The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Go Sober For October?

[Mouseface]

Hello, 'tis me, Mouseface, welcome to the Bus, aka Gerarld.

We're a bus full of various Babes, from those who are as dry the Sahara, those who drink in moderation, those who binge drink and can go for weeks without a drop and then fall arse over tit (pardon the french!) straight off the bus and into the sidecar, and then we have Babes who try every single day to give up.

The thing is, we all do 'this' ONE DAY AT A TIME and with passion too. You have to WANT to stop with every fibre of your being.

And that's what this bus is about. We support each other. No matter how many times you fall of the Bus, we'll always be here to scoop you back up and listen.

So, come and join us. Lurk, or grab a seat, make sure you're comfy and enjoy the journey as we talk about the dreaded drink, plus everything from how expensive Tena Lady's are, to what's in the slow cooker!

We don't judge, this isn't a competition, it's our lives.

And if you'd like to read the last thread, HERE IT IS

Plus, if you'd like to see where the Bus started out, you can RIGHT HERE

Hope to see you soon xx

Sorry to join bus so late
An achievement for me this week has been to halve my alcohol consumption by half and not woken up hungover for 6 days
Sounds a bit feeble but it's a start
I have been doing 'my fitness pal' to lose about half a stone and my alcohol calories shocked me by way way outstripping food calories 😳
I've drunk later (rather than vino in bath at 6) and had spritzers to slow me down
The talk of the 'wine witch' on here has helped
I'm really worried about people's reactions when I'm drinking notably less - what do I say? I don't want to be over earnest with others and it's not their business but I've always been the one either keeping up or drinking more🙄
About a bottle of wine a night and more at weekends - I'm so ashamed to have done this to myself

Morning lovely babes, that's a great clip about the sober women. They looked brilliant and were interesting to listen to. I think we need some kind of social sober women clubs where you can just drop in and chat or join in with something social which doesn't revolve around booze. Oh ok, I watched the link and now I want all those women to be my friends 😎

midshiremum please don't be ashamed,alcohol is so addictive and we' have all used it to self medicate. As for friends reactions, I wouldn't make any big announcements just yet but neither would I apologise or explain that you want to cut back. Say something like- I have a headache so I'll have some wine later or hold a glass of wine but put it down and don't touch it. Your friends won't care once they have their own glassfull.
I've had a few stupid reactions from friends however as time has gone on quite a few of my friends have cut down or quit the booze entirely as well. Turns out that there are lots of us wanting to get sober or moderate : )
Some of the sober blogs have got wise words to say about socialising and drinking. Welcome to the bus

Happy Monday all

Venus fairenuff Good to see you. spanna I'm so sorry your colleagues are leaving you out. You are not boring, people who repeat themselves over and over again because they're pissed out of their brains, now they're boring. Wise words from Margie indeed guggenheim Good to see you. elf Waves, How are you doing my lovely? Lux New shoes won over bottles of Pinot this weekend ma Hows the new job going? ruby Great news on the BP. How are you feeling now? Merlin 15 days is awesome! It's the weekend I always found hardest but now I work pretty much every Saturday Sunday night the cravings are starting to go. I found going to have a lavendar bath helped as it makes me sleepy and ready for bed. Margie Thank you. I've been up since 4.30 as couldn't sleep. This is such an important interview for me. It's the only chance I have of getting back into a career I love more than anything. I've been trying for the last four year's. rupertpenryswife The extra pennies are great aren't they? I've spent mine on nip and fab stuff and a sneaky new pair of shoes Batteredoldchesterfield Well done you! Can I recommend AF Koppaberg to you? Also lemonade with elderflower cordial on crushed ice with a sprig of thyme , really refreshing, tasty and I pretend it's a G+T holdthewine Yep, I know that feeling, wine as a crutch. We're all here for you though, when it gets too much just hop on and there's normally someone around. babycow38 6oclock and Notthatwittyreally Welcome to the bus. midshiresmum I told my friend's I was doing the 30 day challenge for charity, then I upped it to 60 then the 90 day challenge. Now they just see it as normal.

Here's a grumpy Eagle Owl to cheer you all up

Good luck for today mint fingers crossed.

quick good luck to mint and a big helloto babes old and new.
Second week in new job,found first week really difficult

Good luck mint that's a great owl!

ma the first few weeks In a new job are always tricky. Entirely normal to decide that it isn't the right job / it's too hard/ wish you hadn't left the old place etc etc. It will pass !

