The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Soaking Up The Warm Sunshine, Instead Of The Warm White Wine!

[Mouseface]

Hi, I'm Mouse :)

Welcome to The Brave Babes Battle Bus.

A place for pouring out your heart without being judged, mostly because a lot of us have been exactly where you are right now, or somewhere similar.

We've been around for a while, so there's not much that we've not seen..... or heard.... or been through ourselves.

Some of the Babes are newer to the Bus, some of the Babes have been here on dear old "Gerald" (The name this Bus was given by one of the Babes, I forget who now!I suspect IsinDe or Silver) for a little while longer!

EVERYONE is welcome here. Drinkers, those who are complete non drinkers, and those who are somewhere in the middle of all of the above. :)

Some Babes are in control of their drinking, some not so much. It's dreadfully hard some days, days when there is nothing going around your head except thinking that you MUST have a drink and you sit there trying to work out when, what time you can have that first mouthful of ice cold poison.

Whatever your goal here, or why you're here, we'll all help you along the way, YOUR WAY.

There will be one of us on here that can relate to your life story as if it were a mirror they were looking at, someone to hold your hand if you want it, catch you if you fall, which you may or may not. Positive thinking, just One Day At A Time.

No one Babe is better than any other, we've all been addicts. We've all suffered, yes some more than others but it's not a competition (and no-one gets turned away) but if you rack up shed loads of sober days, you will be a winner on the thread!!

So, if you want somewhere safe to sit and enjoy the warming summer sun, come find a seat, have a chat or just sit and listen to the rest of us yakking on!!

Nice to meet you :) all.

Also, here is the latest thread -

THE LATEST THREAD WE'VE SHARED OUR STORIES AND EXPERIENCES ON

And this is the very first thread -

AND THIS THREAD, THIS THREAD IS EXTREMELY SPECIAL BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE JOURNEY STARTED, AND HAS SINCE EVOLVED OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS

Hope to chat soon, Mousey x

Hey there Ma. You really CAN do day 2 and think how good that will feel. Apparently your liver needs 48 hours for a clean out so as beaches says you can have one tomorrow if you must safe in the knowledge you've had at least 48 hours off. have just had to walk away from shouting at the kids in frustration and that open bottle of wine is sitting there but I AM not GOING TO SUCCUMB. its just a voice in your head saying you need a drink - tell it to shut up and listen to the another voice that says I absolutely refuse.

ps sounds a bit naff but I find that cooking a new recipe sometimes helps me take my mind off the booze - lots of prepping and chopping with a nice fizzy water, lime juice and ice. I am going to make a nigel slater thing from the sunday papers tonight - some chicken in a tomato, garlic ginger sauce with rice. Although I do know that the kitchen can be a right old trigger - cant be avoided though so am trying to recast it as a place for adventurous cooking rather than getting pissed.

Cant work out how to do those emoticons? Help?

Evening all :) well today was hard work - so much to do, no time to do it in, deadlines looming, and the mother of all hangovers. Classy. On the upside, I got rather a lot done once I'd had a serious word with myself, and just knuckled down.

I have got easy quick food in for the next few days as I don't think I'm going to have sufficient oomph to cook anything complicated. Or anything, in fact. Can someone please kick my arse into actually taking the super mega vitamins I bought, and the super greens I bought? I really struggle to look after myself, perhaps part of me thinks I don't deserve it, I dunno.

Ma you can do it - I know you have a lot going on, but just imagine how nice it'll be not to wake up all fuzzy in the morning.

Thanks all. Have had a bath, drinking tea and fighting, fighting....

popstar that sounds delicious! Wish I was your dinner guest . The emoticons are under the message box, in the smileys list - you basically type the word and encase it in square brackets. Emboldening needs to be encased in *these stars.

cat well done on all you have got done today. perhaps you will find as you build up the af days, the looking after yourself better will follow.

Well, I have an evening shift tonight - good luck to all of you fighting WW, kick her to touch, she is an old trollop! Xx

Go Ma [waves pom poms]

ma - already nearly 8pm - day 2 nearly done - how brilliant are you? wish I could pass you a plate of this chicken....

cat - now is the time for those vits and greens - will do you the world of good...

for everyone

practising my emoticons...

ha! it worked!!

about to have a fizzy lime and breathe.....

Hello to all and thanks to those looking out for me. I'm so sorry but today is all me me me and I am too tired and selfish to read back properly - but my thoughts are with those who are struggling. Let's all hang in there and keep each other safe.
Tough day at work, bad sleep last night (overdid it on my 'last' night) and so shaky now. Feel slightly teary and very snappy. But oddly not tempted to drink - I know I must stop and my resolve is firm. Sleep is overwhelming so am off to bed - thanks and thoughts to and with you all.

