The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Wading Through Winter Blues Without The Booze!

[Mouseface]

I'm Mouse, nice to meet YOU.

This is a thread for those who want to give up drink completely, or are maybe thinking about doing controlled drinking, or cutting down slowly, it's all up to you. And of course all addictions, so if you are taking drugs of any kind, prescription or otherwise, you're very welcome here too!

You know your limits, you know what is required, it's all in YOUR hands.

Whatever your goal, you'll find unconditional support here. Always. :)

There will be talk of drinking quite often and those who fall off the Bus will post about it, so if that is going to jeopardise your chances of complete sobriety, then maybe the DRY threads would suit you better, as they are complete abstainers, but EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE :)

There are two sayings that we rather like here -

1. • The Vulnerable Need Our Support, Not Our Judgement
2. • Alcohol Fosters Inertia

For those of you who'd like some history, here is the very first thread and the reason that we're all here now. FIRST EVER THREAD

And the most recent so you can work your way back through time IS JUST HERE

The Bus may be 'mythical', but the support is real, it is honest and it will help you to achieve what it is that YOU seek, as long as you are honest with us, but mostly, YOURSELF

Mouse xxx

Thanks everyone. I went out for ea tonight with a friend and stuck to lemonade. I never do that- ever. I wasn't even slightly tempted and it was a nice feeling. I've read these threads though and know that will wear off. The crippling anxiety I felt yesterday and Monday was worse than any other I've felt after a heavy weekend and while I feel better today (back to normal really) I KNOW this is where the count down to the weekend starts and I do it all over again. In a way, I need to keep reminding myself of how awful these last two days have been so that i don't convince myself it didn't happen. That awful anxiety drove me to this board and that wasn't a figment of my imagination.

I don't know if it's controlled drinking I seek or abstinence. For now I just want to be normal. I still feel poisoned from my heavy weekend and calculated earlier that I packed away around 125 units over 4 days. I've never calculated before and I've never felt more disgusted. Certainly made me realise that I've been throwing stuff into my body without a care and that just will not be happening again, whether I decide on abstinence or controlled. I don't even have a fucking decent reason for doing it- I have a pretty good life. I'm so cross with myself.

I'm, how are you doing honey? How many days now? Keep checking in x

why - hugs for you - good to see you around. Any updates?

Anne your work sounds awful. How are you all coping?

Ma -can't wait to hear about your big night...am almost as excited as if I were going.

Day 11 here. Time for bed now, can't nc as on phone but love to all x

hope your doing amazing 11 days keep going x
Things are not very good here - one day I will be free- still sober.

I haven't slept for four nights - It's getting really boring now. At least with a drink I actually got some sleep. Ho hum. One minute at a time at the moment.

Aw, I'm, keep going. One day you will be free of him. I am gonna be around on my phone today, and can message you this evening if you need a chat. You are amazing still being sober with all you go through.

Morning my lovelies, had a horrid sleep last full of nightmares and felt panicky, I'm not drinking but dh is away and stress levels are high. I am seeing a councillor and hope to get to the bottom if these horrid dreams, they have plagued me for a few years and were at the root of my booze increase. I'm on day 4 and I'm going to try for a sober weekend, I haven't managed it for a long time but the weather is getting better and I want to embrace spring slimmer with less wrinkles and a bit of self esteem. guggs great to see you, your fabulous as are you all xxx

ma I hope you have the time of your life today, you sooo deserve it xxxxx

Hi baby good to see you. What's happening with the dreams? Hope you can get to the bottom of them and find out what's happening.
Day 4 is good

to you all from me. It's wonderful to have a place like the bus to be able to go to.

ma have a fab time and tell us all about hot kilted man

Waves around bus then runs off to hide ...just purchased champagne for my b day

Feel I'm making a huge mistake

Im when is your birthday babe? I can see the desire to reward yourself, you have been doing exceptionally well on the af front. I wonder about the situation though, have you got any idea of timeframe for moving? I would be inclined to save that champagne for the time you can really celebrate your freedom. I can tell you from experience that after a long spell of not drinking, it can be a fast return to old habits

If it feels like a mistake, it probably is one. Xx

Morning babes

I'm I agree with beaches. I had 37 days AF and then had a couple of drinks and I'm really battling again.

The past 2 nights have been really hard, but for some reason I've managed not to drink despite having every intention of drinking. I think I'm back on about day 9 but it feels harder than ever. NOT drinking is the answer.

