The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Off To Find The Summer Sun and Sobriety!

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse :)

Welcome to the Bus, take a seat and enjoy the ride. We're a Bus full of drinkers, non-drinkers, those who are trying to give up for life, those who are giving up for a few hours because that's all that they can manage (which is fine!) or quitting just for today......

We don't wear Judgey Pants (they're far too last year darhling ) but we have hugs a plenty and tough love when it's needed. Which isn't often!

So, what have you got to lose? If you're reading this, you're thinking that you are no longer happy with the way you drink, which tells me that this is the Bus for you. :)

If you'd like to see where we've been so far and what we've been up to, take a peek HERE

And if you want to knnow why we're here in the first place, take a look at THIS THREAD RIGHT HERE :)

See you soon x

green profound and sassy, bet you've got swishy hair too. I am putting £5 a day away normally spent on wine, more at weekend so lets say £45 per week plus £20 for the cigs I only smoke when tipsy (every night) that's £65 per week and a whopping £260 a month and I won't even buy myself a lipstick cos I don't feel I'm worthy!!! To all you cutting back or thinking of stopping do the same for every bottle not drank and I reckon we could swap the bus for a private yacht and sail over to Ladame for a visit , with a naked buff captain at the helm!!! Ahoy Captain x x x

I'm restricted to being at home due to dd, but I have lots of plants that need re potting, window boxes to sort out etc. Then I'll have a bath and get my pyjamas on so I'm not tempted to go to the shop.

If I go to the shop dd comes with me, she commented the other day when I bought 2 bottles of wine She usually doesn't notice, now she is getting older I need to be more careful.

baby that is an inspired idea. I live in the same old clothes and never treat myself because "I can't afford it", but spend all that money on wine.

Now you're talking baby hmmm who should we have as the captain........

No swishy hair unfortunately it is dry with split ends but my bum is getting smaller :)

Thorn sounds like a plan, might do some re-potting myself this evening.

green how long have you been off the booze??? So I know when my bum will get smaller xxx

baby i've not given up completely but have averaged 1 night a week for about the last 6.

That brilliant, I'd love to do that, not for a while but it would nice to think that someday I could enjoy a glass and not a box with friends. On tv al these gorgeous women with bouncy curls are sipping wine in the hazy sunshine laughing throwing their back in the sun, when I try to follow the example I only ended up throwing my head down THE TOILET, It's very seductive and I think booze advertising should be banned. Sorry bit random but it's been in my mind since I stopped, it's everywhere I look x x x

I'm doing a paleo diet which is low carb and I think it really helps with the wine cravings. I was a sugar addict and now I don't crave sweet things. I think this has helped a lot.

Sorry x post. Umm can't say I'm managing it particularly successfully at the moment. Last Saturday I chucked it down my neck like no tomorrow. Sometimes I think when you abstain you subconsciously think you can make up for it when you do drink!

Agree re the TV it all seems so innocuous.

I know, especially on the soaps, they all look great with a glass of wine in their hands. Me on the other hand look a shambles, but that's RL for you. Well I suppose I'd better get out my pj's☺ thanks again for welcoming me on board.

Tried to do an embarrassed face but never worked ( epic fail on my part) but I am a newbie x

I'm off to google paleo diet! My stomach is enormous, like a huge beer belly I actually look pregnant . It's really out of proportion with the rest of me.

I have a wine waist!

thorn me too, it has gone down loads in a few weeks. Giving up the wine alone will make a huge difference to your belly. It makes me retain water. A few days off the wine and I lose 3 or 4 pounds in water retention. Vanity is definately a good motivator for me!

whatever you are forgiven :)

whatever I thought you just had a lot of pj's!!!

Lots and lots according to my previous post

Day 5 today, nearly lapsed when I was out and dh called to tell me to pick up a bottle of wine for saturday. Told him I'd get wine for saturday on saturday as I knew we'd end up opening it tonight...

green I'd be happy having 6 out of 7 af days a week, provided I didn't binge on the day I allowed myself to drink. In the past I didn't drink frequently but I when I did I went overboard and most of the evening would be a complete black out. I know I'll have to be careful that I don't start that again, not sure it'll be possible....

baby glad to see you sounding so positive :) I really like ladame's bhalti theory, I quite agree that the day to day stuff is boring and taken for granted, no one notices until you don't do something!

What is this diet of which you speak? I too have a bloated pregnancy gut which I hate. I need to reduce carbs but full on low carbing is beyond me. I need to eat meals which fill me - no feckin lettuce non crispbreads - and they need to be quick to cook and not full of fancy pants ingredients. Anyone got any recipes? Goes without saying that I need to stop drinking.......
I volunteer to crew the yacht if I get to sleep with the captain.

Ma I think he'll be pretty busy on our yacht

well for all my flannel I am drinking a glass of red. Reason - open bottle in the house, old habits die hard. Not to worried so long as it doesn't lead to drinking tomorrow too. I will have a couple of glasses on Saturday at dinner with friends then that's it for the week, gastritis won't handle any more. I actually count myself quite lucky that I have a couple of health issues that curtail my drinking or I'm in pain.

annie you did the right thing - no Wine in the house! my downfall tonight has been an open bottle I purchased to make coq au vin yesterday.

Ma diet is Paleo Diet - there are loads of recipes on line but you do have to cook everything from fresh so not always easy.

babyj so glad you are feeling better today. I seem to remember crohns can come and go in flares and remission. So I hope you can take some time to think ahead in case you get another flare. Sorry if you are not comfortable thinking about this, I was just so concerned for you, I've been there and I know the pain plus the loss of control is horrendous.

