The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Springing Into Spring Like Super Spingy Springs On A Springy Day!

[Mouseface]

Hello everyone, I'm Mouse :)

Welcome to the Bus, Gerald. Of course it's an imaginary Bus, and we're all aware of that, but we've been on this Bus for a bloomin' long time now so this place kinda feels like home.

See, the thing is, we're a mix of drinkers, non drinkers, total abstainers, and also posters that are or have been, somewhere in between, around the block and back again!

There are no hard and fast rules here, just No judging, No bitching about others and most certainly No expectations of YOURSELF.

No-one can say what will or will not happen whilst you're posting here. You just have to take the ride, One Day At A Time.

There are two sayings that we have painted down either side of the Bus :-

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

You've started to read this thread for a reason, and you'll either carry on and maybe Name Change (or not) and post, walk away, or realise that this is all about YOU, cry for a bit, and then come and take a seat :)

For those who would like a bit of our almost 4 year history, have a read of THIS TRULY INSPIRING THREAD

- AND THIS IS OUR PREVIOUS THREAD TO THIS ONE

We're not a quiche or a clicky group, four years is a long time and longer when you're pissed for some of it, so whilst the threads may look 'clicky', I can promise you, it's just that we all 'know' one another because we've been here for a bit but you'll soon get to know us all, who loves what (CHEEEEEEEESE), but we were all 'new posters' at one time, weren't we? :)

Hey Venus. Still trying to make the company survive. Things a wee bit better but the long term picture is bleak. Lovely boss is working for no salary at the mo which can't continue.
I love this job and so want it to work out.
A meet up would be nice, just hard to commit to a time right now as we have to empty the office to move to a cheaper location so will have a few late evenings.
Maybe we can lure indie out of hiding

So I have made it through day 4 - over the moon :). - I know it is not long but for me it is a very long time. hope all babes on days 1,2 and more are Ok - I hope babes who ate drinking are Ok - fingers crossed I sleep well tonight.
Thanks to all babes on the bus I have had another sober day x

Well done 70hours

I've made it to day 3 and an aa meeting. might just make it up the stairs before sleeping.

Oh it turned out that the fat fingers and face were not just due to my advanced age and lack of slimness. Drinking may have been a teeny factor too.

I know that without the bus I wouldn't be resisting. Thanks babes for helping me through day 2.

Sleep tight.

Hello Lush babes

I'm heading into about 2.5 weeks. Seems like an eternity, but I'm feeling strong so not tempted at the moment.

Lay in bed this morning thinking how nice it is to wake up feeling so great. So I reminded myself of exactly what it is that I don't miss. I'm going to write it down. I'm not meaning to lecture, it's just good for myself to note it all.

My tummy no longer hurts (right where my liver is!)
My tummy is no longer bloated
I remember going to bed
I remember the evenings.
I don't have to try and figure out where I hid the bottles
I don't have to try and pretend to remember conversations
I don't have to hide in the evenings pretending to work in my office so that I can surreptitiously drink
I don't wake up and spend the day in a guilt ridden fog
I don't wake up at 3am in a cold sweat having to gulp down water and then toss and turn for a few hours and eventually fall into some sort of terrible sleep at 5am.
I remember stuff I'm supposed to remember
I don't spend my entire day wanting to drink and wondering how I can engineer a drink
I don't have to drive to different bottle stores every day pretending that I haven't been there for a a few days
I don't have to try and get rid of empties
I don't have to drive around with ^^ empties in my car looking for somewhere to throw them away
I don't have to worry about driving over the limit ever.
I'm much more patient with my kids
I actually get to say good night to them properly.
I'm a much nicer person
I'm doing stuff I want to do (run, write, play piano)
My job is going really well
I've lost weight.
My skin positively glows in the dark
I'm reading (and remembering what I've read)
My eyes are white
My teeth are white
My confidence is great (this part other people may not be enjoying so much because I'm feeling so much better about myself I'm not tolerating bullshit)
I'm interested in people because they may be nice and not wondering if they're going to be 'fun' to go out with. IE. Whether they're pissheads or not because anyone who doesn't drink is clearly boring.

