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

Morning babes. Day 4 for me today. Today I will not drink x

Waves to all babes x

Day 2. I will not be drinking today

I will join you in not drinking today April [determined emoticon].

Very quiet on thread this week, hope all babes are ok?

I'm joining you too. Not drinking today, day 5. I'm going on holiday on Sat for 2 weeks. I need to make a decision about what I'm going to do. It's usually an excuse to drink loads every night. No big partying or anything just at the villa in the evening but I can put away a fairly large amount over the course of the evening. And then I feel rubbish the next day and come back from holiday feeling crap. Why do I do this???
I'd like ultimately I think to drink socially and cut out all the "lazy" drinking of just doing it every evening without consciously thinking about it. I'm not sure about how that fits with the holiday. It goes against the grain not to take advantage of the cheap wine! On the other hand I'm not sure I'm ready to test whether I can be moderate yet. Think I'll just take it day by day. We'll have wifi so I'll check in here.j
Anyway ramble over. It is quiet on the thread, I fear my self-absorbed rambling may be killing it

Nomore, all any of us can do is take it day by day and even sometimes hour by hour. Keep checking in and someone will be around to talk to you x

I have a wedding in a couple of weeks that I don't want to drink at but I am not going to worry about that at the minute, as it gets nearer I will figure out a way to get through the day without alcohol.

It is very quiet. Should we do a roll call?

Hello...? I checked in on one of these threads a while back and ended up backing away as I thought I wanted to stop drinking completely and wasn't sure it was the thread to me. I then, pretty much immediately, went back to at least half a bottle every night and generally far more at weekends.
Now, however, I feel as if I want to stop. At least for a while. I think I am bored of it, bored of looking puffy and feeling boated, sick of craving rubbish food the day after, ashamed of not being fully there for my DS as I am hungover (again.) I have also weight to lose and while my diet is good, I ruin it on a regular basis with booze and subsequent hangover eating.
So, count me in! I feel positive this time round as I want to do it, rather than realise I should. While I want to be AF as much as possible, I am not going to beat myself up over occasionally drinking either, as long as I don't go stupid (which is possible, depending on the occasion.)

Welcome nancery. It's very quiet on here at the moment but do take a seat. Well done on that first post

It's quiet indeed, I thought I'd killed the thread!
Putting DS to bed shortly but will log back on after - the point he's in bed is my trigger time when the wine (we have six bottles in the fridge, DH just did a Tesco order) calls me. Don't feel too compelled tonight, unusually, as I have a cold so hopefully it's not going to be too tricky!

I think all the babes are in hiding nancery.
I'm impressed you can resist the lure of chilled wine in the fridge. I haven't a hope in hell!

Roll call sounds good Ma:) Nancery welcome back to the thread.

Good to know we haven't killed the thread:)

Am sat with a sparking water with lime juice and a dash of angustoura bitters in. It's my 'grown up' soft drink.
DH has a large glass of Banrock Station but I keep telling myself how good I will feel tomorrow. And also that if I have 'just one' if will be at least half a bottle, poss more as DH drinking if too.

Evening Isinde :)

Hey indie pissed again. Me, not you.
Final final emergency board meeting tomorrow for me and soon to be ex-lovely boss.
Am about 5 weeks away from pulling off a deal which could see us right but we have run out of time....well, fuck!

Hi all, quick note before bed. I will try and read more of the thread when I can so I can get the gist of you all.
I had one sip, literally, tonight as I nearly lapsed so had a taste of DH's wine. Thankfully it, and stopping the email conversation I was having (nothing arduous, just gossip but I often want to gossip with wine in tow) I was having made the urge pass. Not discussed this properly with DH. He will tend to jump on board too, lots of suggestions about how neither of us should drink throughout August of whatever, and I do t want that. I just want to retrain myself to not automatically want to have a drink every evening, and then more so if stressed or whatever. I am sick of it and it's taking its toll (on most things, but I feel especially bad re DS who's 3.) Most mornings I wish I'd not drunk anything but by about 7.30/8 I want to again, and don't seem to be able to just have one either. Thing is, the majority of the people I know are similar, and booze is so ingrained it's hard to avoid.

Hello, can I join you? I have decided that today is a new start. I drink way too much and it affects EVERTHING. My children, my well being, money and looks. I am not going to drink today and have decided to start taking an anti depressant to try and sort out my bad mood and shouting at the children, I need to regain control. I'm feeling positive, but then I know come 6pm I will be tempted by a glass or 4 of wine to wind down. I find I sleep badly if I don't drink, this is going to be a hard bit. I also have a night out tomorrow, plus partner is a drinker, a lot of our social life revolves around it. Any tips welcome please. I'm going to use this as a bit of a check in for myself, try stay on track. I'm not saying I will never drink again, I just need to regain control if that's possible in others experience? It just feels like a vicious circle right now that I need to break. Thanks for listening and I look forward to any welcome advice!!

