Brave Babes Battle Bus - Holding our heads up like thistles

[MaryMungoAndMidgies]

I bit the bullet - Come on in, excuse the faint whiff of dog!

The last thread

I'm in for the AF week (well Mon - Thurs anyway, maybe Friday depending on how jet lagged DH is when he gets back). DC are being pains about sleeping and I've got a stressful week at work so I'm letting sensible head take over and am making myself a tea.

hope good luck with the new job

Elba wow a marathon place, do you want to do it?

lala hope you're doing ok

Nope. Still don't know who won the bid. Don't know what the secrecy is. Am struggling to be honest and have lost all heart with work. I just can't be arsed any more...

I want to do it, whether I can or not is another matter. Was pleased with my 7k this evening until I worked out I'd have to add another 35 onto that But I think I will try, if nothing else it might stop me drinking and motivate me to eat properly...maybe. And can defer the place to 2018 if needed.

I'm in for an AF week, hopefully longer but breaking it into chunks is less daunting.

Hope good luck for tomorrow- will be thinking of you.

Well done for day 1 then.
I will also go for Mon to Thurs at least.
Can't remember last time had 4 nights off.

Day 1 nearly done - on my fifth pint of orange squash. I'm going to be peeing it soon! Weird pains in my side tonight - I think my liver is angry with me for depriving it

Hope all you other brave babes are doing ok

I've been feeling a bit anxious and paranoid tonight. Not sure why particularly... I do get like that sometimes which normally makes me drink more, so I'm hoping by not drinking I'm not making it even worse

Night all!

Morning All.

You've all had such a tough weekend, {t'interbosies all round}

Elba you did eight days, the one was a blip - and you didn't enjoy it. But drunk balloting !! You need a training regime, I know where you can find some great cheerleaders, we already have the pom poms!

Lala, hope you're ok?

Ma, do you have any idea what next?

Class, you managed another day one, the anxiety will quiet down if you put another few together.

Hope, I have no idea how you fit everything in? Good luck with the new job tomorrow.

[ Waves to all the other Babes, Small, 42, Muskrat,]

I got through day one and two last week, then gave in to a glass of wine (ok two) at the theatre on Saturday, with stupid excuses - period pain, too much to do, Shakespeare . But back to it Sunday, so today will be day three, and I need it to stick.

Have a good day everyone.

Morning everyone.
Thanks for being here

Argh, just had to dodge a WW bullet, DH, going shopping asked if I wanted a bottle of wine. The answer of course is "yes", but I said no. But I do, really, really want one. A beer would do, . I've been stuffing my face all day, grrr. My only excuse this time is because I'm feeling better, so it would be ok now.

It is only day three, but I have definitely noticed the bloating in my face going down, so I am clinging on to that for motivation.

sweet massive well done for dodging the wine! Only a thought, but would it help to tell your dh maybe that you are staying off wine for a week or something? Might avoid him unintentionally tempting you again?

answer and class you are both doing great!

lala where've you gone?! Hope you are ok

hope how did today go?

I'm currently marathon obsessed (probably better than alcohol obsessed) and actually quite excited. Discussed the whole drinking/eating/running thing with therapist this morning and she called it a 'lifeline' which feels pretty accurate. No idea what was going through my head when I entered back in May (don't remember doing it, found the email the next day and was ), but if it gets me through the winter relatively healthily (and hopefully sober for the most part) then it can only be positive.

On day 3 consecutively, but 10 for October. Generally loving the hangover free days, but struggling with the evenings feeling low and kind of empty like something's missing. Which it is I guess. Off to work tonight, and the remains of saturdays alcohol has been thrown out, so hopefully tomorrow morning is safe.

Have a good evening all xxx

Thanks Elba hope work is okay.

It does feel weird in the evening, something is missing. I'm also just separated so it feels very quiet and empty. Last night did a few tasks then read in bed.

Will do the same tonight.

Hope all are OK

Elba, I did tell DH, but he's so used to me changing my mind between starting the sentence and ending it, I guess it's habit! I get what you're saying about the emptiness, drinking took away all my motivation to do anything else, so what's missing is the hobbies I would have done, the books I might have read.

