The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Turning Over Autumn Leaves In Search For Our Own Personal Sobriety

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm mouse and my best friend used to be vodka. We were inseparable at the time, such fun! Wild nights out, wild nights in..... danger, excitement, strangers, not knowing where I was when I woke up, oh it was all so fantastic.....

Not the case for the last couple of years or so, since I found this Bus.

Now, we are practically strangers. Don't get me wrong, I still abuse alcohol and use it to self-medicate which completely defeats all of the work I've put in, trying to see my life through sober eyes but that's just how I do things......

Anyway, that's enough about me so why not come say hello to the others on the Bus, we're all at different stages of drinking, not drinking or complete abstinence (of the drinking kind!)

No-one on the Bus wears judgy pants, nylon bloomers, leopard skin thongs? Maybe...... I wouldn't like to ask to be honest! But we are all here for the very same reason, we can't (or don't want to) control our drinking like 'normal' people do.

If you'd like to see how this all started, why not have a look HERE and read about one of the most inspirational ladies you'll ever 'know'.

You can also follow the threads, one by one, by clicking on the links on each thread towards the end, leading to the next etc......

See you soon x

nearly 4 weeks - where can I get some of those smug knickers, do Marks & Spencers sell them?

Fantastic alias!

Not sure about smug pants, but why don't you but yourself a new pillow? We (coincidentally) got a new bed, bedding, the works when I was a few months' sober and I often get into it thinking I have never put my head on this pillow drunk. It's a lovely feeling.

What a brilliant idea help

I'm on day 2. But the difference with this week is that although I had wine at the weekend, it wasn't much and DH and I shared a bottle. He is totally with me in the not drinking through the week which is helping 100%

We haven't actually discussed it, but hr said when hr came onshore that he wasn't going to get back into the habit of buying beer and he has stuck to it. I must say I am so pleased because it helps me a lot!!!

Sorry, saf I put that over badly. I meant that you are in a strong position because you have put all the hard work in and pushed through all the really early stages NOT that it's all easy for you! sorry!

joey Ta da!!! You can have smug pants with chickens on and you can flash them at whoever you like
I like the new bedding idea though.

I'm glad dh is helping Daisy.

And yes, I agree that the OP i aibu did come across as being quite patronising and the article was fairly bland but I still think it's the case that heavy drinking is normalised in this culture at this time.

This thread is great for reminding me of the twisted thinking that drinking used to bring out in me.

Lots of posts about missing the "treat" of drinking. I used to think the same.

I would humbly suggest that, if you are on an internet forum about drinking and/or in therapy and/or in AA because you need help with your drinking, it is no longer accurate to regard it as a treat or a pleasure.

And yet, when it began to be apparent to me that I would need to do something about my drinking, I can remember the panic. "Oh my God, if this is my life WITH a drink, how shit is it going to be WITHOUT a drink?"

Thankfully, I now know the answer. My life WAS shit with a drink. It is FANTASTIC without one.

Just checking in.
Day 1 yet again. Feeling like shite yet again
mouse do hope you are feeling better.
Welcome new babes and well done to all who are managing to stay alcohol free..
Not read back properly, will do so when not feeling so yuck!!(the self inflicted type)

Sorry you are feeling rubbish rural

Thanks greeneyed well done to you keep going.
Wine witch still with me but resisting so far, determined to wake up with a clear head tomorrow.

Actually gugg the cravings are not as strong or frequent or long lasting if you make that decision in the morning

The resolve just makes it all so much easier. It's only when you start to um and ah about it that the little voice perks up and starts nattering in your ear.