All this shit (and much more) I carry around with me when I'm drinking. It's really not worth it.

xxxx

Great post soc - day 5 for me - still not sleeping great - last night I dreamt I was drinking it sent me into a panic - I woke up and remembered I hadn't - what s going on !!!!!! still keeping on keeping on and hoping that I will sleep better tonight :). Will check in later - hope Guggs, Beaches and Ma have all woken up refreshed and sober -

Morning babes

Slept like the damned last night and feel good today.Going to bed sober is wonderful,minus the spinning room and knowledge that after a short sleep I'l wake up sweating like a pig. Great list soc a fab reminder of why sobriety works.

I think alcohol effects hormones as well. By my age (speak up,dearies) I must be perimenopausal. When I drink the symptoms are much more noticeable but fairly minor when sober,stands to reason that booze tinkers with hormones ability to do whatever the bloody hell it is that hormones do in the human body (think my understanding of science may have let me down there)

I get the knitting thing too! I try to do 'worthy' things too often and make life hard for myself. This time i shall embrace silliness and let go a bit. I don't need to run marathons whilst saving whales,getting my nails done would be a new venture for me.

rural Big hug- all in this together x

guggs yeah let's be silly, perimenopausal and unworthy together...

Love the list Soc. Even though 2 and a half weeks seems such a marathon from day 3, you are there and telling us it is possible and not only that, it feels good! Really pleased that you are feeling so empowered and I, for one, am particularly excited at getting skin that glows in the dark .

One of the things I beat myself up most about is that I am a crap Mum. All the guilt and anxiety makes me impatient and snappy then I become over attentive to try and compensate. I know it must be confusing for them and I am not sure how much is me, my hormones and natural demeanour or how much is related to the drinking. I am pretty sure I am an 'up and down' sort of person but when I am not drinking it doesn't seem quite so hopeless and overwhelming. Uh oh, over analyzing - must be that bloody full moon again! Or perhaps I could be peri-menopausal too

Hope all you babes are having a good day. By the way, why have we got a icon?

venus I get very bored tidying or cleaning, so I do tend to flit from one thing to the next. But as long as I'm busy it all gets sorted eventually and no-one really minds if the house is in a bit of a muddle now and again.

Great list soc. I would add that I have more money. Last week I was out with friends and my drinks were 35p each (lime and soda). Before it would have been wine, at least £3.50 a glass, so massive difference.

70 I used to get those dreams too. Also, when I'm dieting I often dream that I've eaten loads of cake! And when I was quitting smoking, I woke so disappointed with myself because I dreamed I had been smoking, then I was hugely pleased to realise that it was just a dream

I think your subconscious is giving you a message. How did you feel when you realised it was a dream? Relieved and happy? Then you know you made the right decision not to drink in real life.

I think drinking exacerbates all our feelings and emotions actually. Either really high and excited, flushed, talkative, etc. or depressed, slurring, sleepy and everything inbetween. I certainly experienced all sorts of symptoms which have all cleared up since I stopped/cut right back on my drinking.

beaches wow I'm impressed that you remembered about my work and the extra hours! Your memory is better than mine - I can barely remember my own children's names....

How is your diet going? I gave up sometime around Easter but at least I'm still cycling and going my crunches.

Hi babes, I'm so glad to be back, just read back a few posts and I already feel like I've came home. Had a tough few weeks in RL but I'm on day 3 and the mist is clearing. I will read back and I'm so glad to see your all doing so well, socfish your post has inspired me beyond words, hugs to all xxxx

Back on the tuft!
Sorry.
Just can't get past one day

Hi all - night 5 - struggling like mad - going to have a bath and an early night - Ma I have tried and tried to get past day one this is the longest I have done in 6 months - hope you are ok - Goodnight all !

