training yourself to recognise when you've had enough and to stop is good progress imo. But it's how you feel about it that really matters.

Do you feel happy drinking every night? Because if you don't and you are getting no pleasure from it then why do it? Seriously. What do you get from drinking every day? Not trying to harrangue you, just to see if you can think about that and maybe pick one day this week to not drink at all and see how it makes you feel - better, worse, happy, annoyed?

It's all one big experiment this giving up drinking lark

Soma Did I read that right? You ran naked down the high street stone cold sober?

Oh, and cigars people? Yuck, I feel green just thinking about that, bleurgh!

Have a lovely day everyone. I always feel like I'm on holiday when the sun comes out like this. It fools me into thinking I'm abroad . Maybe it's the smell of the suncream or summat?

Katie congratulations on your 11th day, that is so fab, well done

One pound is equal to 3500 calories so if you've not replaced the alcohol with something else, you should have lost about 1.5 lb.

Morning All, or should that be afternoon!

What a beautiful day, shame our garden garden is looking like the Somme a work in progress. We've had it redesigned, and now its all been levelled, the builder is in the middle of building walls. All taking much too long for my liking, especially now we have this glorious weather.

Mia I may well be coming to you for pond advice. It wasn't factored into the design but reckon we could find a spot for a small one & you make them sound so exciting. . BTW Happy Birthday!!

I remember smoking a cigar once, while v pissed at a party. Apparently I was lecturing everyone on how Monica Lewinski was much misunderstood???!!! Shows how long ago that was (& how drunk I must have been), but I still shudder at the memories of a hangover from hell. (deep fried dog shit emoticon)!!

Hello to everyone else & congrats to all those celebrating alcohol free days.

Soma am intrigued about Antabuse. Does it stop the cravings, or is it the thought of the side effects that curb them IYSWIM?

Faire, no I was completely off my face when I did the naked run - it was 30 odd years ago!!

Chasing, no antabuse doesn't stop cravings, it's the thought of what it does to you if you drink (a list of extremely unpleasant things). But with me, the thought of how awful I'd feel if I had a drink has seemed in some way to have reduced the cravings, IFYSWIM.

Me and DD have just been to the dog rescue and reserved not a lurcher but a cute JRT called Albert. We now have to see if he gets on with our cat so all bets are off until they meet but here's hoping. I'm a bit concerned about the extra expense of having a dog but if the drinking stays stopped I shouldn't be out of pocket. And a whole lot fitter too.

Wow it's hot out there, have just got in and am relaxing in my lovely old house which is always cool in the summer (and freezing in the winter) because it's naturally ventilated with fireplaces, huge gaps in the floorboards and leaky sash windows! Just wandered past the pub on the corner where they're all outside with their chilled glasses of sauvignon but didn't feel envious. Now there's a thing!

Afternoon, tis me, mouse

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIA xx

I managed to give myself heat stroke yesterday

indie thank you - that means a lot.
having a lovely day - can you tell DH is working all day and all night and won't be home until tomorrow? . it's like a big dark cloud isn't here...
me and DS took the little boat over Lochleven to Loch Leven castle, where we channelled Mary Queen of Scots. He's a funny boy - he paced around with his hands behind his back because hers would have been tied when she was brough there as prisoner, and talked about how it must have felt with all the men with swords threatening her. When we found the little chamber where her small altar was, he stood with his hands spread on the stone, eyes closed saying "her hands maybe touched right here, centuries ago where mine are. And she would have seen the same hill and loch that we can see. Don't you think that's amazing?" Bless him! i get into these things free because we are members of Historic Scotland and although he wanted a scroll map thing form the gift shop it was too expensive so settled for a ruler with all the names of the kings and queens on. " a ruler full of rulers!" much hilarity. once in the car he solemnly said "thank you for taking me and thank you for the gift. i had a lovely time". I'm probably stealth boasting and he's hard work most of the time, but today has been nice.

looks like I killed the thread with that one.......where is everyone?

Mia Happy Birthday! Hope you have had a lovely day. x

Ma I'm here Had a busy day, school fete, football presentation, football on the tv my whole fecking life is dictated by football You sound as though you have had a lovely day and your DS sounds fab.