Failed on Day 2. How can I kid myself I don't have an issue with alcohol when I can't manage 2 days?!?

Waves to all, I'll be back properly tonight to chat.

Hi Nancery and Ilove No advice from me, I'm too new to trying to sort this out but there's an absolute wealth of wisdom and understanding on this thread so you're absolutely in the right place.
I've only got what the last few days has been like for me and it may not have any bearing on you so if it's not helpful ignore!

I got through Day 5 yesterday by the skin of my teeth. I really wanted to drink around 8 and this time it was because I was in a good mood not the usual tiredness reason. The Wine Witch I think she's called on here was trying very hard to tell me it was fine, just have a glass and stop. DH was drinking nice cold white wine. A persuasive old bag that WW, I'm not fond of her. Anyway I continued on my warpath with her and ate all evening and drank many iced soft drinks and she went away. Probably disgusted by the massive pile of cheese on toast and the fat dripping off my chin. The diet is a conversation for another day! I've decided though that if I haven't planned to drink then I can't give in. That's the plan for now anyway but I think I'd have to feel very under control before I can start messing about with that one. I'd like to try drinking in a planned way eg if I'm going out for an evening plan in advance and see if I can manage it and not get back in old habits. I think I need to really break the every night cycle first though.

nancery I know what you mean about everybody drinking more but I've a feeling my friends are stopping at a glass a night while I've been stopping when there's no more to drink.

ilove I've been sleeping worse this week particularly getting to sleep. I'm telling myself that it'll sort itself out and I'd rather feel tired than feel tired and hungover and guilty. It took 3 days to shift the headache too but it's gone now.

I do know too that when I posted here last Saturday I felt very scared. I felt like I was jumping into an abyss because it felt like posting on here was saying it out loud. I don't feel so scared any more and I haven't been at Day 5 - day 6 in progress- for years. I'm still a bit scared but I feel better that I'm facing it

ma I don't know your work situation but it sounds shitty. I hope today goes as well as it can. I imagine your lovely boss thinks of you as lovely employee. It sounds hard.

obrigada you are quite right. No racing ahead, each day a new one. I'll work out what to do each day on holiday.

I think I need to learn to write shorter posts... I have brought a very large bag of Opal Fruits for everybody who sat through that so I'll pass them round the bus now!

Welcome jumpers
The posts written by you and nancery above could have been written by me word for word. I drink pretty much every night. My problem is not that I drink to get drunk, or have blackouts or can't stop when I start, its that it is EVERY night pretty much. Sometimes a glass or two, usually most of a bottle. Like you I wake up vowing that I won't drink today but by evening I am drinking. I have tried lots of techniques and will keep trying because this bus is all about trying again and every day is a new day etc .

There is something on Facebook which will guarantee to make you smile ( through your tears). Can someone who isn't on a tablet and can paste a link properly Google the Flash Mob send off to the Welsh primary school teacher and post it here. It is uplifting and delightful.It was posted to netmums and has gone viral!

My problem is once I start drinking I don't want to stop so my aim is not to start! Add to that the fact that my friend is the exact same. I have come to the conclusion that this is a destructive friendship and one I need to extricate myself from. Easier said than done - but I will do it gradually so that hopefully we just drift apart.

Thanks for the welcome, reading through the last few pages I recognise a LOT of the feelings others have. No more, well done on almost 6 days, don't think I've gone that long since pg with dd2 7 years ago. Do you feel good for it? I imagine you look better, I look like shit at the moment, huge eye bags and feeling puffy. Nancery, we sound way too similar! When I drop off at school in the mornings I think, I bet these mums have either had no wine, or just one glass with dinner, I can polish off 2 bottles sometimes, there I've said it, it's awful. April fool, try not to feel bad, although I'm with you, try for today. I'm off for a big walk with the kids and a picnic, going to try and remain calm today, no shouting. Will check in this eve as danger hour approaches.......

Hi all, busy today during the day but checking in this eve, at Danger Time!
It appears so many of us are in the same boat.

My in laws aren't big drinkers and I always feel borderline alcoholic when I am with them - and they are VERY straight laced and tedious into the bargain, as well as DH acts totally differently when he's with them. And they are visiting this weekend. Super

Anyway, bye for now ! And ps I felt SO much better for being AF last night!

Hi babes

I need to board again. I used to post as Pink. I was a bus success story I suppose - all thanks to the bus - I stopped for 18 months and was completely AF all that time.
I have fallen off though so badly, I drank once on a special occasion and that was it. I was back drinking daily within weeks. Still am. I need to stop again, for good, and never have that first drink again as it is not something I can control.
How is everyone? Lots of new names but old timers as well.
It's good to see you all. Hope I can be a support to others.

X