The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Off On A Journey Far & Wide, Full Of Support, With No Reasons To Hide.

[Mouseface]

Hey, I'm Mouse, one of the Brave Babes on this Bus. :)

We're heading to sobriety, in various different ways, in our own different ways, some of us are there, some not quite yet.

We're a group of non judgemental, mothers, wives, partners, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, and of course all of the male equivalents that run alongside those 'tags', but most of all, we are, or we have been, just like YOU. :) Real people with real concerns about how much we are drinking all of the time.

Our relationships with alcohol are varied, and you'll find most of us are wanting to do something about it..... desperate to stop the cycle of drinking, stopping, drinking, stopping, drinking more, stopping for shorter periods of time and then the reverse, doing ever so well and then 'something' happens and you're back to square one, a place that sometimes gets a little crowded, one little square filled with lots of people who all want out.

Sound familiar?

You're never alone here. Ever.

Come and take a seat, post or lurk. We won't bite but we WILL look after you, SUPPORT you, if you want us to. :)

And for those want to know how we've ended up where we are today, about three years on from THIS THREAD RIGHT HERE

To our last thread JUST HERE

It will be lovely to meet you so why not take a seat and have a gossip about all things booze related but also, DCs, husbands, wives, in-laws, out-laws, and everything in between.

There's always a seat for YOU xxx

this day 4 is your danger zone, any plans for tonight, anything we can do to help?

Morning babes

Fluffy, Muskrat, Paw and Thisis, well done babes!! You are all doing so well. I also happy for you. Such a hard thing to do and you are all doing so good!

Thisis I did the questionnaire too and I was scared stupid. It recommended a liver biopsy and all sorts. It has frightened me so much and, like Lonnika said yesterday, it has made me afraid to touch alcohol. I hope this feeling lasts as it is really helpful!

Like the Vodka Vixen/Vampire. I was drinking roughly a bottle of wine a night and more at weekends. Very rarely I had less but usually only because I wasn't drinking at all (if that makes sense) If I start to drink I just carry on.

Since the beginning of the year I have been on and off the wagon so overall this year I have consumed a lot less than usual. However every time I start to drink again it increases very quickly and I end up buying wine every night.

I am day 32 today. Tomorrow I am seeing an old work colleague. We have always drank together and she likes a drink too but I am beginning to see I am useful to her as a co-drinker, I must make her feel better about her consumption? Every time we go out the next day is spent establishing that she drank much less than me/she wasn't as drunk as me. Even the time she fell in a hedge (quite a deep one) and we spent quite some time trying to get her out that was my fault as I made her unsteady....!

She is a great friend but to be honest this is starting to annoy me so I will be glad not to be drinking tomorrow. I am going to say I am dieting which I need to be doing.....she is super skinny which is even more annoying. I could do with losing about 3 stone. Really feel unhappy with how I look at the moment.

Anyway sorry for the ramble, and second what Green said earlier, anything we can do to help new babes?

Pink X

Morning babes

Fluffy, Muskrat, Paw and Thisis, well done babes!! You are all doing so well. I also happy for you. Such a hard thing to do and you are all doing so good!

Thisis I did the questionnaire too and I was scared stupid. It recommended a liver biopsy and all sorts. It has frightened me so much and, like Lonnika said yesterday, it has made me afraid to touch alcohol. I hope this feeling lasts as it is really helpful!

Like the Vodka Vixen/Vampire. I was drinking roughly a bottle of wine a night and more at weekends. Very rarely I had less but usually only because I wasn't drinking at all (if that makes sense) If I start to drink I just carry on.

Since the beginning of the year I have been on and off the wagon so overall this year I have consumed a lot less than usual. However every time I start to drink again it increases very quickly and I end up buying wine every night.

I am day 32 today. Tomorrow I am seeing an old work colleague. We have always drank together and she likes a drink too but I am beginning to see I am useful to her as a co-drinker, I must make her feel better about her consumption? Every time we go out the next day is spent establishing that she drank much less than me/she wasn't as drunk as me. Even the time she fell in a hedge (quite a deep one) and we spent quite some time trying to get her out that was my fault as I made her unsteady....!

She is a great friend but to be honest this is starting to annoy me so I will be glad not to be drinking tomorrow. I am going to say I am dieting which I need to be doing.....she is super skinny which is even more annoying. I could do with losing about 3 stone. Really feel unhappy with how I look at the moment.

Anyway sorry for the ramble, and second what Green said earlier, anything we can do to help new babes?

Pink X

Normally by day 3 or 4 I feel fine but this time something is different the effects are lasting longer and I don't ever want to feel the way I did On Monday again I plan to go gym at tea time now my anxiety is a bit better. I just feel something is different this time if you know what I mean x

Pink Sounds like your friend try's to justify her drinking by putting u down when the truth is hers probably was probably worse than yours if that makes sense x

Good morning babes, sorry I've been AWOL, was actually on holiday (using the term loosely). We visit family in Italy but I always find it very stressful and this year I was very apprehensive because if events of the last few months, my issues with my depression were never really resolved due to the takeover of the "agencies" so I still felt and feel anxious and still feel very vulnerable. Anyway true to form my anxiety levels and depressive state went through the roof, that first glass of wine awakened a need for me to remain mostly half cut for a week, sneaking wine everywhere we went, glugging from the fridge when no one was looking (I'm burning with shame as I write this) the result, my inlaws disapprove of me, my teenage dd is ashamed and disappointed in me and my partner has lost faith in me.... Anyway back now and I'm skating on very thin ice here and have promised AGAIN to sort out my drinking, I was doing so well and felt so good before I went but the first sign of anxiety, I panic, literally down wine like water and keep going til I behave like a clown!!! My dh and dd know my struggle with depression and anxiety so I have got away with erratic behaviour but I know I need to fix myself. I decided to be brutally honest with all of you because you have all been so supportive to me in the past and I want to warn you the wine witch can get you anytime, anywhere so don't be me and screw up. A big hug to my old friends here and a warm hi to our newbies. Back to square one, day 2 here and I have a lot of washing to do and trust to build, need my babes more than ever x x x

