Brave Babes - Wrapping up for a Wonderful Winter

[venusandmars]

Hi, I am venusandmars and I've been on these threads for many years.

It can be tough at this time of year when the adverts are full of families cheerfully opening bottles of wine and good cheer, when work parties are alcohol fuelled, when distant friends call round with a bottle in hand.

Maybe you're trying to cut down a little in the pre-Christmas weeks, maybe you are struggling to know how to continue with a longer period of abstinence, maybe you are waking up after a Christmas Party feeling sick and covered in shame (or even feeling shame and covered in sick).

Whatever, whenever, if you want to stop, or cut down, or simply share your struggle with others who also feel the tug..... please join us.

Usually our lovely mouseface opens these threads, but the poor mouse is sick in hospital and so I am overcoming the technophobia that a 50-something feels.... (well done me ). Our last thread is here if you want to read the last few posts

And if you want to read the story from the beginning (you'll need a few weeks) HERE is where it all started when Jesuswhatnext posted in May 2010.

Welcome one and all x

Sounds lovely, Ma. Bananas are really good to freeze I chuck them in whole in their skins for the dog, or peeled if I might use them for smoothies or cakes.

I'll remember that sweet another top brave babes tip..

It's a good thing baking is the new rock 'n' roll, otherwise we'd be two sad old biddies spending Saturday afternoon in the kitchen , instead of ice-skating up Kilimanjaro, or what ever it is the kids like to do these days .

Facepack yesterday, baking today. Hard core stuff!

had operation in December and my wound is now infected so on antibiotics

Its Saturday night however and I quite fancy a glass of wine and keep having to remind myself why its not a good idea

Hi rac. Stay strong. I'm really craving a Saturday evening drink and struggling right now. I'm going to have a trusty cuppa and just breathe through and take it 30 mins at a time literally. Day 6. Thought it might have got better by now.

Ps hope wound gets better.

Sorry about the infection, Rac. Saturday night is an evil sod (and Friday, and Sunday, and a few of the other days sometimes too ). I hope the antibiotics help soon and good luck with resisting the wine urge.

You can do it evilpopstar. Are you glued to mugs of tea as well? Between us all we're probably contributing to the healthy profit margins of several tea companies.

It's day 7 for me. The evenings feel really long, but I've stuck with it. Nine days into 2016 and all I've had is one of those little beer stubbies. I don't want to wake up hungover anymore, sitting on the toilet feeling like shit first thing in the morning, not sure if I can even manage a cup of tea without throwing up. I hate the things I say when I'm drunk and the fake camaraderie and openness that comes when everyone's smashed together and chatting rubbish before the whole night goes to hell. I'm fed up of drinking alone. It's a fool's game- at least for me. I want to leave it behind.

That's that off my chest

What do you think of this babes, for a formal awards dinner?
www.tkmaxx.com/content/ebiz/tkmaxx/invt/S./R./I./53025113/53025113_medium.jpg

Gorgeous, Ma. Definitely. What would you wear with it (if you needed to) - a little cardi, jacket?

Struggling more than I'd have hoped today, but am trying to convince myself its just because it is the first 'normal' Saturday of the year and its a day of the week when I usually just Drink All Day. But I have been so productive, and have been inspired by your baking antics, so me and the DC are also doing the banana bread bandwagon tomorrow (is the Paul Hollywood recipe really foolproof, even against 5 year olds? Have googled it, looks relatively straightforward for an incompetent like me). I remained mostly calm and in the moment today apart from an unfortunate incident with a violin and a particularly intransigent child, but we have moved on from that, and it is apparently no longer the Worst Day Ever (for either of us).

Have been revisiting sober blogs and reminding myself of how helpful I found them this time last year. I OD'd a bit on them at the time, but it is nice to catch up again. There is some good stuff on SoberMummy's blog at the moment (if I am ok to refer to that) and some particularly good links to other material, including an interesting/scary article in (from recollection) the NYT about the effect of long term drinking on brain chemistry. Frightening stuff, and not discussed as much as other side-effects of over consumption.

What are you all up to babes? Feel a bit flat after all the face mast flummery last night.

