The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Sweet, Summer Sobriety!

[Mouseface]

Hey, I'm Mouse

Welcome to the Battle Bus! We're a group of travelling drinkers of varying levels, those who are teetotal, and those who have tried so many times to stop, those are 'controlled' drinkers, but we NEVER give up and keep coming back for the support we share, and trying to get some kind of control over the Wicked Wine Bitch Witch!

It's not easy, boy, it's so not easy to stop or cut down some days. There are days when even the Bravest Babes fall into the Sidecar. And do you know what? That's okay.

There is NO judgey pants worn on this Bus and you don't have to be anyone other than YOU to join us

So, come and grab a seat, some Opal fruits, (it'll make sense eventually!)) and meet the rest of the Babes. Remember, you're not on your own, ever with us, you'll always have a Babe you can relate to.

Here's the last thread for you to catch up on if you like

And here's where the entire journey began.

Mouse xxx

So today I have:
Had my haircut
Paid the garage (£300!)
Posted a long overdue letter to an old friend
Bought new lightbulbs and replaced blown ones
Done a load of washing and several loads of dishes
Cleaned the oven
Made soup
Emptied the hoover bag, replaced, and hoovered
Checked on my mother
Done the recycling
Fed the cat - twice
Had a bath.

What exciting things have you all been up to?

Hi can I join?

I've read these threads on and off for maybe a year and was managing to go AF for lent (not really very religious, but there you go) when FIL passed away very suddenly aged just 49, had a stiff drink and just carried on for the past four months.

I went back to work following mat leave in May and I'm drinking wine most nights whilst doing my paperwork (watching real housewives)

I feel like shit as I always finish the bottle, my sleep is crap and I'm just looking bing a very sloppy existence due mostly to my wine habit.

I find it so hard to quit, see it as my reward for keeping all my plates spinning and the long evenings just tempt me even more.

I need to get a handle on it, I've been lazing around all day cos I feel like boiled crap after a bottle and a half drank last night.

My kids are off now for the summer, I want to save some money towards a holiday were going on in October and I just need to up my game a bit as a mum and just overall as a person.

So yeah, hope you'll have me 😀

Welcome alabama of course you can join us. Take a seat and relax.
I have given up and put the heating on and lit all the candles to make the place look cosy. And this is summer...

ma but all that lovely 'sky water' is what makes everything look so green and beautiful. Imagine if we had to live somewhere hot and dry like Spain, or Australia... oooh, just imagine...

(anyway it's going to be a bit better weather on Monday and Tuesday).

alabama welcome. I see you're a master of multi-tasking: TV on the big screen, work on your PC, surrounded by papers, lists and bills, and a glass of wine in your hand (and probably the family making demands in the background).

Did you know that we're not actually wired for multi-tasking (not even us superwomen) so why not try some proper single tasking? Decide what you're going to do, and do it. Real Housewives is on? sit down and watch it (OK multi-task with a cup of tea). Paperwork to be done? Allocate 37 minutes and really, really do it. Want to drink wine? OK sit down with your partner and open a bottle, taste it, share and talk. Hmm, maybe that cheap wine isn't so tasty after all, maybe the bottle lasts longer than you expected, maybe you've just re-discovered how nice it can be to talk (or maybe you've found out that you have completely lost the ability to connect and communicate, and you need to move on..)

One day at a time, one task at a time.

Hello lovely babes. I've been awol starting a new job and not really keeping up with anything, im officially past the point where a week of split shifts is feasible with 3 kids though I'll admit that.

I managed a week, and have now drank for a week. So it's been decided, by me and I'm not telling even my wonderful dh in case I fail again, that I'm going to try and do 3 weeks straight.

The week off went fine, was working early mornings and need the car for the job so couldn't risk it but I've slipped back into it and feel fat, low and generally shit about myself. Going to have a good read from the past couple of weeks hope everyone's having a good day

hey flowery good to see you again. Its a bit quiet on here at the moment. Keep at it!

ihey babes, m still here....lurking away because i fell off the wagon somewhat following a pretty miserable week last week but all is well and im feeling so much better - time to get back to it!

that said i am having a glass tonight. but - id normally be a bottle down by now if im honest - and im not. im half a glass down.
and i will stop at 2 glasses. determined. so not quite t total but not being silly either.
early night planned after a bath.
hope everyone else is good x

Evening, well I do believe that I am coming to the end of Day 12 AF.
Just finished work and about to wind my weary way home.
The relentless rain made for a really long, boring shift as nobody has been out and about. The town is such a ghost town. Fading seaside glory.

Nice to see you flowery
Hope things improve for you soon.

myusernamewhichisthis
An early night and then a bath sound's fab. I'm be home after midnight so it counts as an early morning really.

mint 12 days is awesome.
alabama how are you today?
user sounds like you have a plan in place. I had two G & Ts last night and was in bed early.
Am rattling my collection tin for the Poppy Appeal today at the cinema before and after the film Dunkirk. It will be interesting to see how many people have paid a lot of money for thir tickets and popcorn to watch actors pretending to be at war, but will walk past a collection to support those who actually were. (Although, tbf, people are usually very generous during official Remembrance time)

dementedma
Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and James D'Arcy. I'd donate all my worldly possessions for a night with them.

is it very sad that I don't know who any of those people are??

