Brave Babes - reconvene here!!!

[dementedma]

Hi all
We seem to have finished the last thread but no-one has done a new one. Don't get lost! Gather here until we can sort it out.

Joey, as Lux says, good highlights will have that effect, and lighter ones will prevent the scalp showing if you have darker hair.

Shitty start to the Day. SweetDog did a runner out of the front door just as we were leaving for work, and refused to come back. His recall has run away , got him eventually, but I am still shaking, and pretty hopeless that he will ever be off lead again.

Ooh that sounds scary, Lathyrus. Glad you got him back. These things can happen so quickly - in the blink of an eye.

I'm off to my second AA meeting in a bit (the one I went to last week). I plan to go to some others this week as well, depending how busy I am, workwise. I'm stressing a bit about the prospect of detox: not so much the detox itself, as I am pretty much mind made up and done, iyswim, but taking two weeks out to do it. I'm not sure how that will work with work... Just about to close quite a large account and I don't want to be telling them "oh, but I'm not available between blah and blah..."

Keep telling myself not to stress, and ODAAT etc, that I will find a way... but old habits die hard. I'm not good at going with the flow .

Feeling positive on the whole though - and really starting to notice how many casual mentions there are of alcohol through the day from other people or press or tv. Mad. Is it any wonder we all think it's some kind of panacea?! We're all brainwashed all the time to think alcohol is relaxing and soothing and makes problems go away.

Nope. Just adds a sore head and nausea to whatever those problems were in the first place. Brilliant.

Have a fabulous day, everyone!

Day Three, and my anxiety is way up the scale today (even without bastard hound). I know it will improve - sleep is better already, but I use wine to 'take the edge off' anaesthetise myself . I can't focus, though I know I need to work to ease the anxiety. Agh! I wish I was Worzel Gummage and I could just exchange this head for another one.

Elf you sound so ready for this, I will be cheering you on all the way.
You are so right, the alcohol message is everywhere, every soap has it's pub, every character has a bad day and hits the bottle, even in Holby City, the top surgeons saves lives all day and go and get trollied in the evening on shots. Every time I look at Facebook there are endless wine or prosecco memes. I can't recall the last time I invited someone over for coffee, 'come for a glass of wine' just trips of the tongue doesn't it?

Sweet that must have shaken you, so glad you got him back.

Sorry x-post Elf. The normalisation of alcohol is a bugger isn't it? Keep up the positivity.

sweet well done on getting straight back on it. I hope the anxiety is settling. I can relate to the need to anaesthetise too, but then as we both know it just makes it worse in the longer term. I doubt sweetdog helped matters either!

I was also thinking about the normalisation of alcohol recently. When not drinking I notice it literally everywhere. But there's a weird kind of contradiction there in that even 'normal' (I loose that term loosely) drinking is also tied in with a degree of shame and stigma. For example it's well known that individuals consistently underreport their drinking to medical professionals, and household surveys on alcohol consumption always show a significant discrepancy between reported consumption and alcohol sales. As a society it's become normal whilst still iliciting a sense of shame in so many people, most of whom I doubt would consider themselves to have any kind of dependency.

I think the popularity of Dry January etc reflect this. People know they drink too much, and are to some extent bombarded by contradictory messages as it becomes both normal and unhealthy.

It's an odd one really when you think about it. It's a seriously powerful drug with a high individual and societal cost, yet it's so readily available.

Thank you all, I scoffed the lot.

I will just catch up, I hope you all had a nice Monday!

Toomany! Your story is so close to mine!

It is an odd one Elba (Hope you are well today?)
I've also often thought about the fact that if I buy a litre of gin I feel kind of adult and sorted, if I buy a half bottle it feels a bit seedy. That's very strange really isn't it?

Yes it is a seriously powerful drug, with the power to wreak havoc with lives and yet...'haha it's time for mummies special drink, ooh it's wine o'clock and - it must be time for gin hoho'

It's so acceptable, if you happened to get into conversation with a near stranger who mentioned they felt a bit stressed, chances are you would say they need to put their feet up with a nice glass of wine. You would never say to that person 'Oh, sounds like you could do with a nice line of cocaine'

I drank my body's weight in beer on friday and was sick as a small hospital ALL day Saturday with a house to run and Dc's i was fit for nothing every slight movement and I was going to be sick! Why.do.I.do.this.to.myself.

Posted too soon sorry, just thought I'd explain why I'm sat on this bus with you guys,

Littlebat why do any of us? Why would we make ourselves ill, spend loads, wreck our looks, scare our kids, suffer bad sleep, make fools of ourselves? Who would willingly sign up for that?
It's a powerful substance, addictive, habit forming and when the world seems to revolve around it we get sucked in.
We think, what's Friday night without a drink, what's a wedding without champagne, a Christmas without Baileys.
And the world agrees with us.

Trouble is too, it's so bloody moorish and just seems to 'hit the spot' when you either need a pick-me-up, or a deadner. I always find I LOVE the first glass, like the 2nd ok, but by the third I'm kind of just putting it away on autopilot.

That's right Dave like you fancy a couple of biscuits with you tea, yum. The whole packet makes you ill but sometimes you keep on dunking.
Mindless drinking Mindless eating.

'or a deadener' - yes. This.

I had a bit of counselling (long overdue) at the end of last year and realised I have functioned my entire adult life sans feelings. I was (ironically) trying to address an eating disorder - but in the process decided to face my alcohol use head on... and here I am now.

It seems to be similar to what others at AA say - using alcohol to self-soothe or to numb painful feelings, or any feelings. I'm not sure how I will live life sober. I've pretty much drunk every day since I was 19.

Hmm. Writing that down... 19 is significant for me...

To all intents and purposes I'm a functioning adult, reasonably successful and pleasant company... except I'm actually in arrested development. I've used alcohol for years so I don't have to face the past. In the meantime I've almost ruined my present - often have done, with hangovers or the aftermath of blackouts.

Crikey...

Anyway. All pondering aside, I know I'm on the right path...

You're doing great Elf really thinking and getting to brass tacks. I very much admire you.

Elf I'm impressed with all your thinking and positivity. I think you will have to be Deputy Wise Woman for when the lovely serene Venus isn't here.
Day I of BIWIs bootcamp and AF. Am on it!

Ok. 5 days since I tripped in a carpeted foyer.
Does this need looked at or should I just wait for bruising to fade?

Oh ma that's awful you poor lamb. I'm the type who would only see medical help if a limb was hanging off so I'm not help. Your knees must be so sore. Can you sleep with that bruising?

It's actually not terribly sore unless I touch it or put any pressure on it. Dh says I should get it seen to but I think they will just say keep an eye on it and the bruising will fade. Don't want to waste any time ( mine or theirs) hanging round for an appointment

Sweet Jesus demented!

Luxury and Dave, as they say

One is too many and ten is not enough!

I do tend to bruise easily. I'm a dainty wee thing!

They are spectacular bruises. Arnica?

Well after lasts nights fine words I've eaten rubbish today. Tomorrow will be low carb all the way. The weather doesn't help.

ma ouch that looks sore! If you normally bruise easily I guess it will just go eventually. You do look like you've been hit by a bus though (not this Bus)

Thanks sweets and lux I've tried the cheaper 'thickening shampoos' but they didn't seem to do much. The salon sold stuff called Nioxin which is really expensive- I can't afford that as well as whatever they're doing on Wednesday.