Ma I find day 1 is the hardest to get past - once I've had one af day I think 'well I didn't drink last night so I can tonight'

Rubbish day today, weather foul and I couldn't be bothered to go to the gym. Feel totally demotivated to do anything, and frustrated that I'm wasting my time off work. I think I need to somehow schedule stuff into my days off so I don't have hours ahead off me with nothing to do - and nothing planned with the dds. I'm really not good at the whole 'being a mother thing', and I can see that I make it worse for myself. I feel bored/depressed, don't do stuff with them, they get bored, fight, I'm then angry/frustrated, and so it goes on...of course I see this clearly at 9.30 when it's too late to salvage the day

ma, ok so you did one day, then next day you didn't, maybe tomorrow will be another day one, maybe the following day won't.. but hey, isn't that better than drinking every day? Feel good about it, not bad about it.

Sorry to all that I'm not reading back and name-checking. mouseface is always so good at that - noticing who is here (and noticing who isn't), and finding something personal and encouraging to say to everyone. I miss her posts, she is such motivator. If anyone is feeling un-noticed or unloved or feeling that their posts are not getting a response, please, please shout out on the thread - shout NOTICE ME but please don't slink away.

Ma you are going to get off that bloody tuft if I have to carry you up that hill myself!!

What you need is a goal. Running again? Or something different. Have you heard of the Tough Mudder? Watch the video and tell me you don't want to try it

Or if that makes you want to faint, Cancer Research do a 'Pretty Muddy' 5k run.

Or you could just listen to venus who is far more kind and gentle

Anne we all have days like that, especially when the children are young and the weather is bad. Letting them build 'dens' in the house is quite a good indoor activity.

Activities where they have to concentrate to make/build something. I used to save used cereal boxes, etc. to let them stick together and make 'stuff'.

If they are a bit older, plaster of paris is good fun. They can make casts of their hands and feet. You can make anything out of paper mache (just use flour and water as a paste). If you make a volcano shape you can put baking soda and vinegar in a bottle with a drop of red food colouring and create an eruption. (Do it in the sink though & protect clothing). Just google Kitchen Science Experiments for more ideas.

If all else fails, fall back on the old adage - there is no such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothing!

Wrap up, wellie up, hood up and get out there to splash in puddles. Hot chocolate to cosy up with when you arrive back home soaked.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow x

Oh my! Mr Motivator was a snappy dresser

Joey I do tend to remember little details about people, there is another one but it involves glands dogs and will horrify isinde if it gets mentioned again!! I did ok on the diet and managed to shed 8 or 9lbs but have lost momentum now and am eating more of the wrong things. Like you I am doing some sit ups and some random exercises to try and firm things up a bit.

baby good to see you posting. I am on day 3 too and fighting the demon tonight. Dh is settling down to a glass of red....

Hi to Ma, faire, 70, Venus, Anne, soc, Spanna, rural, obrigada, guggs, why, mouse, hope and any other babes who may be about.

Day 6 - why am I still not sleepin - where is this fantastic sleep of which you all speak ? A going shopping today to treat myself - I deserve it!!!

Hey babes

ma it WILL happen- why don't you ask Richard for help? Ask him what he would do or to come and have a sober evening with you? Not that I am really in a position to offer advice on getting sober.

I'm not great at NC so hi to all.

annie I loathe the way the good motherhood is being promoted as someone who entertains and teaches and cooks and dances a bloody fandango while balancing a pineapple on her head! Nope. Being a good parent is about attachment and that simple involves being there,talking to and touching your children. You did that on a rainy dull half term? You're an awesome mum. Bugger Mary Poppins.

baby how are you doing?

I am feeling sooo much better. Can you tell? Day 5,Round 2.

beaches oh yes hi, my name is Joey, and I'm a Secret Anal Gland Squeezer

I was at a wedding this afternoon, and it was a bit showery. Immediately after the ceremony there was an announcement that the group photo would be taken right away (in the few minutes while it was dry) and would everybody wait till afterwards to get their celebratory champagne.

OMG you should have heard the complaining. It wasn't like they were being asked to go without the drink, just wait until after the group photo. A few people decided they would just buy a drink from the bar n the meantime (hence delaying things even further), and overall I don't think that is going to be the happiest pic of the day!

I was a bit but mostly I was - I could almost hear my own voice / see my own behaviour being played out before me. It's not pretty to see yourself being mirrored in others.

alias - please don't. I was channel hopping the other evening and saw something very similar on Embarrassing Bodies - aaarrrghhhh!!!!