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

Just an observation, I have not sat down all day and spoiled everyone in the house, not one sod notices my efforts and I'm knackered and feel taken for granted, this is one if my biggest trigger but I will not drink... Does anyone else drink just to "shake things up" on an otherwise soul destroying ground hog day existence?? Xxx

at soc. Cute but tasty!
Welcome little
Hi to all.

babyjane, yes I feel that too.

Well the night has passed again. Trigger times for me are around 6-8pm. If I can get through those, Im laughing for that night. Except on a Friday. Or a saturday, its unheard of to get to 7pm without a drink on a saturday

I'm away to bed. Night lovely babes :)

Mouse xxx

wahooooo.
gotta get through Thursday now.....eeeeek.
hope everyone slept well xxx

Morning babes

well done little- one day at a time.

baby that sounds tough. A uni course or a sales job might give you a break from family life - don't mean to be rude about family but looking after everyone else is exhausting.

I don't yet know how moderating is working out for me. That might not make sense but I have a feeling that within a year I will be back at my meetings,because that's how these things go. But I need to find that out for myself and no amount of listening to people in aa telling me that this would happen is enough to make me change my mind. If I can't make it work then I go back,if I can moderate then I will be very happy!

Today I am going to take some time for myself and read some of the sober websites,books etc. I haven't done this in ages and I think it will ground me and help to keep me on track.

Hope everyone has some sunshine today and hi to everyone.
Just for today I will not be drinking.

guggs I an reading a fantastic book by George McGovern who was a famous political figure called Terry: my daughters life and death addiction to alcohol, it's beautifully written and shows how alcohol can ravage the life if a very very nice lady, I'm only at the start but have already see myself in the character. little you did it girlfriend and hope the nails look fab, I struggled last night but thinking of you staying strong really helped me, I'm so glad your here. Day 4 here and I'm trying to process my feelings without wine and toughen up at home cos I've been a doormat here due to my own guilt and inability to cope so this is the beginning of a long journey but I reckon the day has come, love to all, sorry for my long self indulgent posts but I'm thinking aloud and it's helps me read back, I'm thinking of starting a journal to track this process xxx

Morning all,
Going to try for another day 1 today...
Lambs still coming thick and fast
Isinde good to see you posting and wish you were here to help with lambing, could do with a rest at the mo
Soc can tell there is farmer in you. More than in me I think.
I want every lamb born to be a ewe (girl) not a tup (boy) as we keep nearly all ewe lambs for breeding not eating . Having said that I eat lamb occasionally but not often and not at lambing time at all, just couldn't. Too soft for a real farmer .
Will be rearing any tiddlers (orphan lambs) none as yet but there are always some. Love lambing and handrearing the tiddlers but does make for extra long days and is hard work.
Hope all those AF on day one or day 101 have a good sober day.
Haven't read back yet but will try and catch up with all the news and new babes later.
Back to lambing.
Catch you later x

So fed up. I know, compared to others putting up with violence, abuse, financial issues, really my problems are minor.

At least now I'm aware. 2 years ago I was drinking and no idea what was wrong with me. Now at least I know it's probably menopause and alcohol definitely won't help. (Although actually I did sleep better on Tuesday night after a couple of glasses of wine..But thats probably co-incidence. I havent bought any more. )

When I was 21 I read Our Bodies, Ourselves and became a feminist overnight. Decided I would have natural homebirths, breastfeed till they were 2 and refuse to change my name upon marriage. Oh and I was going to embrace the menopause as a normal, natural stage of life, take pride in my womanhood, and not get sucked into the patriarchal system of medicalising a normal female event!

Needless to say, none of this has come true. And quite frankly, Im all for drugs now, lots of them.

Afternoon, tis me, Mouse

So, how are we all today?

I'm just off to Nemo's Easter Service at the village church, he has to sing a little bunny song..

I shall report back :)

A little bunny song! oh how sweet!

