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.

Spanna thank you, court is set for 21st March, in a way I’m glad the police have moved so fast
Ma well done
Pickle like you say, tomorrow is another day and you can afresh then please be kind to yourself, the Wine Witch really is a bitch

I was fully addicted to cocaine for 10 years, shoved £60k up my nose and yet my tie to the WW seems harder than that? How is that possible?!
Maybe I'm older, in a different mindset, it's social, not a secret to have a wine is it, it's there and available and not the same shameful party girl thing.

I honestly thought I'd covered everything that needs covered during the Coke process, I mean I uncovered all manner of shit.

I'm just realising perhaps this is a
Whole new thing, and perhaps I DONT know it all about recovery...

Big hugs for pickle lots of water and carbs for you today.
It's hard to quit alcohol because it's fucking EVERYWHERE. On tv, on sodding Facebook , shelves and shelves in the supermarket when you only went in for milk. People talk about it all the time.
Things are changing though, personally I'd be quite happy for booze to be hidden away like fags are, I'd be too embarrassed to buy much.
I would welcome changes to wine bottles which show icky images of livers etc it would definitely make me think twice about buying the stuff.

Hope all babes are safe and well this morning, which began at 6 am hooray.

Hope that mouse remembers me but I've been on the bus for several years, hopping on and off. I not a binge drinker so I thought that I didn't have a problem, don't touch spirits etc but I used to be one of those women who always had wine on the go in the evening. I got very worried about how much I drank and how often and then found this wonderful bus- life changing! I went to AA for a while and achieved 18 months plus of sobriety. I think I learned more about life in my time at AA then I had in the previous decades. It made me grow up and face all kinds of problems. Like many people, I found aspects of it difficult and stopped going after a while. Since then I have moderated or been sober. Sometimes I start drinking wine most nights and need to get a grip- that's ok.
I am quite elderly and have 2 dc, 7 and 1. I used to have brain cells and a career and I'm hoping that I'll get both back one day. I'm a book worm and have a huge passion to fight for the rights for children with ASD.

Think that's me. Love to be able to describe myself as tall, blonde and well groomed but short, dark and nerdy would be truthful 😎

I think alcohol is different. Socially acceptable, on the face of it "not as damaging" and we THINK we can control it.
It pervades our society and is in our consciousness from a very early age.
It is pernicious.
We have help and support on this bus. We are on the bus
mouse I'm early 40s, 2 primary age DS, lone parent.
Toxic mum/dysfunctional family and neglectful upbringing. 20 year abusive relationship followed by a short marriage to a lovely man but who (it turns out) has issues.
I work full time, under threat of redundancy at present.
I was drinking a bottle of wine a day, Boarded the bus in October.
Bit grim reading that back!!
I am very lucky in lots of ways, including being here with you lot

Sorry the first part of that wittering was in reply to pickle

Morning all. Not exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed as the General puked in my bedroom in the middle of the night! ( For newbies, the General is a very large cat, not a drunken officer)
However, haven't needed paracetamol for breakfast so that's something. The sun is also shining here in Scotland so on with the pants of positivity and away we go....

gugg
You can't be elderly if you have a 7 and a 1 year old, surely?

Your description of yourself made me smile. I am not groomed or blonde either. I am brunette and scruffy, always in jeans even at work [can just about manage a dress for important meetings, but never comfortably], never wear nail varnish and have never even bought a face mask let alone put one on :(

But just to add, I aspire to being glamorous. I just can't seem to manage to achieve any aspect of it.
Maybe I'm developing a beautiful liver :)

We should wear our livers with pride 😎 Yes , I'm normally in jeans & dm's . I like clothes but I like being comfy more than I like to be smart.
I'm late forties. I just like to warn other women that if you think you might be menopausal,KEEP using contraceptives, don't assume that you are past the having babies stage. My dd is wonderful and I'm very glad to have her but my word, she was a surprise and life has had to change dramatically.

I like seeing everyone's story. Good idea for a round up mouse

gugg
Gosh, yes, that's a good point. As much as I love babies, I'm not sure toddlers and university students would be a good combo! In any case another pregnancy would finish me off completely, I fear.
Just spotted that you are a bookworm. What are you reading? What do you like? I sadly only read for one hour a week, when DS2 is at a music lesson and I have to wait in the foyer, but I love it. Currently reading 'A Little Life' which I'm not totally convinced by, but will finish it even though it's really long.

Thanks mouse for getting us all chatting (even more!)

pickle what you have achieved is amazing. Kicking the booze is hard. The slips will happen, they're not a mark that you're weak or failing. They're an opportunity to get to know your triggers and emotions. It takes time.

Cocaine and fags are not generally socially acceptable, most people don't use them and they both need a certain amount of determination to acquire. Alcohol is legal, you can get it everywhere and it's embedded in our culture. You don't have the same support from your environment when you're giving up alcohol. But you can get lots of support from people who know what it's like

gugg you are not elderly but bloody hell, it must be tough having a surprise baby in your late 40s! Massive respect to you.

