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

Hello beautiful babes. Reporting in this morning after a lovely weekend. I was on call for my work so we didn't go far. On call always means no alcohol too, so that has been no problem. Even better, i wasn't called out so could enjoy a chilled weekend soaking up the sun in the garden.

Day 17 for me and all fine so far. sobersoc i am in awe of your 79 days!

I am now into the third of the three weeks that i vowed to give up drinking for. I need to think about what happens after Friday. DH and i are going to a wedding on Saturday then off to London for 3 nights. Both of these things would normally involve a lot of alcohol.

I have spoken to DH and he will support me with whatever i want to do. He has cut down a lot but not given up drinking entirely and i don't mind that at all. I guess i just have to take each situation as it comes and see how i feel.

I have been very surprised by the support my DH and my DD's have shown me. Especially my 21 yo DD and her boyfriend. They both enjoy a drink and i thought they might have thought i was being stupid but DD said yesterday how proud she was of me and opted not to have wine with Sunday dinner in support.

My next step is telling friends that i am no longer drinking. How is this usually received?

Anyway, i am supposed to be getting ready for work so i must go.

Hope you all have a lovely Monday.

little. I've adopted a very blasé but firm stance with friends. I'm just not drinking. I don't have to explain myself. But the longer I don't drink for the clearer it becomes to them that I'm serious. They barely bat an eyelid now.

littlewhite yes I am wondering what the faces will be like if I opt for no alcohol on friday night, it was going to be my first attempt at drinking after almost two weeks which if I manage to friday it will almost be, however I am now edging towards going free to see if I can . I have managed all temptation this weekend but its only a week so new and strong with the support here. if I can manage next weekend too that will be great but the weekend after I am off to visit elderly mum which although I love her drives me to drink! plus I will be visiting friends and brother / sil that has always involved heavy alcohol use so really doubt I can do all that sober. gosh it is scary how much of my social activity has revolved round alcohol in copious amounts. I am trying the mantra 'not today' to see if I can get my head round it all. I am not ready to declare that I have given up drinking so losing weight is a good excuse for now. I am not drinking today as I have 2 more stone to lose that works right? ok off to work now (groan)

Morning babes, that video made me cry, alcohol consumes so much of our thoughts, plans, disappointments that we are all probably guilty of not really, I mean really seeing the blessings we have, watching the opening ceremony and the UNICEF appeal shows us what true hardship is and humbled me into feeling a bit silly about mine, that's not to diminish anything any of us go through but we at least we have HOPE and each other on here if course.

Talking of the "man look" I'm 5 ft 9 and platinum blond, through years of ballet training I have a very high instep meaning I'm more comfortable walking in high wedges taking me near the 6ft mark, I'm a size 8 in a shoes with the hands to match, when I'm done up I can't help wondering if I look like a transvestite!!! Just my luck, if I were a man is be hung like a horse (sorry for the vulgarity) but I would defo not be a wankbadger.... If I wasn't so obvious (you can see me from space) I'd become a wankbadger assassin and seek revenge for all my beautiful babes on here.

Have a good day and remember every day we start with an "A" top of the class, yesterday is gone, finito..

Favourite saying "it's not where you start it's where you finish"

I love this godamm bus, off to the gym, now which changing rooms should I use today!!!!! Wanders off chuckling xx

At work now so busy, busy hands until 8.30 which helps. Holiday time never easy to cover, we have 2 students in today and they must be and at us all running round like whirling dervishes.

I am on day 18 and so, so proud of myself. There is talk of dinner and cinema in a fortnight, that will be a test for sure. One or two colleagues would like to see me slip I think and do their worst to make me. I told one surgical colleague I trust implicitly, she has told me that she will support me quietly but firmly.

She has noticed a change in my demeanour, I'm trying so hard to get back to the me I used to be.

Have a lovely day, xxx

hi all

where do I start?

I drink too much; too often. its destroying me.

how can I like myself enough to stop? I suffer badly with chronic depression and anxiety. I don't know which came first actually. I am about 8 stone overweight into the bargain but that comes from drinking too much. Its so habitual - I never look for it until 9pm - ish, after dc's are in bed. Then I will happily sit up til 2/3am so that I can drink.

Needless to say the next day or two are exhausting, physically with the runs, bloatedness, heartburn, headaches, brainfog, fatigue; as well as emotionally.My DH & 3 dc's deserve so much better than what I give them.

