The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Spicing Up The Winter Nights With Rich Hot Chocolate And Thermal Tights!

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

I'm one of the Brave Babes travelling on this fantabulous Bus, on it's journey to the wonderful world of sobriety.

The great thing is, that the people on here are a real mixed bunch. Some are drinking regularly, some aren't. Some are sober and have been for any number of days, some weeks, months and yep, some even for years.

There's no judging pants allowed, no savoury flans either , just lots of unconditional support from many varied sources. Yes, some of us have been here from the start but please don't let that stop you posting, this thread is for EVERYONE and it always has been

If you'd like to have a look back, here are some links. One to the previous thread and one to the very first, and the reason we are all still here.

See you soon,

Mouse xx

PREVIOUS THREAD

FIRST EVER THREAD

Morning! Had lovely evening, didn't even miss wine. Weighed self this morning though and annoyingly am NO lighter after basically a week of no drinking! How ? This is not motivating!!

Hi ma i came over on your recommendation! Is your DD going to call the man?

I had a drink free night last night, although i did eat my weight in chocolate!

Stick with it kiki, it takes a little while to change

Hi babes I finally fell off my smug wagon last night, it was just one bottle with a lovely dinner made by dh, it didn't seem the usual needy gluttonis bottle so I'm trying not to over analyse it, it seemed like a normal relaxing sat evening wine with dinner but is that me kidding myself on? Anyway won't be drinking today or the rest of this week, that's the plan anyway x x x

Don't beat yourself up about last night, and you weren't smug, just enjoying the benefits of sobriety. Stay vigilant today and remember HALT.

Thanks help appreciate your wise words x x x x

Try not to be too hard on yourself babyJ it does sound like you & your husband had a nice evening. As long as your not really suffering today I don't see any big harm but maybe I'm a bit in denial. I'm sick of perpetual drinking binges & hangovers. Today I have decided I am giving up alcohol until ds sleeps past 5:30 ish & is less hard work. Well that's my plan today

Baby, sounds fine and nice evening. Just remember today is a new day and you don't do everyday drinking any more

Baby I second the others, you had a pleasant evening, don't overanalyse and try and stick to your plan. I had a bottle over a long afternoon/evening too whilst I was putting up the tree and decorating the house and I had a lovely time and feel OK today. Like you I'm not planning on drinking until I have people over for dinner next Saturday.

Thought I'd share this, from a Good Housekeeping cookbook published in 1998 on how much alcohol to get in for a dinner party. As an approximate guide allow one 75cl bottle of wine per head: 1-2 glasses as an aperitif, 1-2 glasses with starters, 2 glasses with the main and another with the dessert or cheese. Under today's guidelines that constitutes a major binge!

Green 4 days in one week is really good! What is your aim - not drinking at all or moderate drinking? Whilst you are trying not to drink every day, no wine in the house is the best policy IMHO. I know I can never resist if there is a bottle in the fridge, calling my name. Thanks for the continued support.

Help Thanks for your kind words. I soooo wish there wasn't a bloody wine shop on my doorstep but then it's really handy for milk, bread or other staple supplies. He nearly lost his alcohol licence recently (before I gave up). Half of me wanted him to lose it and half was dreading it!?

Ma Exciting news about funding for DD. You heard anything new today? And, if you're going to sleep on the sofa, kick the cat into the kitchen! Lol!

Pud Well done for a booze free evening. Try not to worry about the chocolate consumption for a while. Wine has loads of sugar in and when you don't drink it, you will have a sugar craving. And - chocolate is a mood enhancer unlike wine which is a depressant!

Baby I agree with everyone else. You've done a fab job and, if you can isolate (and enjoy) your wine moments, you are still doing well. Chin up and carry one!

Kiki I had the same thing re: weight lost disappointment. I think the body takes a week or so to stabilise and start working again properly. After two weeks my weight loss picked up as I had expected it would. Just need to be a little patient and keep at it.

Soma So impressed with your control over wine. I would love to get to where you are now but, just now, I'm too scared to even try it. Doc and alcohol nurse have suggested a 3 month break for me before I consider coming off the Campral. I do miss wine still but not sure I would be able to handle 'sensible' drinking.

As for me, today, I had a better day but still a bit grumpy. I think it may have something to do with hormones. Went swimming with DC but couldn't get into it. Still, spent an hour in the water and they enjoyed it. Lunch out then took DS2 to a local birthday party for 2 hours. Sat with a couple of friends and felt a lot better after a 'grown-up' chat. Maybe that's why I've been grumpy - no adult conversation? Anyway, got home and DD and DS1 had tidied, hoovered and dusted the whole of the sitting/dining room. It was a lovely surprise! Bless their cotton socks!

Had a bit of a 'wobble' at the party when the Dad was handing out mugs of what I thought was coffee. Even had my hand on the handle when I realised it was mulled wine! I politely declined and spent the next 10 mins wishing I had taken one - the woman next to me had one and it smelled divine! I know it was only one cup but I had to walk back home passed the corner shop and I couldn't risk one cup ending up being a bottle (or two) too.