Well done small.
Huge thanks to all the babes who are getting me through this. Nearly 9pm.....

Vit duly popped Popstar. Fox you have my sympathy - I was there too today.

Ma you are definitely nearly there - hang on, hang on in there. Any ogling to report and distract you/us?

Btw and totally off topic - is anyone else having difficulty with the MN app on phone/iPad? I haven't been able to log in for days, have even made sure I have the right password and everything . Really frustrating, I so wanted to check in with you all today.

I think they've took it offline due to all the hoohah a fortnight or so ago. Off topic again, I'm being head butted by a very purry cat :)

Ma ? Did you crack day 2 you brave lady? I've just made a cuppa and turned on my work computer...

I did it!!!!! I am in bed with a cup of tea. Day 2. Been a long time since I could say that. No soldier ogling to report over the last few days, more's the pity. Thanks all for the support tonight. You guys really genuinely kept me going.

Hi, sorry I posted and disappeared but I've been busy getting the kids back into school and getting over this flu thing. It was so easy to say I wouldn't drink for a month when I was feeling sick, but as I'm feeling better I'm starting to think about it more. This is day five and I'm doing okay but I think my weekend will be difficult. Once the kids are back in school I'll sit down and read through some of your posts to get some hints for the weeks to come. I can go for quite a few days without a drink, but when I do drink I binge and it's been getting worse and worse lately. I don't think many people realise how much of a problem I have. I'm using alcohol and getting drunk to avoid other issues in my life that I need to face too.

What do you do when the cravings start? Once it starts it just runs through my mind and I can't stop it.

Do anything snowball but do something! Tonight I had a bath when I first came in from work to stop me reaching for that first "unwind' glass. Then I cooked dinner - tricky time as cooking and being in the kitchen is a trigger for many of us - then I made a shopping list and meal planned, made a few notes on a work project and checked work email, watched The Hairy Bikers, then in bed just after 9 with a cup of tea. It is NOT easy so well done on day 5!

You take it one minute at a time.

Do something, change your routine, go out of the house, go running, swimming, hula hooping, do naked handstands (last one do indoors though).

Get busy with your hands, gardening, sorting cupboard, photographs, knitting, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, colouring, painting, clay modelling (play dough for grownups).

Distract yourself, phone a friend, catch up on emails, post on mn, search for kittens on youtube, come and chat on the bus.

Grit your teeth, bash you pillow, stomp across the fields, accept that it's not fair and it's tough but also accept that it will pass. And it will.

D'you know what, Faire? I reckon you could sing your last post to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it"... I think my brain's gone a bit strange.

Ma congratulations - well done lovely x

Well done Ma!!! I think you can do day three. It helps me to think of the addictive voice talking - not really part of me, just a voice in my head doing me down - and telling it to shut the fuck up I am in charge. And kind of getting off on that. Mind you its my birthday on Thursday and I'm going out with drinking buddies and I will drink. And it's when I start I can't stop at 3 or 4. I think I will need to put a limit on it and try and stick with it.

I may need to get the mobile app for some help from you lovely babes on Thursday evening if that's ok?

I'm also motivated by getting quite scared for my health knowing that so many cancers/ brain/ gastric/ liver stuff is alcohol related ( but not solely caused by alcohol unless of course you fall under a bus in an alcohol stupor which lets face it I've only avoided by bloody sheer luck these last thirty years!).

And I had my kids late and quite want to stay alive to meet their kids.

Blimey , sorry , bit of a rant there!

Feeling very inspired by you lot and you especially dementedma -NICE ONE. We can do this!!

Dunno about happy and you know it but it reminded me of that Choose Life rap from train spotting ...

Hey babes, just checking in. Sorry been AWOL, setting up business, seeing bank, accountants, then new job started today officially but did a few days last week too, and there was all the palaver with getting kids back to school tomorrow, plus nights out over the weekend. Utterly knackered, and drank far too much at the weekend as a sort of 'last hurrah' before starting work again, which meant I lost Sunday asleep on the couch in front of Casino Royale / Even as I drank the last glass of red I was thinking 'Ridiculous, get an early night you silly cow,' but my wine witch logic was controlling my drinking hand

So am joining Ma and the gang for Dry September. Day 1 over with but that's cos I worked a 12 hour day including the commute and then had to get all the uniforms / school stuff etc ready.

This working for myself business is hectic, but loving it. With special thanks to my wonderful babe business adviser and career coach Venus if she is lurking

Will post properly soon but computer about to die due to spending all night catching up on emails and updating my LinkedIn Profile. Perhaps I can become a workaholic instead of an alcoholic ???

Sorry not to NC but congrats to Spanna and welcome to the new babes x