Hi dementedma
I'm feeling much more positive, this is day 2 AF for me but I've woken up with a pounding head, how is that fair?!?
Weather not too bad right now after a night of heavy rain so I'm off to my son's football match and then a day of general cleaning/tidying/organising for the week ahead. I'm going to miss my glass bottle of wine tonight when I finally sit down so I'm aiming for an early night and maybe a couple of episodes of mindless rubbish in bed.
I hope people are generous today and that your weather is kind to you.

Venus I'm hearing you re the multitasking; the plan for the moment is that I'm going to have so much free time without wine that I won't have to do this so much anymore. Hoping I'll feel less frazzled and perhaps start to have productive lists of what I've achieved at the weekend, much like what dementedma posted yesterday.

Hi mint congratulations on 12 days AF, that's really great, well done.
flowery best of luck with your three week target, I'm here with you. I'll be chuffed if I can do three weeks, although I'd like to get to 3rd September when I'm having a christening for my two youngest so will probably drink some champagne. Still, the aim in not to go mad like I did last month at my daughters' communion party arguing with my ex.

Hi all

Feeling totally desperate on two counts

1. Last night, I got totally wasted and ranted at my DP about something totally ridiculous - I was being totally ridiculous. I can't remember much, but it was about something stupid that I got jealous about and threw accusations at him and was pretty nasty. Today, he is hardly speaking to me and I don't know what to do. I've tried apologising and explaining it was just tiredness and alcohol, but I've done this about 5 times now in the past year. I know it's down to the drink as we never ever argue when we're sober

2. I think I really do have a drink problem. I've never really known if I do or not, but realise I can't go a whole day without one - even if it is a gin and tonic. But I literally can't remember a day I haven't drank. Also, these times when I just drink and drink and drink - and then rant. It's awful!! It's going to destroy my relationship if it hasn't already

I think the only way is to stop drinking completely because I clearly can't control myself

I just don't know what to do or say to DP and make things better

class you need a long genuine coversation with dp once he has calmed down. Admit that you have a problem and ask him to help you. Show him you mean it this time by chucking any booze in the house down the sink. You might learn to moderate like faire, you might go teetotal like venus. Different strokes for different folks.

showsomeclass i can really relate to you. have you read anything or tried to have some alcohol free days?

i can go without but i resent it - i havent taken the plunge in going t total yet but if i cant feel happy moderating my drinking i will do.

i am quite an all or nothing type.

my dp hates my drinking and it really gets him down if i go overboard - it will be the end of the relationship if i dont sort it. i didnt think drinking had such an effect on me but more than 2 and it does alter my personality.

Ma
Tom Hardy (Taboo, Peaky Blinders)
Cillian Murphy ( Peaky Blinders)
James D'Arcy ( Broadchurch)

All in Dunkirk

cillian murphy is just too beautiful to be real.....i first saw him in 28 days later. fab u lus.

james darcy however is quite bloke next door isnt he? oh how i wish he was next door to me.....

dp is bit like him.

Hi both

Well, after deciding to not drink at all, I had a drink. Only one albeit but I'm still disappointed in myself. I was hoping the hangover was what was making me feel so depressed yesterday but I have woken up even more down today and am fighting back tears. DP is still being very distant with me - no physical contact or affection whatsoever and he's normally the opposite.

I go to my own home until Thursday now and part of me thinks the space will probably do us good, but on the other hand, I don't want to leave without knowing everything is ok and he still loves me. Sounds childish but I am really panicking and so afraid i've done the drunken rant thing too many times now

No, I've never had a dry day. Not in years. Even if it's just one drink, I've always had to have at least one. I'm going to try today though - really really try!!

I'm a bit of an all or nothing person too but cutting it out completely will be very very hard. I'm just glad I'm not alone with this and you ladies seem really really supportive to one another.

showsomeclass
It's my day off today. I'm here all day if you start to wobble.

MissAlabamaWhitman

I got the hangover feelings too at first. I used to think that your body expects you to be hangover so you feel it. But I actually think it's the alcohol leaving your body, the sleep will come too, that makes you feel a bit exhausted at first. But feeling all this, you know you're starting to dry out. We are all here for you.

Waves at everyone else on the bus.
It's a beautiful day here, no rain! It's my day off and I'm going to pick my Blackcurrants before they spoil.

Thanks Mint

Does anyone else suffer from alcohol related paranoia?

DP was a bit warmer towards me this morning and said he would bring me lunch to my work as he is working from home this week, but he hasn't - and hasn't contacted me either. I know he's probably just forgot, but I have this other voice in my head telling me he's deliberately punishing me - as if I could even feel any worse than I already do

Luckily work is busy for me at the moment which helps keep my mind off things but I keep getting these weird pangs of guilt, emotion, feeling sorry for myself, feeling like a crap person. I'm hoping it will go away the more I stop drinking

Mint: yes, The Fear. I got this all the time, it's really normal to get paranoid. For me it was always worse if something had happened that I couldn't remember because I had genuine paranoia as well that things had gone to shit in ways I couldn't recall :(

Class, sorry, not Mint!

I have just eaten my entire body weight in shepherd's pie.
Think I might burst.