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

Get orf my opal fruits.
Didnt even suvive more than one day of venuscamp I'm afraid.

Sorry guys. I am what I am.

Don't worry ma I didn't do venuscamp either (although I did watch with interest)

but I so wanted to do it! It was only 5 days ffs.I wanted to do it!

Day 4 nearly done, hurt my back at the gym, a tad over zealous me thinks, I swear I heard the rowing machine creak under my weight!!!! Love to all xx

Well I think I've been on here nearly 2 years! I joined in March 2012 (can't find the first post, but there are posts from isinde and ma and venus and of course mouse welcoming me, as well as others who have since fallen by the wayside

So now I have a collection: shiny gold lifetime Bus pass; 'Official Sweetie Monitor' badge; Cycling Proficiency badge and unofficial home-made 'I've-been-here-2-years-and-am-now-a-long-timer' badge

Such a lot I've learnt in the last 2 years; about how I handle anxiety; how addictive alcohol really is; how wonderful it is to wake up without a hangover.

Some things I still need to learn: can I really control my alcohol around other people (and do I want to) how to find meaning and purpose in life if not at the bottom of a wine-glass; and what ma really did when she said she was busy polishing her triangle (and whether Derek was involved)

I think I'll be around for a while yet...

Poor Derek. If only he knew the way his name is bandies around on here!

CONGRATULATIONS JOEY!!!

Bloody good for you! Life has been hard on you over the past two years, sometimes to the point when you would easily walk away from the world... you'd had enough and you wanted to get off it!

We've all been there.... watching the arguments between twat a and twat b......

Do you know that it would have been easier for me to say "well you're all right, I can't and don't want to do this,

Now I have my boy to keep me goin ma and................................

Night xxx

Morning All
I'm in the sidecar, but I am sticking around because actually I really like being sober, but the next month is going to be fabulous and I can't delude myself into thinking I am going to do it sober. But I do want to stay aware of my drinking and still have as many AF days as possible. And in May I shall be back in the drivers seat.

I'm still a million times better than I was when I started this journey so all good.

I'm very much in Venuscamp though. Today I'm having lunch with a girlfriend. Is there anything better in the world than lunch with a girlfriend??

ma the thing about VenusCamp (so far) is that there is nothing in it that says you can't drink. So that means there is nothing to fail, nothing to feel guilty about, and nothing that you have to do if you don't want to.

You don't HAVE TO go back to the start and be x number of days behind anyone else. You can do any of the days you like, in any order, and if you like one particular day you can keep doing it whenever you like. Or none of it.

VenusCamp is not a magic wand, it is simply that I am fed up with feeling so much guilt in my life. Guilt for not being a better mother / daughter / friend / wife / partner; guilt for thinking unkindly (really, really despicably unkindly) about some of the people in my life; guilt for not leading the perfect healthy life, for sabotaging my own heath / wealth / happiness..... So VenusCamp is about loving me, accepting myself, exploring the long-forgotten little things in life that make me feel deeply happy. It's not intended to be a difficult regime (for ultimately we all have potential to fail at that, thus setting up another bout of guilt). In fact, in YOUR words ma, it is all about saying "I am what I am......"

And then adding on to the end of it "......and that's OK".

So reward yourself for being who you ARE, and reward yourself by doing something nice, or by imagining loving yourself completely, or by just having fun and being child-like. But only if you want.

^^ " So VenusCamp is about loving me "

You know I mean loving yourself, not loving ME

although I'm always happy to accept adulation and applause

And so today at VenusCamp we're getting creative. Anything at all which is in the slightest, vaguest way creative.

It could be one of isindie's awful famous poems, it could be sticking paper and wool and glitter on a sheet of paper, it could be trying something new to do with nutella. Don't worry if you're not the arty crafty type - get out the colouring pencils and colour something in without going over the lines, or doodle on the edge of a newspaper, or make a hat out of newspaper, or create a new mocktail, or invent a new hairstyle for yourself / dd.

We're not aiming to create amazing works of art, or world famous recipes, just to enjoy giving free rein to our creative brains - the bit that likes to experiment and try new things.

This is my creative offering for the day:

There once was a Goddess called Venus
Said "nothing can now come between us"
Till something went wrong,
It was stiff, hard and long.
But sadly it wasn't a penis

Can I join in please?

Still feeling defeated on the work front,still mostly sober. I'm not in a bad place but not a good one either,at least until I leave vile job.

I've been burning my essential oils- geranium and lavender to help me to calm down. and I've been doing some lovely craft stuff with ds.

So love to all and a big squeeze and thank you to venus this has come at just the right time for me.

x-post

Can I just make it clear that it isn't venus' penis which has come at just the right time!!!!! I am a Laaydee after all. Ahem.

guggs

inside this is an ongoing issue for you isn't it? Maybe it's time to redefine "who does what" guidelines. The good old fashioned rota may state the obvious but things written down seem more official. I really sympathise, it's clear you work very very hard but sometimes our guilt cos of drinking stops us standing up for ourselves, it happens to me all the time, big hug xxx

Hey isinde

just wondering does DP have a reason for not doing hw /diy etc? The reason I ask is that I sort of had to learn how to do it. I procrastinate to Olympic standards so had to use fLYLADY /unfuck my habitat to sort out what to do and how to get started. Would that help in any way?

Is she awesome at gardening or cooking or just not really doing anything other than childcare of course? The rota is a good idea.
Is it a control issue? Anyhow- big hug.

'Lo there baby how are you today?

Hey guggs I'm doing fine, on day 5 and cleaning out cupboards, sunshine is amazing but it don't half show up the dirt!! Happy and relieved to be fully capable of housework and laundry, just as well as there's squillions to do xxx

Hi babes, I was whisked off in a blizzard along with the power and the roof tiles . Back in the land of the internet now and running water, thankfully. .

I veered off Venuscamp (drinking) although have started a gratitude journal which is aimed at keeping a positive frame of mind.

Sorry not to NC but a big, all encompassing squeeze to you all xxx

Hugs right back at you Beaches. Am lounging in Babyjane's Venuscamp tent feeling like I am at a festival. (sorry about the awful coughing baby, still not recovered ). My being nice to myself involves going to bed early with a book, though the one I am reading right now about an unsatisfactory marriage is a bit too close to home. Sat in car in rain right now while ds at athletics, then going home to pack dd up for PGL camp tomorrow. Will try to check in later and say a proper hello.... (waves at everyone)