I would happily listen to any advice you have to give. this is a really inspiring thread x

Jenuwhine Babe well done for taking the step to post. You are so very welcome on this lovely bus It sounds like you have got to the point where you want to tackle your drinking, which is really good. There will be alot of advice on this here bus. It's not only your family that deserves better, it is YOU Can you abstain today and see how you do? Big hugs, stick around there are some wonderful wise Babes here who will help you

jenuwhine I am new to the bus too, welcome. I have just done my first 7 days so it can be done, everyone here is so supportive and many have been through exactly what you are going through. My first step was admitting to myself that I was out of control my second was to admit it on here. I made a decision to cut down and at first it was going to be just during the week but I made it through the weekend too. I bought some diet drinks and saved them for 'wine time' on friday, in a wine glass, to give myself something other than the wine to look forward to. The best advice is the old adage... one day at a time and as someone pointed out to me every drink you don't have is one less for your body to cope with. I am following SW plan and the weight comes off much quicker without the booze. Think about how much better you will feel if you can take a night or two off, you will lose weight and begin the journey to a healthier happier you. I thought wine made me happier cos at the time it seemed to but every morning I woke feeling rough and lethargic and more and more depressed. hardly suprising as alcohol is a depressant. just 7 days in I am much happier. got my hair cut today and treated myself to some of Primarks best when DH came in he said you look happy! I am and its real not alcohol induced. join us and take the first step oops no the third, you have already done step 1 by admitting to yourself and 2 by coming onboard. buy a ticket and the journey begins. good luck, you are in the right place.

Hi jenu, you care enough about yourself to recognise your problem and to post, I've said before pressing send the first time is like jumping out of an aeroplane (we can be your parachute god knows my maxi dresses look like one). Your very safe here, no one here will judge you, i am 2 months sober and also have suffered despairing depression and anxiety, you can read back my posts and see I was much further down the shame track than you. The most helpful advice for you is shake up your routine when the wine chimes ring, I took a hell of a lot of baths in the early days, never been so clean!!! The weight will come off in time but as is often said, tackle the problem that will kill you first and use giving up wine as an opportunity rather than a task. Join a weight class, go for a walk at 9 with some music, do a face pack, paint your nails, make soup, buy a great book. Anything to break the habit and it sounds as though yours is habitual. Save your wine money in a jar and treat yourself once a week, even 1 bottle a night is £140 a month and if all else fails post here as much as you need to, there's nothing you can't tell us that we haven't done or felt.

You sound so sad and make today the start of project happiness. Look at our fabulous eccles, be brave for a week or even a night, we are here for you honey, big hugs, your not on your own anymore, this bus has magical qualities and I bet you do do xxxx

Baby, from your previous description,is this you? You were great in the film...

Ps Hello and welcome Jenu, lovely to meet you, and please do stick around, you will get loads of support here. How are you doing at the moment?

Welcome jenu today is a great day to stay sober- just for today.Well done on posting here,you will receive lots of support and help from this mad bus.

It strikes me that you have very little sleep on the nights you drink? If you are up till 2/3 and then if your dc get up at stupid o'clock then you will be badly sleep deprived. If you can get through a few days of af,which does mess with your sleep at first then you'll begin to really sleep- proper deep,restful sleep. Not bad dreams,sweaty,body working overtime due to booze sleep but body and mind healing sleep. Sounds good?

Today I will not be drinking.

Waves at fellow loons.

waves back at guggenheim love that, today is a great day to stay sober... just for today.
If I could only stop weeing so much from all the fizzy water I am guzzling i am sure I would get a great nights sleep. My sweaty hot feeling seems to have gone, I wake up more refreshed after only 7 days so roll on a couple of months, my eye bags may completely disappear

guggs alien fighting loon waves back, looking I will now see myself that way, only instead of little aliens and monsters I am the wankbadger assassin, no fee required, will kill those who hurt my babes to avenge all nasty actions of wankbadgers around the world!!!!! Xxx

eccles what a difference a week has made, I'm so proud of you and really genuinely happy to hear you sounding so great, your this weeks page 3, I mean poster girl. All you newbies are just smashing, yous really are xx

Baby

Jenu how you doing?

