The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Kicking The Wine Witch Into Touch!

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

Welcome to the Bus. We're a group of posters who have been on a journey to here, there and everywhere when it comes to alcohol and the abusing of it.

Some of us drink, some of us don't at all and some of us are trying to get there, really trying to just stop the cycle, break the habit and calm everything down. Some of us are desperate to not be 'that' person anymore.

One Day At A Time or ODAAT.

So what have you got to lose? Weight? Saggy, puffy eyes each morning? False friends? The risk of cancers and other fatal illnesses......... why not join us?

We have a resident MonsterCat, Wolf called Seth and Squid called Barry (best not to ask about Barry! )

And, if you want to see where we've been so far, the links below will show you. The first ever thread is the best by far, because the OP is just like you. And me.

FIRST EVER THREAD

PREVIOUS THREAD

Babes, pay attention. I have found a new secret ingredient in the battle for youth. ( as in skincare, not cradle snatching). Holland and Barretts have their penny sale on and so, buying glucosamine for my creaky joints, I grabbed a huge tub of coconut oil for a penny. It is hard, like lard, but scoop a tiny bit out, melt it in your hand and apply. I swear, I didnt know whose skin I had on this morning! Ds climbed into bed and asked where my wrinkles had gone! ( he then ruined this by flubbering my upper arms and saying " but your bingo wings are still there")
This stuff is ace. Only downside is coconut is to DH what catnip is to a randy tomcat so need extra DH repellent. Actually, it doesn't smell very coconutty thankfully.
Try it. You will thanks me. < rubs some on Barry who is looking starved of attention>

ma good idea there - rub coconut oil on Barry, and place Barry close to your dh....

mrsmalinky that is so lovely thank you I was so pissed off wth myself - it had been 31 sodding days since I'd woken up with that horrible thirst and 'not quite rightness'. gah! I sometimes wonder if I'll ever learn..

quick hello - dh and i watching films, sipping cranberry and lime (him too!) going to book a holiday tomorrow, invited dd and her dh to join us, alls well with my world tonight, hope the same for all other babes!!

L XXXXXX

Oh poor Barry. Didn't think of that.
Oh well, he has enough tentacles to fight him off

Ladies, I have been lurking for a very very long time, inspired by so many of you, wishing I could jump in and help the hard bits (Mouse, you have had a very hard time, you sound like a great mam and I am so greatful for this thread).

I am 26 years old, have no children, but knew Mumsnet would be the place to help me. I'm a Cambridge graduate, perfect upbringing, perfect 7 year relationship, have a big responsibility job at a major media company. I do marathons, triathlons and exercise 5 days a week.

When people think you have everything, it's so hard to admit what's gone wrong. I drink a bottle a night, have had 2 today and have too many attempts to give up to count. All in secret.

I can barely type, I have just fobbed off my lovely BF and need some help. I hate what it does to me :(

Please please please someone help- I want to be entirely dry until March at least as I've discovered I'M all or nothing :(

Sorry for long post and no references to all the poeple I've bben watching for months, but i need some help x

I'm new too day 2 completed 15 hour shift in work and I won't be drinking tonight

Squid abuse that is!

Hi lovelies,
I'm not really here because I'm supposed to be studying- should change my bloody name to that! Big wave and lots of best wishes to you all.
mouse did the salt lady/ man help you work out any of nemo's new words? Glad you got a lie in.
ma hope your bro gets some help- poor man.
joey re the in laws- good idea to avoid. I agree with mia that it's best not to add fuel to the fire but I always fall for crap like that. Wish the daily fail could be banned or you were only allowed to 'read' it if you'd completed some kind of media course and understood the total bolloxs contained within. Much sympathy with your plight!
em one of my goals for this year is to join the gym again. I love it but I don't have much work on,
so it is too much right now. Late night swims and saunas are great.
'Lo there jesus and venus and Malinky

I have done a whole 33 sober days and to celebrate I have ordered a book of Mocktails from amazon I would have saved nearly 100 pounds but I'm so broke that the money I've saved from not drinking has been eaten up in bills. Never mind- if I keep going then it will work out.

I love the way the bus is open to all and sundry (some of you are very sundry) no matter where we are with drinking or sobriety. A bit of kindness and gentle support does more to encourage honesty than anything else I can think of.

Oh no! cross posts!

Hi there run and this,
run well done for delurking, that first honest step is hard and you have been brave. This is a judgement pants free zone and you are very welcome.

You are quite right alcohol does horrible things to us, takes away all our choices.Please keep posting and reading.
Tomorrow is day one- if you are ready. Perhaps start to plan for tomorrow- get rid of any booze in the house and buy some soft drinks to have instead.

