The Brave Babes Battle Bus - All Going On A Sober Holiday! <crosses fingers that it stays sunny>

[Mouseface]

Hello, tis me, mouse

Welcome to The Brave Babes Battle Bus, grab yourself a seat, they're really comfy and a , oh and a home-made chocolate chip before they all get eaten!

We're a Bus full of alcohol abusers/addicts, some of us say it out loud, some whisper it and some aren't ready to say it at all just yet.

That said, there are a few of us who just have the occasional drink and that's something that they can handle. There are a few of us who must NEVER have another drink because that first one will lead to many, many more which will only ever end badly.

We're open to all....there are no requirements to join us on our journey to sobriety, there's support, great laughs, tears and tantrums here and that's just me!!!

If you'd like to see how we got here, follow THIS LINK

Checking in to say hi :) Welcome to all newbies. My drinking was much better until last night, when I polished off a bottle of chardonnay... Before that, I had gone nearly a week with only a couple of drinks in total. I don't know why I've started again, but I did. Need to strengthen my resolve...

JWIM I am so sorry to hear about your two elder sons, how dreadful to lose such precious children. I had a few miscarriages before I had my dc but to actually have to give birth knowing the probable tragedy that would come must be unbearable.

gugg - thanks, glad it was useful (sorry, is it ok to abbreviate your name?).

I agree about the cultural aspect, completely. I've just been to Tesco, and you have to queue past all the booze ... same in our local Co-op. It does take a bit of effort.

I keep rewarding myself with other things - ice-cream, new books, etc. But it's not perfect.

My name is because I used to post as LittleRedDragon, about the welsh dragon out of the Ivor the Engine books. Then I got into a conversation about how lots of people don't feel comfortable identifying with feminism, and especially young women, whom I was teaching at the time. So I made a pact with myself I'd speak up more about being a feminist, and so the name is my online equivalent of a 'this is what a feminist looks like' T-shirt. (whew that was looong!). Where does yours come from?

Good on you with the pride! It's such a good feeling - I'm feeling the pride now too, for walking past the booze in the shop.

grey - hello, thanks for the welcome. Hope today is going well with you.

Drank at the weekend despite my intentions not to, as I have said many times I don't drink at home, but visit a friend who is as fond of the bottle as I am, so when she asked me up I didn't resist .

Boredom on a major level is my trigger, my excuse etc. During the week I can just about cope with the day to day monotony of going to work, coming home, going to bed but once Thursday comes .....

While hungover, is stomach and back pains a symptom to start worrying about? It feels kind of like a band being tightened around top of stomach area. Thanks in advance.

hard to say DA - drinking really upsets your digestive system which can account for stomach pains and upset stomach and that can be felt in the back too. obviously liver pain can be felt in the back too though so....?

best bet if concerned is to see a doctor.

Hi everyone, went to the gp today after a weekend which involved two bottles of wine a teary phone call to my ex and several cuts to my wrists.

Have been diagnosed with depression anxiety and panic attacks caused by chronic stress and exhaustion. Have been prescribed an antidepressant which I'm hoping might stabilise me enough to end the cycle of staying alcohol free and then giving in when the loneliness and fear gets too much.

Gp said things may get worse before they get better. I don't know how that's possible

Evening all,

Dietingagain I don't know I'm afraid, my stomach feels sore when I'm hungover but feels fine again when the hangover passes.

dragon I know what you mean: I'm happy to call myself a feminist especially when it comes to challenging some nonsense.

My name comes from a frantic look round the living room in an effort to choose a cool name my eyes then settled on a picture and it reminded me of a lovely holiday in Bilbao (sp). I loved visiting the Guggenheim, it was beautiful so I went with that instead.

Skippy I hadn't read your post when I posted.

I'm so very sorry, you sound like you are having a bad time.

skippy sorry to hear you're feeling so terrible, I hope you start to feel some relief soon.

Am on day 3 and feeling good, boingy even. I'm a bit anxious about work - my contract ends tomorrow and my daft boss hasn't put another one in place - but otherwise okay. And my cat is being very cuddly, which is lovely.

Just checking in. Skippy are u OK?

I'm feeling ok now just numb. I don't recognise the person I have become

Skippy

I think what your Doctor means, is that the anit depressents take time to work, possibly two weeks or so, so what he/she is saying is BE PATIENT. Give them time to kick in, and in the short term you may feel worse in yourself, emotionally.

But stick with them, unless you feel really bad.

And if you do, go back to the Doc.

Just sharing my experience of some ADs.

They WILL HELP. x

hey Ma

howsya doin lovely? x

Big hugs to those struggling.

I'm on day1 again. But only had one glass of wine Fri/SatSun in company. So I think okay?

I have my repeat lft test this Friday. I'm not sure if I should definitely expect it to be normal now or not. What I do know is that my scare has been enough to stop me ever going back to a bottle of wine or more a day.

Watching the documentary about 50 shades. I sky+ last night. Quite amusing!!

silver lovely to see you posting again - you know how much you mean to me x

skippy what a tough time you are having. I would also say that the doc is telling you some helpful information, but they have not been where you are. So there is a chance that it may not 'get worse'. My dd had a really tough time and was cutting herself, but she did get through it. A bit like everything else on here - take it each day at a time, see what that day brings to you, and what you need to help you through. What is good one day may not be the answer the nest day. But then so what? Look for something else to help you through the next day. One day it may be playing old music, another day may be eating healthy food, another day may be dancing with a close friend.