I woke up this morning so grateful not to have a hangover. It's not worth it.

x

When is your birthday I'm. Got any plans besides buying champagne?

It's in just under two weeks x

No not yet not sure what to do still thinking of something fun

Thanks beaches you have summed it up well for me

Soc glad you said that as that's what I think will happen if I drink x

Morning all sending you strength
day 29

Well done I'm- that's pretty much a whole month.

im you are awesome, tell me do you feel different mentally or physically? I'm offline for a few hours babes up get my screen fixed (hooray I hear you chant) so I'll be back, try and behave you lot!! Xxx

D'aaaaaarghh! Just walked into a shitstorm of trouble at work, because we have no staff and because I cannot be in ten places at once... Multiple clients fighting over our time and on my own managing the whole North of England being criticized from 6 different directions . That has ruined the weekend for me now, will be worried about Monday morning. I hate my job. Feel like a drink and it is only 8.55am. D'aaargh!

Hi everyone. I've not drank since Monday, which isn't really an achievement as such because I don't always drink in the week anyway. It's my weekend greed that scares me. My family are visiting this weekend from very far away and as there's a birthday amongst us, it's gonna be tough to avoid getting annihilated the way we always do when we are together. I've spent the entire week reading various boards, ordered books and read all the back threads from here. I've downloaded a drink aware app and I've really been smacked up the face by how little regard I have had. I feel great physically and already see how patient I've been with my dc but you know what....the horror of Tuesday morning hasn't left me. I've bought a load of milk thistle, kudzu and multi vits. I'm also on St. John's wort again. I don't know if I will come back here Sunday and say I've had an af weekend, what I do hope to say is that I didn't get smashed and then lay around all day feeling rotten. I hope to say I had some bloody self control.

Thanks everyone. Have a fab weekend.

fated don't worry about not NC everyone. I have a terrible memory, and can't remember the names of more than a few people, let alone what they're up to. To avoid offending anyone, I usually don't namecheck anybody at all.

Waves to everyone

babyj I've had nightmares and night-terrors, and they can really make you miserable. I guess alcohol makes you less nervous about going to sleep?

One thing I found was my nightmares were worse when I was tired - so staying awake to put off the moment as long as possible was the worst thing to do! Also, do you take any herbal supplements to help sleep? I recently found out that a common supplement - valerian - actually causes nightmares in some people! I now take melissa instead, and that helps.

Well, that was a night and a half!
groan my head!
Lovely boss and I didnt get to bed till 4am - seperately i hasten to add!(though I did get a hug)
lots of lovely chaps in kilts and djs and mess dress, everything went to plan and loads of good feedback from everyone. Am happy, hungover and tired but it was fun.

ma you poor thing! Glad it went well

Hi babes, been drinking most of this week. Not huge quantities, about two glasses, but it's not where I want to be. I'm frustrated with myself as I'm not drinking enough to get drunk or even much of a blurred around the edges feeling - can't cope with the hangovers - yet I'm still having a drink. It really doesn't make any sense at all. I've been to the gym every morning this week (I'm off work) but I'm undermining my efforts with drinking confused

Evening, tis me, Mouse

Ma - I know you're hungover and feeling a bit shite but you had a great night out. with lots of dapper chaps and enjoyed yourself! You actually got some time to be YOU!! :) x

Annie - you sound so fed up Babe, you're fire fighting at the moment but the flames are getting higher. Do you think that you have had a drink all week is because you've been off work? Could that be your trigger?

I'm so sorry that you feel frustrated and confused but you are right in the fact that you're wasting the gym time the moment you have a drink. If you don't have a drink, how do you feel and how long have you been AF in one stint? x

Faire - you've given me a really sore neck nodding along with your posts! And venus too! Such wise babes and lovely to see new posters joining Gerald's Journey.

I'm - 2 weeks is lots of time to decide if the not drinking the champers is worth it or not.... another 2 weeks will be almost a month and a half that you will have been AF! THAT IS AMAZING! :)

I hope you're all safe and have had some sunshine today, I've found that it really lifts my mood! Which thanks to my new meds, is very unpredictable..... I fall asleep, slur my words as my mouth is dry and my memory is worse than ever but my pain levels are lower in my hips, so I have to take them and hope that the side effects will wear off.

Hope you're all okay, or as okay as you can be.....

Lots of love,

Mouse xxx