The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Sipping Super Summer Mocktails Whilst Soaking Up Some Sun.

[Mouseface]

Hello, tis me, Mouse

I'm what some would call a 'controlled' drinker these day, but I wasn't always and I'm not alone on this wonderful bus, Gerald, when I say that.

We have drinkers who drink each day, those who abstain completely and those who are not sure what it is that they actually want just yet....

We won't judge you for drinking, no matter what your reason is, we've all been in your shoes somewhere along the way!! And we have ALL used every excuse under the sun too!

We have some Babes who ride on the Roof-Rack, (clinging on for dear life ) and then we have an expandable Side-Car, which some Babes use, but the bus, well, the bus, our wonderful Gerald, who takes us here and there, to pick up people in need of an unbiased and much needed ear to listen to. :)

There are lots of ears on this bus, and not a single one will turn you away and not listen!

Two things that we do believe here are -

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

If you are lurking and reading this thread, there is a reason for it, isn't there?

Stay lurking or come and say hello! We don't always bite.

And for those who'd like a bit of history, HERE'S THE LAST THREAD

And of course, THIS IS WHY WE ARE ALL HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, A VERY AWE INSPIRING READ

See you soon x

Guggs slam away I've been a bit feet stampy today

Wry how's your hair?

Beaches hope the move is going smoothly, mwah xxx

Rural hope all went well. please get in touch when you can, let us know you're ok xxx

Hope oh babe Friday sounds like a mare. Family meal, I hope you have a lovely evening. Biggum hugums to you lovely one x

Mouse how you doing? Hope you're pain levels are under control and that you're having a lovely weekend x

Little are you still humming those tunes today

Baby how's your day been darling? I hope you've had a lovely time x

Ma hope all DD2's bits are successfully moved, so she's in Spain, how fab are you to organise the move. you are such a good mummy xxx

Have a good evening Babes xxx

Little walk away from the red, go and find a lovely cold soft drink pleeeeease, you are doing so well don't wreck it for a glass of red. Think back to last night and what a fab evening you had WITHOUT ALCOHOL!!!!! YOU CAN DO IT Kick that saggy titted witch away. Don't let her beat you

little as I am well down a bottle of white, listen to *spanna"

spanna I wrestled with the saggy titted one and I am now sitting sipping a lovely cold elderflower cordial and soda. Round one to me. WW has been banished. I feel strangely proud.

Smock-of-smug to Little woo hoo, well done for kicking saggy tits you go girl.

Isinde wise words Babe xxx

Hair is Beyoncé caramel wi blonde highlights. Highlights seem subtle at mo. Previously fetching shade o elvis but I'm quite Italian looking so got off with the darkness quite well.

It actually looks a bit darker in the photo but you can get the gist. They had to put on an 'undercoat' before the main colour as it seemed to have been v patchy. As I said, they didn't let me see. That was very scary. I caught a glimpse of one side of my hair and a four inch square piece was platinum blonde!!!

Work are brutally honest as a rule. That will be my test.

I will have to seriously rethink my makeup though, today's face looks wrong now. I got home and it pissed down rain so I'm now Beyoncé with a fro. Think Crystal Tipps and you're aboot there

Ooh that looks awfy glam wry.
Mine is just ....erm...purple

... Oh wait, I am not at the games am i?

Nice hair wry. Mine is so bleached with the sun it is almost white and my hairdresser has had the cheek to go on holiday.

little smock was presented by Isinde but thank you, it's very fetching, you keep grinning inanely babe, you deserve it

Wry your hair do looks fab babe x

Oops. Sorry Isinde I was a bit over excited there!

evening babes...

i have had a bit of a revelation. i opened a raspberry cider tonight....its still in the glass. ive tried a bit but i just feel ill....
i just dont want it.

id rather have the soft raspberry drink i got.
thats good innit?

Vicar that is really good Babe

Wry I love your hair colour! The shininess is amazing too.
Little Well done. You have great self control. Wear that smock with pride.
Vicar Me too! DD had super tantrum which left me feeling like crap mom at bedtime. DH was out. Just felt a bit flat after dealing with the screaming. Cracked and asked for a glass of Bordeaux when he got back. But... left it where it was. I just didn't fancy it at all and had a cup if tea instead.

Off to bed feeling super smug on day 8 x

vicar and margaret We can share the smock-of-smug as we have all done very well tonight not to give in to temptation.

