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

beaches it's funny that isn't it. No one without an alcohol problem would find it 'tiring' being sober all the time. I know exactly what you mean. There is no escape from life when you're sober. We seem to hanker after that. Other 'normal' people seem to get through life without needing an escape in a drug. Why?? It's not like they've had a better childhood or even have a better life now? I think we're all defective.... and very special actually....If the rest of the world out there knew how special the bus babes are they'd want a piece of us. xx

Ok, I'll take defective and special, why not?! The tiring aspect is the repetition of making the right choice. It is one thing doing it once but having to repeat it time and time again, at times when it is really hard, can be draining. Drinking makes me feel like I can escape my head/insecurities/stresses, at least temporarily. (Do non drinkers/addicts not feel these things so acutely? Or perhaps they learnt ways to deal with them before finding mind altering substances.) However I am beginning to understand that there is a higher price to pay than just a hangover, for me at least. My self esteem dissolves and I am so ashamed all the time. It is uncomfortable not to have a 'go to' easy escape when things feel too much, to soothe my anxieties and to make me feel braver and more 'whatever'. Being present with my feelings is quite new

I want it to be easy. It isn't but in some ways it is getting easier. Anyway, it is really late here and I must sleep. Sorry for rambling on, seem to have hit a hump.

Love to all xx

beaches it definitely gets easier in my experience. Those hankerings and desperate desire for drink, though I still have them, are so much less intense and demanding. More like swatting an annoying fly away, rather than having a demon inside of you, all the time demanding drink.

beaches yes- that is exactly the place where I get stuck. I'm glad you resisted. I caved in and now I have to go through the whole day 1,2 etc all over again.It's something I really struggle with because there are evenings when cake/running/talking to a friend just don't make any difference.

It doesn't happen often - like you I'm managing months and months sober
: )

All suggestions for getting past the 'fuck it stage' are welcome. Personally I think I need to just keep on keeping on and it will come good.might not make sense child has just arrived to jump on me.

Morning all. I'm OK but hungover. Plus ca change......
Ready for the big do tonight. Trotting out my favourite beaded dress so I can twinkle externally if not internally. Have a good day y'all

Enjoy your twinkle ma will distracted chap be attending your soirée this evening? Xx

How are you today spanna? Have you anything nice planned for the weekend? Are you settled in at work now? Xx

Off to work again, shifts all over the place this week. Just feels like a few minutes since I got home from the last one.

Today is an easy day on paper, it would be nice if I got to just nurse, and spend time with those in need of soothing.

Morning babes

Got a period yesterday - maybe that explains my hormonal meltdown on Monday?!

wry the deal with the milk was... he hadn't a clue what he was doing and didn't check the fridge.

ma you won't just twinkle, you'll shine

ma I think twinkling internally is a bit - like having some fairy lights stuck somewhere that they shouldn't be Have a fab evening, enjoy yourself, relax and laugh, and not too much of the hardon semillion

All has settled to calm in the venus household, but it took me a couple of days to recover from 5 days of full on work / visitors / commitments. How on earth do those of you with small dc do it? I'd forgotten how utterly time-consuming and exhausting it all is....

Wry most days I feel more like this...

wry he was going to be attending originally but had to cancel as he is abroad on business. Just as well. The sight of him in black tie or a kilt would have finished me off!

Crabby that is just what I felt like yesterday! That crab has definitely got a face on, love it

Thanks to Soc and guggs for relating. I feel less uptight today too so maybe I should remember that those days when nothing seems right or easy or even worth it will come, whether I drink or not. Guggs how did your ds do at school this week? Hope all went well for the both of you.

Ma hope you enjoy your swish night out even without the dreamboat in attendance, have fun

Spanna hope you are doing ok treacle

Waves to baby, phRase, why, joey, Venus, faire and the many other lovely babes

Phrase is a bit tired after waking up at 5:30am and being unable to go back to sleep for worrying that her boobs didn't hurt quite as much as yesterday

Morning everyone,

Thanks so much to everyone for your good wishes it's lovely. And it's lovely to hear people saying 'Here's to a happy nine months', because it reminds me that it can happen (Boobs hurt again now. Wish I hadn't wasted an hour of sleeping time thinking about them )

beaches, I bolloxed my own name up a few posts back (NCing while excited) and was briefly Phras, so even I can't spell it

beaches, sober: I definitely think I'm vulnerable to drink because I'm a thinker and tend to be anxious. It gives me that release I find so difficult to achieve in real life. It has its benefits (I'm a published writer, and I don't think I could do that without having a hyperactive brain), but the downside is it Just. Doesn't. Stop. I think of myself as one big receiver dish, like the things at Jodrell Bank, picking up everything. If you're not like that I think it's easier to be calm and untroubled.

crabby, that is a nasty crab. I'm enjoy the recurring crab pics though.

Waves for all Babes - sorry I can't chat for longer, just about to set off for a couple of days walking with my best mate. Exciting!

When I say 'it has its benefits', I mean the thinking, not the drinking.

Oh, the irony of an unintelligible post from a writer. I blame the boobs.

Day 1.

Joey is feeling anxious, worried and guilty about everything. I blame the boobs too.

Facebook status: well fucked off with life, husband, job. Done nothing but eat shit ALL day. Going to bed with a DVD. A crap one too.

Hello isinde missed you.

soc best thing to do with a day like that is eat rubbish and go to bed with a DVD. Some days aren't worth fighting against.

isinde you have to read phrases posts from yesterday to find out about the boobs!

Hi guys, big giant congrats to phrase, I had a baby 3 years ago at 40 so I very well remember the boobgate, hate it when they hurt, freak out when they don't. Hated it when I vomitted, panicked when I didn't, we're here to support through it all cos your a babe and we luffs ya.

I have been out of the loop but we're all sounding a bit BLAH!!! So heads up, tummy in and tits out please, right that's better xxx

isindie if you're on day 2 that means yesterday you completed day 1 successfully - well done

venus is procrastinating and not doing 3 pieces of work that need to be done, and 2 of them are already overdue Since I need to leave here at 1pm shall I get my head down, crack on with at least one of the pieces of work and feel better about it, or shall I waste more time?

guggs is chivving ds along. She has completed the lunch challenge and has set up the toilet and getting 4yr old into uniform challenge.

School is going well,so far...

Ahem. I'm quitting my meetings (again) I'm going to stay sober but aa makes me happy and angry/upset in equal measure. From now on I'm just using the threads and blogs I follow. I feel pretty good about it. I gave it lots of time,gained strength but know it just isn't for me in the long term.

Gulp!

guggs you always have us my darling xxx

And because I love this bus of loons who encourage without trying to enforce rules.

Big hug to baby how's it with you today?

I'm very glad I went to aa and then gave it time after a lapse but I just want to make my own decisions from here on in- good and bad.

Happy sober or soberish friday to all. Today I won't be drinking and I can't remember what day I'm on. Love to all.

I just couldn't get along with aa either and got fed up with everyone telling me I needed to go, as if it was the only way. I'm on Day 5 and take a lot of strength from the bus and the SR forum. Just realised it's Friday, first weekend! Hope everyone has a peaceful (as far as possible) day.

It's a sober one for me too guggs, having a terrible time with my toddler, teenager still hates me from last lapse, dh shows me no affection and I'm overweight and jaded !!! so life is pretty scary BUT I reckon if we stick together and support each other then we'll make it through the weekend sober, as a team xxxx