The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Getting Ready For The Golden Sights Of Autumn In Search Of Sobriety.

[Mouseface]

Hello everyone, I'm Mouse :) and this is the Bus I've been on a while now!

It's filled with a variety of drinkers. Those that do, those that don't, and those who are desperate to STOP but hide it, or embrace it and get the help they NEED.

'Help' in whatever form works for them, your friend or you. Be it AA, a Local Community Alcohol Counselling Group, your GP, your family/friends, this thread or even a combination of all of the above!

You have to want to stop drinking more than wanting to breathe.

I know that right now, that may sound like a ridiculous goal.

They got sober, One Day At A Time then came here during the process to chat about it, discuss their feelings, but more than anything else, their experiences HELPED OTHERS TO BELIEVE that they too could get dry.

They might not get dry and stay dry, sometimes they'll be lying about their consumption, fooling themselves as well as others

BUT when the posters do get dry for good, come back and post to help others with their tricks of the trade or just to say 'I did it!!' my heart jumps for joy because that person, poster, Brave Babe has gone through hell and back, lived to tell the tale and now wants to share that with the rest of the Bus to see if one simple trick or technique will put them on the track to recovery, sobriety, to the life that they want to lead :)

There's two saying that have appeared to stick with us -

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

We all have our own reasons for starting to drink 'too much', we all have an excuse don't we.... we all have a "but....."

Well, as I say to Nemo (who you will get to hear about ) - goats butt!

And for those of you who want to know a bit more -

HERE IS THE MOST RECENT THREAD

AND THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN, OVER FOUR YEARS AGO!!!

See you soon x

ma!!!!!!!!!!! A cheeky snog! you so did!

Still have a really plump lower leg, from knee down really, but it's heading back to it's former cankley glory!

Oh wry. Sending you a big t'interbosie.
Feel better soon quine.

I so did!
But he's away now. Goodbyes have been said. Back to normal life. But by God it was fun to have a wee flirt!

Hey everyone
Day two down. Have had a lush bar of Lindt salted caramel chocolate, and a mug of peppermint tea. Everybody was having wine at work at five o clock (normal for my job) but I avoided.
Had a massive craving around 7.30 so went out in the car for a spin, got home, changed, played with cats, ate. If I can get past 9pm during the week, I'm unlikely to open a bottle. I have a dinner thing on Thursday night at work. There will be wine. I'm thinking about how I can handle that. I'm thinking no wine on Friday which is a big challenge. I have the girls coming in on Saturday and we have a Sunday dinner invite on Sunday to friends with the children. I'm planning to drive so no wine. If I can enjoy Thursday and Saturday without doing the dog, and skip wine on Friday and Sunday, I will be very happy. Sorry for such a long & boring post, I'm just scoping out the next few days amongst people who might understand the need to do that.

Glad to hear all the lovely news, bonuses and babies and big waves to all the busslers

I'm fine, lovely folk, a wee wobble. Hard day at work and couldn't reason it out, so took the easy option. About a third of a bottle of rancidness. Once I took the first gulp I was buggered, down it went.

I haven't any more, so this is good.. I am filling the void with Dr Who pasta shapes in tomato sauce on toast. With grated cheese and cheese and onion crisps.

My nephew will be most peeved with the plain owd spaghetti hoops he'll get when he visits.

oh ma you old bag. In the annex too. Did you have to arrange a following up meeting?

phase awesome news. Barryina is a wonderful name. So pleased you've chosen it.

hello to all my other lovely babes new and old and older still.

Yesterday was 150 days AF. I wrote a long and heart rendering, detailed, nc every babe from the beginning of days and it disappeared. It may take me a while to get over that. So I'm in sulk mode.

Not drinking. Still loving it. Still miss it, but it's not too bad at all.

will write more soon. Am on my fekking ipad which is the 'thing' responsible for losing my novella. We're barely on speaking terms.

Weather is warming up here so temptations are rife, but I shall resist. We shall win the war. We shall never give up.

It's early in the morning here. I'd better go and have some coffee.

Have almost forgotten those gruesome days of waking up feeling foggy, nauseous, guilty, ugly, fat, bloated and my liver has not been sore.

I'll be back. xxx

Oooh Backdraft's on. More void filling!

soc Pleased to see ye ma'am! 150 days is astounding, inspirational and let's face it, fecking brilliant!

I am clinging on to your coat tails Mrs. I will be better tomorrow, you'll see. xx

ma glad you had a window of happy, and some lips. I'm kinda hoping it was more of an au revoir than a right goodbye.

Evening. Tis me, Mouse

Sorry to be rude and just butt in. I've been in the pub for two hours and had a pint of lime, diet lemonade with ice and it was lush! No easy task at a pre-school committee meeting.