Just try one day and see how it goes. I have to go now but I hope you come back and keep trying.

run you are very welcome here.
Lots of understanding and help. Good on you for all that exercise, it will help.stick with us

Run I am too 26 I know exactly how u feel I'm here if you need me

Welcome run you're in the right place to get lots of help and support

So now we're oiling Barry in coconut oil?

guggs yes I'm so glad we're not at the in-laws today, and I haven't drunk anything tonight! 33 days sober is brilliant, go you!

Feels good to be sat at home after long day at work with a cup of tea and not wine looking forward to feeling fresh for another long day in work tomorrow

Thanks to guggenheim determindem thisismytime and aliasjoey for welcoming me. I am drunk now, the shame, but hope this is the final moment to get back.

runfast - go to bed my love! tomorrow is a new day and a good place to start healing yourself! drink some water and try and get some sleep!

run well done for posting tonight, and I really, really hope you come back tomorrow (or sometime very soon).

Tonight you've take a big step and admitted out loud (to yourself at least) some of your feelings and worries about your drinking. That is a really great, and tbh I don't think it's a step you can ever back away from once you've done it. The little question is - what now? You know you're drinking in an unhealthy way and you can ignore your inner concern about that (for a little while), or you can start to make some really positive changes that will make a difference.

You're 26. God I wish I'd found a site like this 26 years ago when I was 26 (or a big sort of pen-pal network [no technology]). You can't imagine how much of my life I fucked up in those intervening 26 years. Years when I tottered on the edge of losing my high paid management job, years when I messed up good relationships and got myself into bad, bad relationships, years when I messed things up for my dc , years when I spent hundreds and hundreds of ££ on a poison that I couldn't afford.

So take a really grand step now and have yourself a bollock load of heartache. Get in a balanced place with alcohol now, and all your life you will be glad.

Hello. SocFish checking in. Have lurked for a while. Been drinking far too much for 20 years and easily a bottle (and more) most nights. Still functioning but obviously not feeling great about it.

Monday (29th January) I declared to all and sundry (neighbours, Facebook, school mums, pretty much everyone) that I was starting FebFast.
So far all good - because I can't let myself down having announced it worldwide.

Today is day 7 sober which is entirely a miracle. The last time I was sober this long was when I was pregnant and/or breastfeeding.
I'm pretty much dedicated to staying sober for February and will reassess after.

However....I'm totally and utterly exhausted by 4/5pm every single day. Is this normal??

I thought I'd have more energy. I do feel significantly better, but this exhausted feeling is unexpected.

Anyone experienced this?
Thanks

Heysocfish. Well done on the 7 days. I think it is just your body adjusting. Are your sleep patterns disrupted as this is a common problem when you first stop drinking.

thanks determinedma. My sleeping is vastly different. But previously I'd go to sleep really early due to just been a bit drunk and needing to go to bed and then wake up at 3-5am.
Now I'm awake all hours, but strangely when I do sleep it's better quality. Just want to stop feeling so utterly tired. Maybe my body is wondering where it's 4/5pm fix is.....
urgh.

That sounds typical fish. Keep at it and a more regular pattern should appear. Can you have a snack at 4 ish
to give your body a sugar boost?

I'm eating like a demon..... when this tiredness subsides I think/hope I'll feel so fabulous - hopefully enough to keep me sober forever. Being a 43 year old alcoholic mother was never on my game plan.
thanks again.

Hi there socfish and run and ma and venus and anyone up early this sunday,

run- Yup, 26 is young, good for you for wanting to tackle the booze.At 26 I was still propping up bars and drinking at home and going on all day drinking sessions with my friends.socfish It took me until my late 30's and 40 ish to even begin to question my drinking.Wish I'd there had been a bus years ago!

I was thinking about hidden drinking and someone mentioned it upthread.I reckon,based on stuff all evidence, that many women are hidden drinkers. For me the pattern was (is) sitting on the sofa all night with those special glasses of special, naice wine . When I was a young thing I propped up bars but the past 10 + years just involved sitting indoors drinking, wasn't always very much but i couldn't stop it. I think that that kind of hidden drinking is very difficult to own up to because it doesn't seem quite so bad as staggering around after being in a pub all night.

So anyhow, what I'm vaguely wombling towards it thank whatever you like for the bus- exactly reaches out to those hidden/ indoors/ 'not really' a problem drinking.

Right, back to what I'm supposed to be doing, sorting toddler out. Sodding cat's just wiped her bum all over the floor- Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Bleach needed.

A big wave to old friends and new babes.
haven't followed the thread for a while but you have all been in my thoughts.
Its a comfort to me that you are here when I am ready to get out of the sidecar.
Thanks koti and mouse for the pm's. Really appreciated..

Have a lot to deal with at the mo and its not related to drinking.
may not be posting as such for a while but will try to check in.
love to all. ODAAT brave babes

I'm in Australia so if I disappear it's because I'm trying to sleep.... :-) but have read and I think I will reread some of the old bus threads. Huge amounts of support and comfort to know that others are battling the same and so many are doing so well.