I don't really do glamorous. I aspire to be chic, and actually have some rather nice clothes. Sadly though I work from home, have a small child and 0 opportunities to be chic, so just go round in jeans and a jumper. Poor old nice clothes. Still, it's better than them being smeared in dayglow Playdough or sweet potato curry.

AF yesterday and today. Feeling good on it. I have a twitchy nose muscle, though. A twitchy NOSE. How the hell does that happen? It was driving me nuts last night and is jumping away right now. Gah.

Good morning/afternoon everyone, hope that everyone is ok. Pickle how are you doing babe?
Relaxing day so far. Suit is hung up, interview prep done to death, all I've got to do is straighten my hair and luckily I have an afternoon interview tomorrow so not got to get up too early. Have had a letter ending my employment from ex boss, the wording of which has peed me off no end, but never mind eh dad has to go in to hospital for a camera down his throat (don't know the proper name for it) and so we're a bit worried about that
I think a round up is a good idea too I'm made and I've been on and off the bus for the past year. When I'm stressed I drink, and that got me in a bit of a pickle last year. I'm a relatively young 21 (soon to be 22) but not very glamorous I'm afraid. When I have to be (work, interviews, nights out) I can be but otherwise it's dog pyjamas and bed hair all the way I am partial to my make up and straighteners but not worn a face mask. No children, but a dog who is my baby

Evening babes, I am really feeling a glass tonight. I have to collect DD from a friend shortly, I might have one when I get home.

I'm honestly so tired today I'm pretty sure one is the maximum! Work was manic and very manual so I sweated my tits off.

Can't wait for my hot bath and hair washed tonight.

Thank you all for your kind words and support, it feels 'safe' here to say the full truth that no one else knows about.

Well, I think you all know me as I have been here for ever but for newbies I'm 50 something with an overall bottle or wine a night habit which I battle constantly,and win occasionally. I'm unhappily married to Dh ( 30 years this year) and have 3 DC's, 26,23 and 15. Dd1 suffers from mental health problems.
My job is permanently on the line and exhausting. I like collecting sea glass and soldier ogling.

I keep typing out long moany spiels and then deleting them, so I'm just going to post this: I wish I had an entire belgian chocolate cheesecake to binge on. That was somehow only 200 calories.

Hey.
Thank you all for sharing here.
pickleandchutney I hear you.
I'm stopping alcohol for lent in an effort to clean up my body and mind (too much wine, followed by no energy to exercise and wanting to eat a lorry load of pasties)
Obviously I am still caught in the manageable phase of that initial glow of not having had a drink for 20 hours.

Carte you ok?
Pure well done and good luck, you’ll start to feel so good in the mornings
Done so well on Healthy Eating until this last hour, where I have eaten half a bag of mini eggs, some cheese bites and some wine gums will do better tomorrow. Have fancied a drink tonight but that’s just interview nerves and I’ve ignored it.

Good luck for your interview madein1995

Good luck made!!

Oh I feel all 'go get em'!!

I'm okay, made, I was just feeling proper moody and petulant last night and tried to stop it leaking out Feel like I've got angry toddler brain sometimes when it comes to booze: "But I want iiiiiiiiittt!" Good luck with your interview! You'll smash it.

Good luck made!

Day 4 AF here. I think it's going to be a tricky one. I have my daughter all day. A friend's coming round with her toddler son and we're going to playgroup together this morning. Friend is a lovely person, very warm and caring, but she talks non-stop. One of these people that starts a topic, and you think of a response, but by the time you can get a word in she's four topics on. Plus she's having a hard time and I find I often end up providing lots of emotional care (something I'm good at) and afterwards realise we've not touched on anything to do with me. I end up being the capable carer, which is of course the role I had growing up.

Two toddlers together is never fun, and playgroup's going to be bedlam. I expect I'll end up feeling pretty overwhelmed, which is one of the reasons I drink. My work's artistic, I like being alone, being creative. I like people too, but too much going on at once and my mind feels like someone's playing death metal into the Lovell Telescope

Right, enough self-indulgence. Toddler is whingeing so must go. Love to all and bon chance

Afternoon! Just popping my head round the door to wave hello. And OMG I have just discovered Chai Cinnamon Lattes!!! They are incredible.

I had forgotten about chai lattes. Really yum.
I am drinking "no added sugar shandy" which I guess (although

Evening,
just a flying visit to say hello. We have friends staying for a few days, very moderate drinkers, so just had a couple of drinks to be sociable, literally a couple.
Went to bed last night and though 'I drank like a normal person!' you know? No big deal, enjoyed 2 drinks, it was enough. How very liberating.

Will catch up soon but can't NC just now. Love to all.

Agh the WW got me. I've drunk my usual 2/3 bottle.

Got to sort out Thursdays. Fuck.

Now my challenge is not doing the same thing for the next 3 days.