Day bloody two and I'm in a pub. SOBER!!! Well, I was. I'm in bed now. Not feeling good mentally or physically but tomorrow is a shiny new day.

Nemo is poorly because of his compromised immune system so has been off today. And so begins the next 6 months of colds and dreadful coughs. :(

Anyway, I'm sorry not to NC you all. I need to try and sleep whilst I can.

Love to you all. Night.

PS Ma You flarty tarry you! :D

Be kind to yourselves xxx

150 days = 5 months = 20 weeks!!!! Way to go Soc, amazing and brilliant. . I am having the same thing with my iPad, I lost two posts yesterday and was getting the right hump on, I think it is this new ios8 system.

Backdraft Wry, that should fill a void nicely

vairhona Lindt salted caramel is the ultimate chocolate treat. Good idea to talk through the week and I admit I am intrigued at what job normally has wine at 5 o clock.

X posted Mouse, sleep well furry one!

nancery after my second dd I developed post natal depression, my life went from near perfect to a living nightmare. I was lonely, paranoid about everything, too scared and ashamed that giving birth to my beautiful child had wrecked my world, everywhere and everything around me was chaos!! I started using wine to dull down the noise of sadness, loneliness and desperation and when being drunk wasn't enough I drank myself unconscious to "check out", I couldn't die cos id hurt to many people but I could leave for a while by going on benders and my parents would watch my girls while I drank, cried, kicked and screamed my way back to reality, til the next time.

One day hungover and ashamed and as raw as a soul could be I googled "I drink too much wine" and up popped this thread.

At first I thought who are these crazy people talking about a bloody bus and squids and sidecars, I soon realised the comedy of the bus keeps the thread self deprecating and light. I was shaking posting my first post, I had never used MN before or admitted my problem, pressing send was the scariest moment ever. All I got was sympathy, empathy, kindness and welcoming warm posts and I actually wept.

I'm now recovering from my depression slowly but surely and for now I'm sober for nearly a month. This strange mystical bus and it's crazy passengers have given me hope and friendship, and a big slice of magic.., xx

wry your are amazing, don't let anyone tell you different... I'll bloody gallop through our fair land and charge at anyone who makes you sad, ye hear me xxx

soc you are my shining light, your posts lift in positivity with your ongoing success, seeing the changes it had brought about in you gives me the drive to keep going, your my hero xxx

ma at least one of us is getting some action, on yersel hen xxx

Oh Wry your poor leg! When you say you were out of puff... did it turn into a PE? I hope you and your big crabby claw leg get well soon. Sorry you've had a shite day. Am sending you a big ol' crabby cwtch.

Love the pictures! Now here's a coincidence... they were taken by a blogging 'friend' of mine - I follow his blog and he follows mine. He and his wife are email friends with my mum as well, so she keeps me up to date with all their goings on! Phil is an incredibly talented wildlife photographer (and a lovely bloke) - he was a sports photographer by trade so he's brilliant at getting those action shots in the marshes!

Lately I'm afraid my battle with the WW has been more like Phil's follow-up shot though, sadly - I'm being crunched between the strong teeth of the white wine temptationgator. I did so well in September, too.

Mouse I'm so sorry to read how much you are struggling at the moment. Sending you a gentle hug and lots of . You are so important to so many people, and loved so much by so many people, both in your family and friends, and your virtual friends on here. Don't ever forget that.

Fantastic news on the scan Phrase! We have a shrimp called Barryetta, btw - 'tis a fine name.

Blimey it's like a florist's shop in here today, I'm dishing out so many flowers.

D'oh forgot the picture...

Soc Helllooooooo - 150 days is bloody amazing. (flings smock of smug over Soc's head and presents some )

Very cheery on the bus tonight. First Phrase's amazing news about Barryina / Barryetta (starts frantically sorting out a nursery corner on the bus complete with cuddly squid toy for the bus baby's namesake) and then Ma's exciting raunchy news. Come on Ma, more details please! My own love life is so dead I am choosing to vicariously live through the saucy tales of others...

Mouse, you get that Nemo tucked up in bed, and Wry, hope you are resting too. You need your leg back in working order for when you are taking your turn on duty as bus aunty to Barryella (ooh, like that one )

I am off to sleep soon as rather knackered. Made it though today without a drink, but with the aid of lots of job-loss related black humour. And junk food. Today I have had a Gregg's steak bake (I know! Thousand SW syns!), half a bag of M&S chocolate eclairs, a bacon barm, a breakaway... and this is just between 'meals' - which included a whole tub of taramasalata for tea. I disgust myself. If I'm not pissed I'm binge eating

Baby, back on the SW tracks tomorrow, you are going to have to mentor me I think, am pathetic. Still not phoned for bloods. Think with funeral and job loss do not want to tempt a third unlucky thing.