Good luck mint
Sorry to hear that ma new job can be stressful. Hopefully it will get easier when you have settled in a bit more.
My BP was back up this morning, boo. But I am back on the healthy eating and no drinking regime. I had a long chat with my mum yesterday who is in AA and is 7 years sober and confided in her that I am trying to moderate my drinking. I was relieved to admit to her that I want to change. She was really supportive and didn't put pressure on me to go down the AA route - I am not sure its for me.
I've been doing a lot of thinking and realised that I used drink to suppress my anger at my ex. I used to get really wound up by his uselessness. He would punish me for getting angry with him by making out that I was an unreasonable, hysterical woman, for wanting him to pull his weight around the house and with family life. I used drink to suppress my anger and cope with having the weight of everything on my shoulders. I can't blame my ex for my drinking, that was my choice. Drinking is just what I do to cope. But I need to find other ways of coping.
My mum also reminded me that you cant change anyone else for them. I kept thinking that ex would change if only I could make him understand the problem. But in the end I realised that he didn't want to understand.

marking my place so I can find y'all again!

I only went and got the job!!!!! They had 500 applicants but had already chosen me...
OMG.
I'm celebrating with procecco. Sorry, but it's been four years of trying.

Fantastic news mint you must feel on top of the world, well done enjoy the prosecco.

On another note it appears I have a new addiction to chocolate, just bought a tub of roses and a tub of celebrations.

I am quite worried it is going to come tumbling down very soon, my dm has been referred to the hospital under the two week rule due to be seen this Wednesday, to top that my DH is getting test results next Friday regarding his long term health condition, indications from last time mean it won't be good news so will need to escalate treatment.

This is currently resulting in me seeing a nice bottle of wine chilling in the fridge for when the results come in, this was my coping mechanism previously and I'm afraid if I do this I will be back to square one!!

I need a stern talking too.

Mint that's fabulous news!

Thank you. I'm sitting here giggling!

Mint how wonderful! Massive congratulations 🐞

I'm so happy for you.

Mint how fabulous! Enjoy the feeling.

ma sending hugs. It's a new culture, new faces, new topics. Not surprising you feel overwhelmed. It's difficult to imagine but it WILL calm down and before long you will be the expert. Honestly.

Rupert it must be tempting, but wine would only be a temporary relief. Why not put a bottle of fresh squeezed lemonade in the fridge, or a luxury drink of rose and elderflower? It might not hit the same spot, but try it once and see how it feels?

Congratulations Mint that is amazing!

I'm currently enjoying a cranberry juice in a wine glass while I wait for dinner to cook.

Have been a bit stressed this evening due to teenage DS and my ex being useless. But I'm not resorting to booze. I'm actually looking forward to my new evening treat of a few posh chocolates and a cup of tea while watching something mindless on tv, in bed.

Massive congratulations Mint! Out of 500! They must think you're the bee's knees 😁

Rupert that sounds tough. I'm not really in a position to advise but rooting for you.

mint oh bloody well done you. Am SO chuffed for you. Here, have a green Opal fruit!

Day 3 here, let myself down with 2 quick glasses of Shiraz as it steak nite? WTF??
Now feeling a bit worse for wear n still have reading maths to do,.im an awful mum

Mint That is FABULOUS news! Enjoy your fizz

Thank you all. I'm still grinning.

Well done, Mint!

Just dropping in to say a huge congratulations to Mint! So pleased for you- you totally deserve this!!

Also Margie you are going so, so well. Keep going- you're amazing!

Still very much in the sidecar, loads going on at the moment (stressful stuff but not all negative if that makes sense) not that that should be an excuse . God knows what the units are currently, probably hitting the 100+ mark again. Want to change it but lacking the motivation and constantly telling myself I will just do it tomorrow. Still lurking and reading here and taking inspiration from you all

Hi
I had a horrible, embarrassing situation at the weekend after drinking so much-I need to change.

Squeee! Well done mint no idea what your new job is but I hope it's something awesome- maybe chief kitten tickler or Aiden turners director. Well done 😎

ruby that's great, alcohol wouldn't have helped in any way.i think that there is a group if us who have been af for a few weeks now.

13bastards it happens. How about making today a new start and going af for a bit? Read through some of the threads and see if it helps.x

Yay Mint! So pleased for you. To be the best candidate out of 500 is incredible - huge congrats!

Rupert, sounds like you've got some stesssful situations coming up. I can't decide for you but dealing with stress with a hangover will only make you feel worse. One day at a time hon.

Chronicle - thanks so much for book recommendation! I am reading The Outrun and loving it.

Sofa, you are not a bad mother. You want the best for your kids which is why you boarded this bus. Look forward not back and keep talking to us.

Welcome 13. I have written a message like yours more times than I could count. You will find help and good advice here and absolutely no judging.

Elba, so good to see you my friend. Keep on keeping on. Every time I go out running I think of you and am still in awe of your marathon - think I'll be crawling over the finish line of the half!

Ma, well done for getting through the first week! Onwards and upwards!

Day 25 here. Happy Tuesday to all babes.