This that sounds like a good plan - Pink, I think you and This are right about your friend. I imagine that tonight she will try and encourage you to drink as she won't want to drink on her own - stay strong :).
Hey we are nearly one week through our hols and doing great - we rock :)

Thanks for all the support. I feel like I have a hangover.sweaty, headache and sicky....this is hard. Got up at 2.45am and ate a yogurt...rock n' roll eh? Taking my girls to hairdresser and their tennis lessons today. No real plans for this evening..Probably weeping quietly xx

Hi Baby - welcome back - sorry to here about your hols. Visiting inlaws can be really stressful - hope all is ok now - L x.

Love to baby we have all been the my anxiet and depression caused me to do the same I think once you have had one glass u continue to dring to chace the feeling on that first glass which never comes again instead we end up drinkin to feel normal with no anxiety and depression x

Chase sorry x

But the sad thing is alcohol is probably route of all our anxiey and depression x

Thanks Lonnika, I will, it's tomorrow actually and what I am thinking I will do is just drive there without a discussion first about pick ups etc and then it will be a done deal. I def won't drink, I just don't want a load of ear ache about it either.

Fluffy, it will get better and better, start planning something for tonight even if it is just an early night and a book, or a DVD or something. Don't get to 5pm without having thought it through and planned my lovely x

Baby been wondering where you were. Great to have you back I'm so sorry to hear about your holiday woes, sounds awful. Sounds like anxiety is the trigger, do you have any medication for anxiety? Or methods for dealing with it? If you can deal with that it might help you dodge the WW at a similar time in the future. You clearly feel awful and you can demonstrate that in your behaviour, show your family you are sorry and I am sure over time trust will come back and they will be forgiving. You had done so well and this is a blip, you can do this again Baby. Hop on the bus and get comfy! And next time you are going away we will help you plan a bit better and prepare for all eventualities.

I did smile at the word clown btw! A very apt description for some of my behaviour in the past, I could die of shame when I think of some of the things I have done. Then that feeling of slowly waking up in the morning and it begins to come back to me and I think OH NO, I didn't do that? Oh yes I did....... it has happened many times though rather than just once and learning from it though.

Keep talking to us Baby

Pink X

Hi babes

Fluffy - I find getting up and having a cup of tea helps. A bad night's sleep is rotten

Baby sounds v stressful. One year I went on holiday to visit my parents and spent most evenings stealing booze around the house. I nearly got caught with a bottle of gin. My parents don't approve of me drinking as I am on meds for bipolar and it would have been hard to explain the gin without admitting I have a problem with booze.

I know what you mean paw most of my nearest and dearest know I have issues with depression and I also have Crohn's disease and take lots od meds that make me anxious so I drink wine to alleviate anxiety which makes me anxious, blah blah blah x x x x

Just popping to say I'm off on holiday so won't be posting for a while but will check in when I get back. Take care of yourselves babes x

Hey Baby Welcome back. I'm off on holiday tomorrow and will be visiting my brother again this year. Last year, the DC and I were invited for dinner. I took a bottle of wine (natch) but, between three of us it didn't last long. They produced a box of wine. Ashamed to say that every time they nipped into the kitchen to do 'cooking' stuff, I sneaked a 'not so as you would notice' fill up of my glass. Get back on the bus/sidecar and let all the Babes give you the support to find the strength you found before - and can find again. Hugs coming your way.

Hi to everyone. Sorry not to n/c but I'm up to my ears in packing. Take care all.

Day 5 and loss of 6lbs here! x

fluffy there's a phrase about 'seeing the hangover through to the end' - which is probably where you are now. When you are drinking every day your hangover recedes a little and then we start all over again. Now you are really letting your body get rid of the toxins and the toxic metabolites. Hang on in there, and give it time. It will get better.

Had trying day 4 took son to animal park felt anxious as hell when I got there just wanted to turn round n head out the way I came in how ever forced myself to stay and ye anxiety left after about 15 mins without me hope this gets easier :( I did enjoy the day in the end x

Well done this it will get easier. you are doing so well, keep on keeping on.

Good one purps though I am very jealous of 6lb weight loss in 5 days! Happy holidays to you and faire.

baby welcome back, onwards and upwards xx

Gosh today is tough. The weight loss benefits sound good, guess as a vodka drinker it will have less of an impact though. Will stay on the Train might be a bit bumpy tonight! Xx

Day 4 here too. I think I'll be fine tonight as I have stuff to do (aargh, my baby is moving from a cot to a bed, how did that happen!) but tomorrow will definitely be a testing point for me. I'm already feeling so much better than Monday that a bit of me is thinking "Oh, a glass of wine to wind down on a Friday will be fine". Except it won't just end up being a glass in reality.

Good luck to all who are struggling today x

Purple I am well jell. A thin celeb no less I look like a bouncy castle at the moment.

Keep going anyway who is struggling, it is so hard but it sucks having to go back to day one and start again and feel like shit to boot.

I am having a Becks Blue with cold lemonade as recommended by the Mouse it is absolutely lovely, so refreshing and about 98% as nice as a cold Budweiser would be right now. Only with the Becks I get to stay sober and live longer and also not make a tit of myself.

Stay strong babes

Pink X

Absoulotly shattered and honestly got no urge to drink what so ever that walk round the animal park has worn me out my love to all babes those who are struggling and those who are finding it not to bad xx sipping nice cold refreshing lemonade xx