Imagine it's a toddler going on and on at you to let them play with sharp knives, or a loaded gun. Ain't gonna happen. No matter how much it nags and whines, it's just not, so get over it. That voice will soon slink off for a sulk and leave you alone

agree with faire the voice does go away after a while. That's a great analogy about the toddler and the knives by the way

Liking that analogy - you would not believe how useful some of the tips on the bus have been to me already - one day at a time - making a decision first thing, identifying the danger time and getting past it - all I had been doing before was repeatedly giving myself goals, a week, a month, for ever etc then either rebelling against myself (i know madness) or feeling like I just couldn't do it and giving up. Thank you bus lots of new tools :)

green I was exactly the same when I first joined the bus. I knew that I wanted to stop or cut right down but I just didn't know how to do it. I took all the advice I could get here and it has been invaluable. Changed my life, it has

Now I'm off to do a name change for halloween - see if you can spot me later

Evening almost over, no alcohol consumed. Poured myself a vodka tonic as someone else asked for one, but thought better of it and poured mine down the sink. Feeling good about that decision

Boo!

< checks nervously under bus seats for horridbabydoll >

< waves to MsGee if she's out there >

well done ellie !

ooh scary fairy you startled me!!

Hello all. Well my 2 Nd night alcohol free. Don't know if I imagined it but I'm sure my skin on my face looked better already this morning ! I got up better did loads of work in office and spent ages reading stories to dc. felt like I really spent quality time with them and sorted things that normally I'd be to relaxed on the wine to do.
I'm working tomorrow night which will be the. 3 rd night.
I am going to check in on here every day as have already pocked up some good advice thanks .
Night all x

god it's just so inappropriate for the line of work insinde! is he like it in front of clients? sorry to think of you alone in a hotel room with wine washing around in there doing it's dirty work x

scary - is it that time again already? this time last year me and msgee had decided we weren't going to drink till halloween i recall. time flies.

decision made for the day: i won't drink. the way it helps me is that i make the decision and then if a thought comes up i just remind myself i'm not drinking today and a day is not a long time - it's just a day. that way i don't get into over analysing the rest of my life and is it necessary and maybe i'm not an alkie maybe blah blah blah. and scary is right ime, the naggy voice doesn't get a look in because you've made the decision not to drink today and that's that.

morning babes - i'm leaving fresh coffee, pain au chocolat and fresh croissants with a selction of conserves on the dashboard. help yourselves

Morning all! Almost boinging today, isinde, that sounds truly shit and miserable, I hope you can make some changes, we bring in a fraction of what we used to but we manage, yes we go without stuff we used to take for granted but it's not important. Sorry I don't know the back story but if you are married I hope your other half will support you to do this. Well done time and ellie and to all the other bus babes. SAF thank you for the breakfast and food for thought. I will not drink today!

morning all thanks saf!

isinde I hope you manage to get off the hamster wheel soon, preferably before you kill your colleague

Hi all - haven't read through the messages that have appeared since I last posted, but just wanted to check in.

Well, I've had a bit of a breakthrough over the last few days and managed to cut down on my drinking by about half - still drinking three or four glasses a night, but it's a bit of an improvement.

A silly thing is stressing me out. As you may know, I run a dog walking/pet care business. Well, one of the dogs I walked is owned by a good friend of mine. This in itself makes the following situation tricky.

My friend has a son, in this thirties, who is a complete waster. He spends most of his time in bed (he still lives at home) and, when he is awake, he smokes dope heavily. He doesn't have a job and has never really had a steady job or a steady relationship.

Anyway, every time I go to pick up the dog she is in this guy's bedroom. And the guy is asleep. With a potty (yes, really) full of wee under his bed. Ick. Well, the dog doesn't come out from under the bed when I call her so I have to climb under the bed, dodging the pot of piss, and the snoring waster to get her out.

I hate it. It is so embarrassing. I could speak to his mum (my friend) but I know it would make no difference.

It's a trivial worry in the grand scheme of things but it does stress me out...

Grey that is so beyond disgusting. I can see it's difficult as it's a friend, but really- no healthy adult should expect another to deal with their piss. Is it possible that the mother doesn't know? You shouldn't have to go into his bed room even.