I have a stinking cold. Am in the sidecar with lemsips and tissues.

[sprays disinfectant liberally over the sidecar]

Poor Ma, hot toddy doesn't count.

[dons surgical mask and tucks Ma in tighter]

thanks sweet

theanswer I've found that I try to fill the drinking hole with something that keeps my hands busy. I've been playing computer games and also some colouring. Sounds childish but it's helping

Morning All.

Sometimes I bloody hate tech, just spent an hour trying to post a message, but I'm still none the wiser as to why this one has worked and the previous one wouldn't.

Anyway, I had some research that said colouring was good for anxiety - so keep it up, Muskrat!

Day four for me, I'll be back later but need to get the dog walked.

thanks muskrat I have colours and nice pencils

hope everyone's okay today

Day four, and waiting for the' boing', I have masses of work to get through tonight and could really do with the energy boost. I have a sinus headache - always do if I make it this far, and I've obviously spent the day clenching my teeth, because I just realised my jaw hurts. But, I am feeling better in other ways, less bloated, fewer general aches and pains.

How is everyone else?

I am tired and hungry Sweet. But on Day 3, so yay!! How are the other abstainers doing?

About to go home from work - last in office at new job. Only because it is a terrible commute if I leave too early and sit in traffic. It is in a beautiful location and the team are nice enough but haven't quite got the measure of everyone yet and it is quite complex - in at the deep end and a lot of judgement calls to make, and a lot riding on the next 3 months (ie will we keep the contract or not - it's all on me!!!) So, pretty scary!

Just got a rejection email for a job I applied for a few weeks ago before this came up. I had assumed I wouldn't get it but they sent feedback on how they scored me against the competencies and I came up as merely 'Adequate'. To be fair this is in the middle of the scale (there are 3 inadequate grades and then 3 above) and I hadn't done some aspects of the job before, but ... FFS!!!!! It was on my old grade, I always scored really highly in assessments when I worked there. So it has knocked my confidence a bit. Wish I hadn't applied now. Tossers.

Anyway, won't be able to drink tonight as no booze in the house and by the time I get home, eat and watch GBBO I'll be ready for bed!

Have a good night everyone xxx

Also day 4 (annoyed as it would be 12 without the other night). Realised cravings are the worst by far at work, as demonstrated at about 4am today. Came close to stumbling this morning, especially as I found a beer hidden at the back of the fridge. Only really resisted as the thought of only one seemed worse than none somehow . Trying to make myself throw it out before I head back to work.

sweet well done, and hope you find your boing soon. Still waiting for mine! I seem to wake up headachy, feel great for a few hours, then crap again by the evening. But I'm also less bloated, and my skin is looking a bit better so I'm not plastering on quite so much makeup (being sober enough to actually take make up off again is also probably helping with this!)

ma hope you are feeling a bit better today.

lala you ok??

hope how did work go?

Hope everyone has a good evening xxx

Hope I'm hungry all the time at the moment, but I'm going with it for now . I hate 'competencies', it's a real civil service, public sector thing isn't it? I once failed to get a summer job I had done for the previous two years because they shifted to a competency based application and I didn't know how to spin myself at the time - within two weeks they called me because the person they had taken on, on the basis of competencies, was incompetent . Hope this new contract goes well - and at least it's out of the house.

Elba, that is exactly how I feel - one isn't worth it - and groggy in the mornings, ok, then headachy. I'm still not sleeping that well - perhaps the boing will follow from the sober sleep patterns - but it's definitely better sleep. Working shifts can't help for you.

I've just got a few lecture slides to finish, then its Bake Off, shower, bed for me.

Buggering technology.

I had a lovely post about the unfairness of competencies based job applications (suffered there once myself) for Hope, recognising everything Elba was describing and hoping for better sleep soon, but my computer, or the internet hates me!

Anyway I have a few lecture slide to finish before Bake Off, all round.

ok, so apparently it did post?

Hi to all.
I'm happy to be on day 3, though am occasionally thinking about the wine I'll probably have on Friday.
Is everyone going for sobriety or are we all just doing what we can (including being aware, even if drinking)?
GBBO for me too once the DC in bed.
I feel better for not drinking but not as better as I thought I would.
Have a good night everyone