Hello to Beaches, Val, Nancery, Guggs, Joey and anyone else I may have missed.

Off to sleep now. Tomorrow I shall be mostly eating fruit and veg....

PS Crabby, was it you I spotted dressed up for a night out earlier? Took this photo for OK magazine...

Tee her. Love the classy crab.
valrhona planning is the key. Sounds like you are doing really well.
Good to hear everyone a bit more cheery and to have the fabulous socfish at the wheel. Where Are we going today/tonight soc?

Morning all! I have been up since quarter to bloody six as DS, 2, is car mad and I bought him some little cars - bit like Micro Machines, for those in the know - and he was that excited about playing with them that he was asking for them as soon DS he woke up. Ugh.
Not hungover but do wish I'd not drunk anything at all last night so I'd stand a chance if feeling a bit more perky than I do. Last night also means that there's half a bottle of wine in the fridge too, which probably will be calling out to me from 5pm onwards. Yes, I know I could pour it away but the chances of that happening are on a par with me taking up skydiving.
On a slightly more positive note, the Allen Carr book -still dull but am managing to read bits and take them in regardless - seems to be making a slight impact. According to the Kindle I am 35% of the way through too which is good as it will hopefully mean I really really will have turned a corner by the end.
I look at AA stuff and realise I'm not like that, and don't feel like I need to stop drinking forever to get off the slippery slope, but I do think that alcohol is too dominant in my life. I have realised more recently too that I 'sneak' drinks, pour myself larger measures if pouring two glasses of wine, fib about how much I've had ('no, there was only a glass left in that bottle') or com myself it's no big deal if I add soda too. That's not a healthy attitude to have is it?

Morning, tis me, Mouse

Charity meeting with our main sponsor I the pub at lunch. I'll be repeating last nights drink :)

Hope - binge eating for a while won't kill you, binge drinking can. Give yourself a break.

Just off for a nap, be back later after chores and no Ma, that's not a euphemism for anything to do with Mr. Mouse

Sorry not to chat to everyone xx

Good morning chicks

nancery my situation is totally different from yours, I was way further down the line than you are now do it's reallly good that you recognise that you need to make some changes BEFORE it's can become a more serious issue. I'm not condoning drinking but between nursery and the school gates all I hear is mums counting down to "wine o'clock", ordinary, attractive, efficient mothers who like a glass or two 2 to unwind, I suspect it would be harder to find those that don't. Practically every mum I know sparks open a bottle making dinner. I think because your a good person and a great mum you are questioning yourself but in your case maybe a few nights off early on in the week will balance things out for you in a way they you feel is acceptable.

I have a highly addictive personality, when I eat, I eat too quickly and though I have to finish first, when I smoked I chain smoked to get as many ad possible, when I drank the first glass never even touched the sides and I gulped and monitored it obsessively, that's just who I am, I'm very very highly strung snd because of my depression my moods fluctuate wildly which is exhausting and I used wine initially as a leveller, then as the next day feelings of anxiety and shame set in, the only way to alleviate these feelings wsd to drink more wine? And so the story goes...,

I'm only gutted that my addictive personality does not go as far as slimming world or excercise, that really would be helpful.

Going to get weighed tonight and going to the pictures with a friend do day 24 sorted, I'm also going to donate to McMillan my wine money if I complete sober October which kind of ensures I will, their need Is way way way greater than mine.

Hope everyone has a splendid day, so grateful to have this lovely bus, it's been life changing for me.

Xxx

Hello lovely babes

Just checking - life's gone all bobbins again. I'm ok but not very happy (it will pass)

I made it to day 3,then in teh sidecar last night. I'm ok with that though- been a while since I made it to day 3. Out tonight with a friend and not intending to drink.

phrase you're news cheered me up no end babe
Lots of love to all on the bus- reading cheerful,strong posts is keeping me going right now.x

hope If only I were as elegant as Classy Crab!

Right you know when you read slimmers success stories they all have this magical moment when they knew things had to change, well I just had mine!!!!!

I was ironing and burnt my belly, my actual belly cos it sticks out so much!!!! My cesearian overhang is so big it needs it's own bloody postcode!!! It was almost sitting on the ironing board to rest it's weary flippin belly button....,

This is very very bad and thank god I'm going to rejoin tonight!!!!!

Right you know when you read slimmers success stories they all have this magical moment when they knew things had to change, well I just had mine!!!!!

I was ironing and burnt my belly, my actual belly cos it sticks out so much!!!! My cesearian overhang is so big it needs it's own bloody postcode!!! It was almost sitting on the ironing board to rest it's weary flippin belly button....,

This is very very bad and thank god I'm going to rejoin tonight!!!!!