Where is everyone else?

Please say they're not all watching Eurovision?!

quickly changes channels Eurovision? No of course not!

Happy Birthday Mia

Saf How about a dress? There are lots of them around atm. A black dress under your jacket which can be dressed up or down. Those ones you can wear a Tshrt under to make them look informal. IKWYM about suit jackets not working for those with large norks (voice of experience) unless they're really long. Or a pretty wrap dress?

Hey Soma I have the 200mg tablets as well but they gave me the choice of halving the tablets and taking one daily, or taking one every second day. I opted for the former. It's working much better for me now because I have no tiredness as a result. I am in awe of you streaking down Kilburn High Road whilst sober. What were you like when you were drinking?

I confess to being worried about what happens when I come off Antabuse. It's helped me so much. This gorgeous weather would have been an ideal opportunity for me to crack open the bottles of white. I'm going to stay on it for a goodly long time until I stop thinking about drinking. Did I mention before that the long-term prognosis is so much better the longer you keep taking it?

Mouse sorry about sunstroke. Big hat for you tomorrow.

Today's been lovely but very hectic. Tomorrow we're having a Pimms Party. Well actually it's a barbecue but I'm going to make everyone drink Pimms. Just as well I'm not drinking as I can't stand the stuff myself. Should I dig out some 80's music to go with? Stick some shoulder pads in a sundress?

I should have asked the Babes for their top tips for yummy salads and desserts but I didn't think in time. Now I've got a lingering concern that everyone who is coming has been before and I will be repeating myself and not giving them anything new and interesting. They will have to like it or lump it because it's just too late now :)

Thanks Hopefully I've started taking one 200g on alternate days but maybe cutting one in half and doing every day would be better. I'll give it a try! Have been advised to stay on them for about 6 months, let's keep eachother posted!

And I was most def not sober when I did my streak - was very drunk indeed! Feel so embarrassed now . Just watched 28 Days, a film with Sandra Bullock about a woman in rehab, touching and funny. God wasn't Eurovision dire?

Nite nite, hangover-free day no. 9 just round the corner. Hope you had a lovely birthday Mia.

morning babes

no eurovision here - didn't even know it was on.

another glorious sunny day - ds has already got his swarthy farmer look on - he's very lucky with his skin.

football this morning then some round the house time before a meeting this afternoon. family are taking ds to a bbq that i'll join them at after my meeting which will make it all the easier to be around people drinking. i bought some lovely mandala like window decals for the hallway - there is a little window at the foot of the stairs that i'd had a scarf covering for ages for privacy - now it is screened by the decals and the light can stream in at last. slowly, slowly, little by little i want to make the house a prettier place to live in. my big runaway instinct and wanting to get out of here phase (pretty cyclical for me) has been replaced with wanting to make it nice here (for now).

aa say don't make any major/life changing decisions in the first couple of years of sobriety and i think they have a point. so inexpensive improvements and mainly just investing in things i can take with me for now is the way forward i think along with finding a way to get more mobile and make my world a bit fuller. slowly, surely is my motto at the minute - new territory for me - think this is a part of what living sobriety means.

right that's my big waffle catch up.

hope everyone is having a lovely weekend and enjoying the sunshine.

ma your ds sounds lovely - a serious, sensitive soul

Morning Saf. Make your place pretty, make it somewhere that makes you feel happy. Next to my daughter and family, my home is the most important thing in my life - it's an extension of who I am and I spend ages making small but inexpensive changes to it that give me joy (such as buying a new cushion from Wilkinson's!). How many meetings do you do every week? I haven't tried AA this time round but because my new-found sobriety has a different feel to it this time, maybe I will.

I think one of the main pros of not drinking is waking each and everyday feeling I haven't let myself down but I'm still at such an early stage that when I do wake up I have a fleeting worry - oh god, I hope I didn't drink last night - and when I come to properly and realise I didn't, it feels so good! Life ain't a bowl of cherries (and I know it never will be) but at least I really finally feel as if I'm not doing the best to fuck it up all by myself.