Guggs wise words, as alway

Baby how you doing honey, I love the wankbadger assassin you go girl xx

Beaches how you doing Babe? all ok? Mwah xxxxx

Mouse please check in

Ma how was your day? x

Hope how did today go? please think about 'a sign off work' you can do it xx

Still at my brothers, went sailing today, lovely, no wind but hey, the sun shone and all is good. I am not AF but I'm not going mad for it

Luffs you all x

Eccles Day 7 is amazing Babe, keep going lovely Nothing wrong with 'flushing out'

Wry Day 18 !!!!!! that is soooooo good how are you? Have you finished work yet? I hope so. Have a lovely evening Babe

Evening all you luscious lovelies. How are we all tonight? I am mind blowingly tired but DH is away overnight so I have the whole bed to myself and I am hoping for some much needed sleep. I can't understand why I am sleeping so badly.

Welcome Jenu. This is a great place to get support. You get an open ended ticket on this bus. Hop on and hop off as you like, there will always be people here riding their own personal journey.

Thanks spanna so far so good, think I would have succumbed to the ww if you lot were not here. weigh in tomorrow so better see a loss after the week of good food and no alcohol.

Little STARFISH how lovely is that I get that every night, unless one of my DDs joins me Enjoy x

Eccles I am sure you'll see some change and even if you don't this week, you so will next that is for sure x

Oh yes spanna I will most certainly be starfishing tonight. And no snoring to listen to. And no getting disturbed at 5 am with him getting up for work. I love DH but oh the BLISS of the bed all to myself!

little a wedding coming up and then some days away with your dh..... so, to drink or not? Well let's be logical: At the wedding (if you're lucky) you will be offered a glass of 'fizz' immediately after the ceremony. I know from being a wedding industry insider that what you are drinking is usually the cheapest of the cheap. It will have been opened and poured about 45 minutes before you drink it, and it won't even be really icy cold. Somewhere on the schedule, this 'sparkling wine and canapes' will be expected to last for 2 hours while the happy couple mingle, hug, air kiss, and have a million photos taken. Depending on the location, there might be a bar where you can pay £9 for a glass of wine that cost less than £6 when it was in a full bottle.

Then on to the wedding breakfast... there will be an allocation of 2 glasses of ghastly white or equally ghastly red. So you either find the table with the teetotal maiden aunts, or the children, and line up all their drinks in front of you, or you find yourself disappointed and gasping for a drink, wondering when the hell the speeches will end, downing the half-glass of cheap fizz (for the toasts) well before the toasts arrive, and then have to fill you glass with a mix of water and spit to make it look like you have some 'fizz' left.

By this time you'll be furious, and desperate.

And so to the dancing: (and a chance to get to the bar) - except that the evening guests have just turned up and there are 50 people in the queue to get a £9 glass of wine (as before from the £6 bottle)....

Eventually you will get to the front, you'll be canny and order 3 glasses of wine (fuck! £27 for less than half a bottle!) and carry them off for your 'pretend friends'. At last, at long bloody last, more than one drink. But Oh No! Here come's the bride's old groping uncle. He's taken a sine to you (and he may even have an eye on the glasses of wine lined up on your table). You fight him off.

End of the evening: you've spent damn near £50, you've had less than a bottle of wine, and more to the point, you've wasted the chance of a lovely, cheery, celebratory day - focussing on how the hell you're going to get drunk - tbh you would have been better not going, just watching their wedding video and spending the £50 on some proper drinks while you watch....

Or am I too cynical?

Oh, and then 3 days with dh. What a luxury - I refer you to my previous post about the delights of sober sex

tbh I know, I know how a little drink can help these things to flow, but I guess that all of us here are not looking for a half glass of sherry to get us a little giddy, but need the full whack to get the 'feeling', and in truth we all know that a slurring, snoring somnolent beast is NOT an attractive sight.

If you want to connect physically, emotionally, spiritually, than go sky-diving, or samba drumming, or a yoga and meditation class. Or just do it the old fashioned way - have 3 days away, be spontaneous, laugh, make mistakes, choose the wrong restaurant and laugh forever at the awful food (and create new, and long lasting memories)....

If you're just going to get drunk for 3 days, you might as well stay at home, and get Tesco to deliver....

Another one starfishing tonight. No snoring, no farting,no hairy heavy arm pinning me to the bed and no chance of sex. Bliss!