I think I would just wear a wrap or scarf- perhaps in a bright colour. I love love love beaded dresses, its just the colour of this one might be a wee bit washed out for me. Although I do have purple hair!!!
The Paul Hollywood recipe is idiot proof, but in any cake I use less sugar that recommended, including this one. I'm not doing anything tonight, just mning as usual

I'm just reading stuff online (not much luck with the book tonight), resisting the urge to gorge on cake and not much else. Might watch something online in a bit. SoberMummy's blog is a good read, thanks for mentioning it.

Dress is beautiful ma. fox I'm struggling like hell here and wondering how early I can go to bed . Strange, as I found last night a breeze. Digging deep.

You and me both, Pop. I'm giving up and going to bed.

At least being sober is saving more money than just what wasted on wine - I have found my late night Amazon habit has dried up too. Just as well - though I admit to some interesting moments opening parcels I had no recollection of ordering and having to look like I really was expecting them (often in triplicate).

Sleep well, babes.

I find myself watching casualty sober. No disrespect to casualty fans but frigging casualty!!! dP is playing the electric drummer we bought him for Xmas in the kitchen and even with ( especially with?) the headphones it's doing my nut in !!!!

How are you doing now pop, any better? I lost a couple of hours this afternoon playing my computer game. Didn't mean to be so long, I just didn't notice the time. If you can find something that will absorb your mind like that, you won't be able to focus on the craving.

In case anyone is interested, I noticed this progamme, My name is... and I'm an alcoholic is on tv next week.

Love the dress ma.

Hanging in there. Listening to the rain. Still sober. Day 6 nearly done. It's bee a while!

Have you got your pj's on yet?

Morning all!
I've been reading back and it's just so lovely and motivating. The positivity just leaps off the screen.
Hope those of you struggling last night made it through. I think this is a tricky time - it's the weekend, the toxins are pretty much gone so you're feeling ok and the insidious voice starts - see, I can do it without it. I'm fine! I can have a drink, it'll be ok. If only it were true.

I'm only on Day 5, so pissed off with myself for that 1 night. I'd forgotten about the vivid dreams. Maybe everyone dreams like that and I'd been drowning them out with booze.

Have a good day all. I'm going for a run. Because I can! Talking of which, has anyone seen khalisi?

Morning All.

Had to go to bed early last night with a bit of a fever, and had a pretty disturbed night, but I'm still up bright and early for DS's trampolining class.

April, lovely to see you, I miss Khalisi too.

It's Pup's first birthday today, so I will have to start calling him Dog. He has pulled me through some dark times, I don't know how I ever filled my days without him.

Anyway well done everyone, whatever day you're on, everyday is without booze is a win.

Morning all. Two glasses last night and another bottle left unopened. Not as good as you amzing AF babes but still a step in the right direction for me. I ordered that dress last night and will let you know if its gorgeous when it arrives.
No plans for today other than ironing and visiting dad. What are you all up to?
hope are you OK?

Well done ma

Today I have to try and retrieve all the documents that disappeared when I upgraded to windows 10

Apparantly this is a thing and it doesn't warn you beforehand so if anyone knows anything about where my documents have gone I'd be grateful for any guidance (in non techie words)

Otherwise I will just have a rummage around the computer because they must be on there somewhere.

I've ordered a couple of new games to play with the family in the evenings.

Happy Birthday to Pupdog Sweet. Did you get him a present?

Faire he got a fox and a bull tug toy, because his favourite manky monkey died this morning!

Ma I love that dress.

Bit of a crappy morning someone drove into the car in the leisure centre car park and didn't leave a note, bastards.

Feeling a bit rough, so I'm going to have a nap.

Do they have cctv Sweet? Sorry to hear that

Visited dad. I thought I had mastered not reacting to any of the stuff he says anymore so when he told me that he was actually in charge of running of the care home and had been allocated this task by Lord Elgin, I just said that it was great he had been given that responsibility.
But when he said he was thankful he had never been one for drinking and not been a heavy drinker all of his life, a tiny squeak of outrage escaped before I clamped my mouth shut!!!
Sheesh! Wait till I tell my mother that one.