Morning all,

Day16 here, amazing! Other than pregnancy I don't think I've gone this long without alcohol for about 20 years!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Well done to all of those wearing the smock of smug.
I have done my usual of getting a grip, cutting down, losing weight,feeling better ....and hitting the self destruct button. sigh I am such an idiot!
Will try to get back on it.
No real plans for today. No doubt demented father (genuinely demented I mean) will phone again to panic that he has lost his watch, which I out into the jewellers yesterday at his request to have the bracelet altered. Think he phoned 4 times yesterday, plus me going round there twice...

Morning All

Ma you are far from an idiot you are a funny, sensitive, intelligent, warm lovely lady. you are in a cycle that is hard to break. it's that 'reward syndrome' and you have broken it and used pampering (lovely massages) , work (Number 10), walks, jigsaws and many other activities to distract yourself - you know you can do it. You had a busy day yesterday getting DD's stuff sorted and you had your reward. please don't beat yourself up. Is there anything that you really want to do today? Eat a Roast, go for a long beach walk, book in for a pedicure (I know it's Sunday but maybe somewhere's open?). It must be really hard with your Dad, loads of patience required I should imagine Come on have a lovely day and try and smile and keep that head high. You are truly an amazing person

Fatty Day 16 is awesome, that must feel like a real accomplishment before you know it will be one month x

Good morning all! You are all too kind! I've re-straightened it (post rain frizz) and dabbed a bit of serum on it, and I still like it. All good. Today I shall mostly be playing with makeup. My skin tone looks a lot warmer. Normally I'm a pink, plum and purple girl but I'm going to play with tawnys, golds and greens.

I also channelled a bit too much Beyoncé yesterday and phoned him again. Feeling all strong like y'know. That went well. I said here we are again, you playing your little power trip thing again as you know who weakens first. He's admitted he doesn't love me, but still wants to be with me, then came out with a heap of shit how he doesn't want anyone else as he'd only compare them to me, yadda yadda.

Then proceeded to tear me down listing all my 'faults'. One of which was that he does all the cooking. Granted, recently this is true. Only because his kitchen is so cluttered I can't work properly. I can't even stand at the hob as it gives me the itch. I have sorted his whole house out so many times, only for it to end up a state again that now I just don't bother, he won't keep it up.

I bubbled a bit, admittedly, but then said if I'm so awful he doesn't really need me anyway and it was maybe time to move on. He went into waah mode, I'm so depressed, I've put on so much weight, I drink too much and that it was all my fault.

For once in my life I was quick with my comeback. But how can it be my fault you've put on weight? You do all the cooking...

Knob.

ma Oi! You're not an idiot, a blip, that's all. Today is a new day, xx

Isinde Good morning lovey! I fight a constant battle with grey, my mum has beautiful bright silver hair which looks stunning. How I wish I'd never started dying mine. I may shave it off at some stage and start afresh, but only once I'm a bit thinner or I'd just look like a fat bloke. I see so many blog things about how to grow it out, but vain as I am, I couldn't cope with the regrowth ring of shame. xx

Fatty Whoop! Well done, go you! xx

Margaret and Vicar how good are you!? The temptation was poured and you left it! More than I could do for sure, true strength there! xx

spanna What are you up to today? Is the sun shining where you are? It's lovely here and feels much fresher after the rain. xx

little I love an elderflower cordial too. Pleased you wrestled awd saggy tits and won. Bet you look gorgeous wi your sunbleached hair, all summery like. xx

LittleLab and I are off to the river, I fancy having a bit of a sing in the sunshine. Little will be giving me The Look for affronting her in front of her friends but tough. She does a marvellous withering look. If my lovely dog could tut, she'd be a grand master. I am armed with coconut water for us both. I may even have a swim. Bliss.

After that, back for Columbo and my ironing. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Bliss.

See you later lovelies, have a fab afternoon! xx

Hi ladies. Well done to all who abstained last night and support for those (like me) who aren't able to at the moment. Though I only had a couple of glasses (due to being hungover from Black Friday)

Today I have just been working because nauseated with fear about workload next week. And then had a beer (secretly) to tamp down the panic. Waiting for OH to get off his PC so we can have a bit of a family afternoon out but nothing is moving. He hates family days out really, I have to force him and usually I would rather just go myself with the kids, but as he has said he will do it grudgingly we are all waiting. I wish we were like other families who plan fun stuff to do together all the time (and put up smug facebook posts so I know what I'm missing!) We were supposed to go to Liverpool to see the Giants today (my idea) but he wouldn't because of the crowds. D'aaaagh!!!!