Ma Hope you and Nemo are doing OK? And where are you Joey?

Hi to everyone else. Hope you are all staying warm in this chilly weather. x

(carry on not one!)

And meant Mouse - not Ma at the end!!! FGS! Think it might be time for bed already!!?

Purple well done on getting over your wobble. As for my control over wine we'll see...

Well done for today purple I would have been the same if I had had one mug of mulled wine then the lure of more would of been too strong. Glad today felt like a better day. My day has been pretty crap as felt down about drinking on Thursday & Friday night & not really being great with my ds. But is new day, new week now. Didn't drink last night or today & not going to drink all week. What an amazing thing your dc did

Good Evening, tis me, Mouse

Purple - you've hit the 'grief' stage imo...... the why the hell aren't I feeling brilliant because of x.y.z? It's because you've lost something too. Alcohol. There's no rhyme or reason, to it, it happens, it's life, it sucks...... but you feel cheated.

You've gained SO much, and lost SO much too! Let me help you out in a non patronising (because that's not how I want to come across way)

1. • no hangovers
2. • better skin, eyes, hair, nails, breath.....
3. • you can taste your food, it's less sweet, salty, acrid.....
4. • you've lost weight, you're less wobbly
5. • you appreciate MORE. MUCH, MUCH, MORE about everyday life
6. • you've stopped pickling yourself from the inside out.
7. • you have a BUS full of new friends who value your thoughts and care about you
8. • you are lessoning the chances of cancer and heart disease and various health nasties.......
9. • you need any more?

It's a stage that I hit. Like you swapped a dance with the devil, of so handsome, gorgeous and enticing for a night in de-fuzzing your body, plucking your eyebrows and watching re-runs of Last Of The Summer Wine...... see? There it is again, WINE!!!

You are allowed to feel down lovely, it's expected. It would be rare if you didn't. You can almost look at your lot and go "well, I have what I want, why the hell am I moaning?............."

Because you can. That's what the Bus is about. All stages of leaving the alcohol abuse behind. BEHIND

You can do this, you are....... keep going, keep fighting the low bits and riding on the crest of the high waves, stretch them out for as long as you can.......... xx

PS - sorry for any typos, I had to type as I thought xx

Welcome aboard Pud xx I see you've been in great hands already! They are ace these Babes on this Bus

I just wanted to give you all a quick update re Nemo if I may, sorry to bang on about him for those with their own troubles.........

I'm a little scared that the bleed he had the other day (Tuesday?) was his 'wound' opening.

I can see a hole again today and when he was eating a chocolate pudding earlier, he said that the food was going into his hole and that scares me to death.

I'm not sure that I can do this again, a fifth time of him being rushed to PICU. How many times can one child survive these things? I mean really?

It bled again last night, his bloomin' feeding tube came out just before bedtime. We were playing, having fun and the next thing, his tube is out, 10 days post surgery! We were told to keep his 'current' tube in situ as long as possible so I absolutely shite myself.

He sobbed his heart out at having to have it passed, it must have hurt him s much.

Dh and I wept too...... He has to hold him whilst I pass the tube you see...... I was furious with myself for not noticing that his tube was slipping earlier on............

Anyway. He's asleep after a better night, a good day and we went for a nice walk. Sorry to just dump and run but syrup sponge beckons!

Night Babes, be back tomorrow xxxx

Aww poor nemo. You and dh are just wonderful. I hope and pray he doesn't need any more surgery.

purple hello, just been very busy lately, we even put up the christmas decorations today!

well done on resisting the mulled wine, especially after it was already in your hand! superb willpower there!

I'm okay thanks koti. Actually I feel like I'm cracking up, my moods are all over the place and I'm feeling really depressed. I keep bursting into tears for no reason.

I'm trying to manage without any more medication (have been to the GPs 6 times in the last few months!)

We got through an email from a supplier saying they wanted to update our interface for Christmas with a cheery festive screen - and I felt the craziest RAGE come upon me (they are pretty useless at stuff like basic customer service ) like why the F!! couldn't they fix their tech support instead of wasting time on F... dancing snowmen

anyway, how are you doing with the flu? sounds nasty... hope you are taking your fluids!

I quit the prozac because again my moods went crazy, I couldn't sleep and although I didn't give the prozac very long my gp said it was understandable as insomnia is my greatest terror right now, and I was freaking out.

I am considering trying it again (thats how desperate I am! maybe in the morning so it won't have a side-effect of not sleeping)

I have no idea and my head feels like its going to burst with all the nonsense in there! I can actually (almost) imagine what it must be like to have mental health problems, not that I feel that bad, but I can see it must be extremely frightening. I don't feel in control.

are snuggled up with a duvet and a lemsip? there are some nasty bugs going about

sod it I just burst into tears at work for the second time today. I don't know if I need to talk to somebody (but who)

yeah they said everything came back normal except for slightly low vitaminD

at snotty keyboard