But I bet that none of the helpful tings involve loads of booze. So if you can, stay away from that, it's really not the answer.

skippy sorry to hear you're having such a bad time. There is some evidence to show that ADs can in some people give them a little bit of energy before the mood-stabilising effect kicks in. So for those who are depressed and lethargic suddenly become more active and do something stupid - I hope that makes sense? To add to what others have said, it may take a couple of weeks to kick in. Which anti-depressant is it?

greyhound how are you doing? Haven't heard from you for a few days?

I'm totally paranoid about my possible CFS/ME. And since I'm also a hypochondriac, I can't decide whether symptoms are because of illness or just in my head. I did think about getting some wine tonight (but actually couldn't be bothered)

Oh and the new anti-depressants I'm taking have a very obvious side-effect - increased appetite. Got home from work at 4pm and ate

1 pain au chocolate
some melon & grapes
a whole packet of jaffa cakes

And for tea we had pizza and finished a tub of ice-cream between 2

No wonder I can't move off the sofa to go and buy alcohol.

gugg or whoever was asking about alcohol and addiction and stuff......

Alcohol is a toxic substance - it poisons our bodies. However alcohol is something that all humans encounter, even in primitive states - maybe through rotten fermenting fruit, or through the action of our own gut bacteria. So we have a system for dealing with it.

So the first stage is that we make an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. This converts alcohol to a substance called acetaldehyde,which is even more toxic than alcohol (and for those of you who have taken/considered Antabuse - it prevents the acetaldeyde from being broken down, and that is what makes people so terribly ill if they drink on Antabuse). In the normal process the aceetaldehyde is broken down into harmless products - eventually. But the residual toxins are what cause the hangover.

A normal liver produces sufficient alcohol dehydorgenase to breakdown 13ml of alcohol per hour. However some one who drinks heavily will produce more alcohol dehydrogenase - enough to break down about 3 times that amount. That is part of the reason why a heavy drinker doesn't feel drunk so quickly.

There is also another enzyme which breaks down alcohol. It is really only active in people who drink heavily, or people who have some kind of liver disease.
Alcohol dehydrogenase and other enzymes are produced in the liver - that is part of the reason why our livers are really punished by drinking heavily., and why we are at risk of long term liver disease.

There's a whole set of different issues about the effects on brain chemistry - perhaps best left till another time.

Hi everyone,
just checking in before trying to get to sleep.
Day 2 after my silliness on saturday.
Strange isn't it was nursing the hangover from hell
all day yesterday and still headachy and lethargic
yet still finding it difficult not to pick up today.
Not going toget in the ring today though, really don't want to feel that bad again.

skippy
So sorry things are so bad for you at the moment,
the other posters have said it all really, the AD's will
kick in soon and do their job.
I agree with venus about how to get through until then.
Also I hope you feel able to keep posting whenever you need to talk.

Hope all those not drinking today make it through.
Will catch up with you all tomorrow.
Bedtime for me before i give in to the voice saying wine time.

Hi everyone, just checking in.

skippy, I'm so, so sorry you are having such a rough time. Hope it gets better soon.

guggenheim - I like it, very highbrow reasoning!

venus - it wasn't me asking but that was fascinating! Thanks. I only ever know the pop science, 'here's how I rationalize it' stuff.

kot - stay strong!

rural - hope you're feeling better in the morning when you read this.

I'm posting to remind myself I am NOT drinking tomorrow. I went to the supermarket with DH and stood there with him choosing his beer (he would have gone without if I'd said, he did ask, I just wanted to be ok with it), and it niggled at me. So now I have to keep that niggling voice quiet!

Hope all the babes have a peaceful night, see you in the morning!

Skippy it will get better-apparently it takes 6 weeks for pills to kick in. Kot hangovers ruin whole days but at least you acknowledged it and didn't try and cover up. As for me, i am a fuck up who fucked up-again! Don't know what to do

crystal what do you really want to achieve? Being in control of your drinking, being able to have several nights / weeks without anything to drink, being able to have the occasional glass, complete abstinence? And have you got any real-life support to help you? GP or alcohol counselling, AA, or good friends?

Come and talk to us, and tell us about your drinking - what triggers you to start, whether you have wine in the house etc. And, I hope you're not feeling too bad this morning.

Morning all,

Raining again here!

I saw Dh off at 7 this morning and went back to bed and had a lie in until 9 . I feel a bit muggy headed now, but it did occur to me how much nicer a lie in is, just because you're feeling lazy, and not because of what you did the night before...the skin gone over with a grater, hot face, etc, and I've had some of those in my time.

Skippy I am sad to hear that you are feeling so bad. I don't have experience of AD's myself, but when Dh started them, the Dr said the same, actually the first lot didn't suit Dh, and had side effects, but when the Dr changed them, it was fine, and things didn't get worse, but quite the reverse, he started feeling better quite soon.

I am going to try to get stuck into my college work today, so should be around quite a bit .

Love to all xxxxx

Skippy, sorry to hear you are feeling so low, my thoughts are with you.

Just checking in, Day 3 for me today:)