Baby how is your weekend at the caravan going? Hope you are getting on OK and can feel our support - remember we are just parked nearby. If you look you will see fellow campers staring at the bizarre sight of a bus with a sidecar and a load of fab babes sitting on a roof rack with a giant inflatable (oo-er).

Wry like the hair. How are your make up experiments going on? Good on you for sticking up to other half. I would like mine to disappear quite frankly. Though would like my big untidy house, job and responsibilities to go away too, but don't think the kids will run away with me just yet...

Isinde whenever I imagine you, I imagine some warrior queen figure, not a fat bloke, so stop spoiling my image!!! (though I am battling with getting fatter now past the mid-40s. I remember a lady I used to work with who was older than me getting to 45 and just ballooning and now she looks like a fat old grandma. Do not want that to happen to me, but it is almost impossible to diet and exercise under present circumstances. Double D'aaargh!)

Beaches good luck with the move

Rural hope you are recovering from the op

Fatty well done on day 16.

Ma hope you get some time to yourself today

Waves to Guggs, Sober, Spanna, Littlewhite and everyone else.

Hope mouse is OK.

Right, off to get dressed (yes, at this time!) and go out by myself if they won't come with me

Dreading work tomorrow, the very thought is making me feel ill. Also feel a knob for crying on Friday. I am 47 ffs, and have a reputation for being quite hardcore. It is so embarrassing to let stress get to me like this, but have just filled out an HSE stress survey and don't think you can score higher than I just did! I am sending it to my union tomorrow.

Will see you all later when I inevitably can't sleep tonight and start posting my insomniac ramblings at 2am ....

Have a good Sunday afternoon all....

spanna thank you. I think I will go for a walk.
Just been round to dads again and endured the saga of the missing watch AGAIN!
indie as warrior queen - love it!
wry don't let him win. You are totes amazeballs and deserve way better. He is a twunt. And a wankbadger. So there!

I'll never keep up with names and the speed of chat, but still think this is just a great place, I would never have the strength without reading all your stories. I am Mrs smug from smugsville today as it is 7 days since my last drink and not only did I cope with the pub after the cinema on wed but actually did a pub crawl with DH yesterday with no alcohol we did a 5 mile walk round the coast passing through lovely village where we sat outside two pubs and DH had beer and I stuck to fizzy water, then back to our Cities old quarter by boat and sat outside two more, picked up the car and I drove DH home. I was so chuffed with myself. I do however take heed of whoever it was that said not to beat up if you lapse, that the pressure of being sober every day leaves you feeling worse on the day you lapse. or something along those lines, I can already feel myself going along this route, there are things coming up that I really cannot see myself doing without a drink, part of me wants to kick the WW into touch forever but part of me wants to be able to still drink my way through events... sigh. I like the advice upthread to try each event once to see that I could still enjoy myself without booze, next test is friday night meal out with work crowd, I was planning to let myself have a few but am now wondering if I can actually do it sober. Those of you who have gone weeks / months can you tell me it gets easier? especially once the self gloating novelty of control wears off?
babyj how was the weekend? that was a brave thing to face, sure your friend will just be pleased to see you and doing something positive.
wry the hair looks lovely, how on earth does it stay in such condition after all that bleach etc, mine is frizzing just at the thought

evening babes....loving the "smock of smug"....might have to get a T shirt printed!

no alcohol in the house today so today i will not be drinking. im going to go for a run in a bit when the whether cools a bit. then a bath. then a lazy evening before bed - work tomorrow. yuk.

ma - you are so hard on yourself - dont be.

i havent abstained completely all week but most days i have - and when i have had a drink its been 1 glass of wine.(faints) i honestly didnt think i could ever stop drinking like this and its been a revelation. im really enjoying nice thirst quenching soft drinks....Crabbes do a raspberry with a hint of ginger that is absolutely lush.....ice and a slice and it could be anything.( its defo non alcoholic! i checked!! i know crabbes do some alco pop things) but its far more enjoyable than that raspberry cider i opened and left last night.

i feel so much more in control, i think for me, the purpose was that. to feel in control of the drink rather than the drink controlling me. i dont feel like i need it daily - ive proved i dont this week. im still not going to buy a bottle of wine in for now - i want to feel totally and utterly in control before i do that and im scared i wouldnt stop at 1 if there was a bottle of wine but im learning....im remodelling my drinking habit.

better drag mys sorry arse off for a run.... really dont want to - im not that virtuous ....but i have a fitness test to do next week and i suspect that this time i might fail it....