Please think about some strategies:

Is your current 'maintenance' drug treatment enough? Do NOT believe that you are not worth the doctors time! If your flares keep recurring, you can't function, work, parent... live.

If you do get a flare, can you get medication sooner, quicker, or try an alternative to the steroids that doesn't make you go doolally? You need to tell your GP that your quality of life is cheap, and it affects everyone around you.

Mental health. Maybe it was just the recent illness, but your recent posts were so unhappy and I was very concerned about you. And you beating yourself up. Sorry if I have overstepped the mark, I just wish I could fix it for you.

Joey xxx

Evening, tis me, mouse

Hello to Whatever - I get the urge to say it in a Catherine Tate stylee of Woteva Sorry! Welcome to the Bus lovely, you've had some great advice and it's fab to have you here :)

Wine Waste Haters - I now have a waste. I real, tapered in the middle waist! Yes, low/no carbing and crackerbreads once a week other than water are shite diets if it's not your thing......... please, just have a peek HERE HERE HERE because you could use some of the ideas from the posters and cut down on your carbs and sugar, afer all, that's what sugar turns into, carbs!

It's not easy to do, you can have white wine, and vodka but it's not ideal obviously! But there are some quick and easy recipes on there, keeping things like ready cooked hard boiled eggs, cooked low carb sausages, cooked chicken breasts, cheese, quiche with no crust etc are all good to have in the fridge but have a look.

I have lost 6/7lbs and inches from my body. You do have to drink lots of water - which you should be doing if you are drinking anyway - but I feel fantastic healthwise. I really, really do :)

(apart from my pain of course)

It's worth a peek at least? :)

Well, the posts from you all are much more positive today and that makes this little (literally!) Mouse :) from furry ear to furry ear!

Our burglar alarm has died (only just fitted) and as we go away tomorrow, we've had the engineer here for most of the evening, and coming back tomorrow.

And DH has to give a statement to the police in the morning after seeing a car being stolen from a disabled elderly man near us. It's his mobility car FFS, absolute SCUM! They'd come to the front of his home, knocked on the door, he'd gotten out of bed to answer it and the other guy broke into the back to get his keys from the kitchen It's a sick world out there and the police are certain it's the same gang as it's now the 5/6 theft in the area in the last 2 months.

We're a rural village where the most exciting news is that the vicar has won the local Jam Making Competition or that one of the neighbours has a new shade of beige on their walls!

Anyway, I've not read back properly but you all seem to be doing ok with the quick sweep I did.

Big hugs to those MIA - Edin, Crabby, Glad and ALL others xxx

Off to pack a bit and watch a bit of TV.... then sleep I hope, Nemo is dreadfully unsettled right now, lots of night terrors and screaming with nightmares..... he says every night "I don't want to close my eyes Mamam Bear"

Anyway, be back tomorrow lovelies :) xxx

joey in no way have you overstepped the mark, I am very open about my disease to increase awareness and let others with it feel they can discuss it. I am very close to have a colostomy bag and I guess I am trying not to make a fuss as the conclusion will come sooner and I'm just not ready yet, I think all these thoughts and steroid induced emotions have all contributed to my alcohol issues. The flare up will subside, even today has been better. When my tummy is bad is affects me on every level but like toothache when it stops it's not such a big deal that I would want a colostomy bag for the rest of my life. Sorry to hi jack the thread on an unrelated issue and I'm very very grateful that you should care so much, nearly day 3 over and the weekend will be a massive challenge but for some strange reason I feel sure I'll get through it without alcohol and you guys have been amazing. If anyone is lurking please come and join us, truly wonderful things happen right here, my sincere hugs, truly touched, thanks lovely joey xxxxx

Baby - one of my closest friends has had her lower intestine removed, and bowel too thanks to crohn's and various other illnesses related with that in itself. She is on hospital again just now and has 2 young DD's, both have learning difficulties and one has severe behavioural issues.

She has been in and out of hospital for months and it crushes me to see her going from a strong, funny, woman, to a crumpled, frail frame of the lady I first met years ago. It's horrid.

BUT - she knows that it's happening, she knows why, she knows what her life is going to be like from here on in and she has had to embrace.

Baby - you have been through sooooooooo much sweetie, behind closed doors, no-one sees who we really are, what we really go through. Our pain, our personal torture, whether that be health or money issues, work, relationships, dealing and coping with the day to day life of being at home with your DC....... life is hard. Please Baby, don't ever think you are derailing the thread from the way it runs, your life is important to US. To ME, to YOU.

If your condition makes you reach for the bottle to ease your pain and symptoms, then I can relate to that like you wouldn't believe. It helps make the sharpness more fuzzy, alcohol blurs the reality that may or may not lie before you. YOU. YOUR LIFE. Not me, not my friend who I went to see today, YOU.

So, what goes on, away from your screen, your posts matters. It really does because it brings you back to the Bus. We are all here for each other because we can be but sometimes, you have to talk about YOU so that WE can understand what it is that YOU face.

Lots of love to you Baby - I hope that you find peace and sleep tonight.

I am really going now!!

Stay safe Babes xxx

mouse and baby and everyone else suffering in pain physically, mentally or emotionally, sending love and strength through the ether.

thorn how are you getting on tonight?

Stopped at one glass here, stomach raging < slopes off to bed punching self in face>