Have a happy sunny Sunday everyone, being bought up a strict Catholic I still feel a bit guilty when I don't go to church but organised religion really doesn't do it for me anymore....I'll just go out in the garden and feel at one with nature and that often makes me feel closer to any "God" than going to church ever did.

catholic upbringing here too soma so you have my sympathies

i make at least one and ideally three a week. wednesday night is my home meeting, thursday daytime one is very handy as no need for childcare and if ds is ok to join family on a sunday afternoon i get to that one.

my runaway instinct stems from being miserable at home as a child i think. always having a get out plan, a stash of money, nothing too permanent in place. when it comes on it feels incredibly urgent and real. i still struggle to know if it is a genuine instinct for my good as in i should go or if it is a kickback defense that i don't need anymore but still comes on gonna let that perculate on the back burner i think. reality is i have a huge garden, a nature reserve on my doorstep for dog walking, a little village primary for ds where he is very happy and a safe enough place for him to play out with his friends at 5yo. that's not easily found is it? so i shall stick with trying to improve things from where i am for now.

i'm with you on the closer to 'god' through nature. i have no need or desire for religion but both for spirituality.

Your plan "for now" sounds great Saf - I couldn't wait to leave home either but when I finally got this place which is all my own, I can't imagine anywhere I'd rather be. Your location sounds idyllic, enjoy! The only thing missing now is not a man (we both seem to be in agreement on that one) but a dog! The search is on and can't wait to add one to our little household.

i have another dog in the pipeline soba. a little lhasa apso who'll be joining me mid july. aiming for crazy dog lady status

off for a day at the beach with DS.

Morning all and long may this summer continue (well at least until after the school holidays)

Does anyone have a plan for the jubliee weekend? I will be going away for the whole week, really looking forward to it.

Soma the thought of how awful I'd feel if I had a drink has seemed in some way to have reduced the cravings - it might be something else, it might be something that you can carry with you for the rest of your life, when you are no longer on the antabuse. I find that when I know, absolutely know for sure, that I am not going to drink that day, I don't get any cravings. Making your mind up in the morning and refusing to even consider changing it, is absolutely key, imo, to beating those cravings. It really does work a treat!

Ma your little boy sounds a delight! You are so lucky to have lovely places to go right on your doorstep. And you too Saf it sounds like a wonderful, safe, outdoorsy place for a little boy to grow up. My 'little' boy is nearly 13 and a good four inches taller than me but he is so loving and sweet, kind and funny . . . no 'stealth' about that boasting ma . Lets celebrate our boys, they will be fine young men one day and we should be proud of that!

Mouse hope you recover from the heatstroke, keep in the shade as much as you can and drink plenty of water x

Thanks Fairenuff and Katie - the drinking each night thing does bother me. I plan a couple of nights of non drinking next week.

Saf, lhasas are the cutest! Am aiming for crazy dog and cat lady status too but in small quantities to start off with (have one cat so far). It's interesting, I feel in some way I'm getting back at my parents who wouldn't allow pets in the house unless they were in a cage, so we had hamsters and a budgie. As a result both my brothers are animal mad too. Should be interesting to see if when I visit DM and DF, whether we're allowed to bring the dog. My brother isn't which makes me so cross. Ma enjoy the beach, you lucky thing! No water here to speak off, unless a great big stinky lake counts - at least the ducks seem to love it!

Faire where you going for the holiday weekend? Thank you for your thoughts on cravings, they're very helpful and will bear them in mind when I transition over to antabuse-free status! I know that as long as I take them, no matter how low the dose (and I'm on pretty much the lowest now) it'll stop me drinking, so maybe something in my brain will have been re-wired by the time I stop. My really big challenge at the moment is finding something to replace the alcohol, which is part of the reason we hope to get a dog really soon.

Katie I only lost one poxy pound this week but that's better than nowt. Are you weighing yourself same time every week?

Well off to the dreaded supermarket now to buy summer food and lots of alcohol-free refreshing drinks. It's quite a relief to know I won't be spending hours dithering in the wine aisle! xx