I've just booked a GP appointment and I'm going to ask about HRT

joey I feel for you, my flushes and sweats are becoming more apparent too, though I've a feeling with my on/off love affair with white wine may feature heavily in this!!! I often think it's strange it's call the MENopause though men do pause a lot particularly before a task !!! Hugs to you, sorry if it's a sweaty one. mouse I have an adorable image of your little fish, so so cute. rural hope all is going well with the lambing, sounds hard but rewarding.. Love to all babes winning, losing or just getting by xxx

Think I might have read that book too joey. Let us know how you get on. I'm not sure if I'm in the pre- menopause stage but I would quite happily bypass all of it,and land at the 'done with the whole sodding thing' stage.

Yeah- wish we could curse men with symptoms of periods & menopause. There you go Mr Gove- full on endo and flooding for you!

rural I admire you greatly but an a bit terrified of the countryside in general.
mouse how is that bunny song going? got the waterproof mascara on?

afternoon all.
struggling like hell today, my usual triggers, work just horrendous, got to see ex h tonight, it's Thursday.
bf has already said he'll cook dinner and bring wine and I didn't reply either way, feel so poo.
But, been for a run and now running a bath before going to lo's play tonight, so hopefully mood will improve and whether I drink or not, it certainly shant be before a primary school play!

hope everyone is ok xx

Snuggles up to Indie in the sidecar.

Dh and Ds off to Liverpool tomoz and not back until TUESDAY! massage with Derek tomorrow to kickstart the weekend. If the weather is ok I plan a walk on a beach somewhere then bedding in on a sand dune with a flask of coffee and a good book.

Sounds like bliss ma

Isinde I wonder what that was like for your non-drinking friend. Gallons of full fat coke sounds like a good strategy. Bet she was glad of that the next morning.

How are you getting on little, did you make it through Thursday? Hope the play was good

Hello all :)

The Easter Church Service was amazing and all the little ones, the ones in reception, were all so tiny and wee, they sang a song about bunny tails and floppy ears and all the white soft bouncy mites. Nemo was with his carer and waved like mad when he saw me and signed his song :) he was super tiny away from other

Off to bed now as I have a busy week!

See you all tomorrow xxx

Mouse, sounds adorable! So idyllic and cute - bet you were so proud. Love those moments in life

Littlegreen, hello, you are doing so well. How was tonight? Keep posting so we can cheer you on

Rural how are the lambs doing? Wish I could visit. You could do a side business as a rural retreat for stressed city babes who fancy a bit of farming! Who's driving tonight? Can we go? Can we?????

Or could go to Isinde's Spa place? Whereabouts in Liverpool is it Isinde ? One day I will skive off work and do something for myself, I keep promising my inner rebel

Ma - enjoy your 'me' time without dh and ds. Is dd1 still on holiday? How are things?

And the rest of you, you are scaring me with this menopause talk. I blithely assumed I would one day go from the pill to HRT with barely a break and carry on as normal... don't say this is something else I need to worry about??? Already my doctor keeps trying to put me on a progesterone only pill due to my advancing age... I'm sure it was only yesterday I was 25!

PS Guggs - congratulations on leaving the job from hell. As someone still in one, I am applauding your escape enthusiastically from the sidelines!

Anyone up or awake at all? Not been here for a while hoping to join in again

I'm up and awake, flumpy, although I've not been around for a while either.

I found that when I was struggling, this thread was problematic for me, so I decamped to DRY. Not because everyone wasn't lovely and wonderful, because you all are, but because some of you are trying for moderation and that always made me think oooh, I'll give that one more shot... And that didn't work.

Anyway, I'm 28 days sober today. How are you, flumpy?

Hi, sorry had some ridiculous cookies issue there! I'm struggling tonight because no matter how long it seems the obstacles still come up, the memories of a time before I even knew I had a drug addiction when it was fun, you know?
And it's all such hard work reminding myself why I've changed and why I won't go back.

At the bottom of my heart I KNOW I won't go back it's just working through the obstacles!

May give up on sleep tonight, T minus 2 hours, not much point x