The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Braving The Wine Witch & Her Alcohol Free Autumn

[Mouseface]

Hello

I’m Mouse one of the Brave Babes who ride on this wonderful Bus, called Gerald, along with all the Opal Fruits wrappers and of course Barry The squid.

We all have a wise variety of life experiences and experiences with alcohol too. We’re not admirers of hang overs and we certainly don’t do judgey pants!

We’re here to ride along with you, when life is pants but also when it’s not as well and you my want to celebrate that bit too much!

So find a seat and come take a ride. I’ll link the previous and also the very first link and the reason we’re all here.

*Mouse

hi grobags Like to say more?

Struggling too for a long time. Need to go dry and I can't. Failed again this weekend.

Wine's a bitch and beer's a bastard.

Have been steadily drinking more and more for the last few years. A series of very crappy life events plus an unsupportive partner. Wanting to switch off every night. Think I've finally realised how much I'm drinking. Every night, at least half a bottle of wine if not more plus what ever else is handy. I'm finally over it, I've put on weight and worried about my health plus the cost!! Realised it's just not normal. Might not post much but though I'd try and join in. I've been on mn a while but have namechanged for a fresh start.

Here still reading all these tho not posted
Not AF but more than halved what I was drinking
Thank you to brave babes all and new ones - best of wishes
Working towards AF nights slowly
I can’t talk to DH or anyone about this at all tbh (but that’s just me - too ashamed)
Festive can fuck right off as regards booze - I’ll fit in and have a glass slowly and at decent intervals with ice and a mixer so no one notices

Thank you for the warm welcomes. It's not nice to know that there are so many people suffering but it's nice to know I'm not alone if that makes sense. I took a good look at my hungover self in the mirror yesterday - fat puffy face, jowls, dull skin, and thought 'Christ, you look like bloody grotbags witch off the telly' (hence the username). Although more of a purple colour than green!
I will post my back story once I have figured out how to turn off email notifications!

grotbags you seem to have become grobags already. The level of literacy on this bus is shocking!
tanniss you don't have to go completely dry. Set a target you can achieve and build from there eg. pour away the first glass from the bottle before you drink the rest. if you are on a bottle of wine a week, that's 7 glasses less in a week, ie a whole bottle! Try and have one night AF (here, have my advice, I'm not using it) and then build from there. midshire seems to have a good plan in reducing in her post.

Welcome Grotbags, Tannis, Babaroll and Midshires Good to have some new faces joining us as we head into December and the Christmas madness. I went out with the girls last night and quite a bit of drink was taken but it was beer which is not.my poison (I'm a wine witch victim) and there was a lot of dancing involved so escaped relatively unscathed apart from all the empty calories and money down the drain! There were two blokes in the pub we went to first who were absolutely arseholed and decided to sit with us and it brought it home to me a) what boring self aggrandising wankers a lot of.men are when they've had a drink and b) how polite most women are as my friends sat and humoured them while I looked for a nearby structure to hang myself from .

Going to take dd to work soon and go to the gym and then we are going to the cinema this afternoon. The house is a tip and I have loads of work to catch up on but massively can't be arsed.

MsHoolies how are you feeling today lovely? And Faire great to see you.

Ma I hear you on the WB front. My useless OH has no idea what goes on in my life. Even when I tell him it doesn't register and most of the time now I don't. My life also veers between doing interesting but challenging work with talented people and then coming home to a tip and listening (or not listening) to a boring and insular WB wittering on about the washing up and moaning about imaginary slights from his tiny circle of associates. They even support the same failing football team as we know. Remember FB2020 and build up that bank account xxx

Sorry to anyone I've not namechecked am on my phone and can't scroll back in case I lose this. Have a good day all x

Tonight was the first night in I don't remember how long that I didn't have even one drink. I reckon it's at least a year. It feels good, it was hard but I feel great. (I'm in Australia - hence the time difference).

Hello- sorry to barge in. I’m ready to try to get on top of things now. Can someone recommend an alcohol free gin please. Tia

Still this is was recommended by another babe recently - I've not tried it myself - not cheap but when we look at what we spend on booze it's a piss in the wind, they do a spiced version as well x

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/297318366

THanks - that is pricey but yep, could be worth it

Welcome Grotbags, Tannis, Babaroll and welcome back Midshires - you're all in the right place for support and understanding

Bararoll well done on your first day

Tannis take one day at a time and be kind to yourself. Weekends are a huge trigger for all of us. Plan your days and get loads of treats in Keep posting it always helps

Grotbags love your username. Please be kind to yourself x

Hello every Brave Babe - Nuff great to see you babe. Guggs you ok babe?

Beaches how you doing?

Margie what you been up to?

MsHoolies sending you hugs xxxx

Hope everyone's having a good Sunday - extreme weather in places, rough seas here and flipping cold! No snow!

Looking forward to Celebrity tonight My life is so rock n roll

My story. - myself (44) and DH (45) have been together 25 years. Always been big drinkers. Mostly at the pub but once DDs cane along (13 & 14) we started drinking at home. And it went from there. 3 bottles for a tenner at first and then he got into whisky. 10 years ago I started getting pains right side under my ribs do had an endoscopy and was told I had inflamed stomach. Ignored that and carried on until I was in bloody agony this year and took myself to a&e, had bloods and liver scan done. He said it was ok but warned me the liver looks fine until it's fucked. I've noticed lately
That I get pissed really quickly and would stop, but DH seems to have more of a problem. He almost seems to panic at the thought of stopping and ropes me into drinking with him. So that's me xx

What an honest post Grotbags. Sounds like you have real concerns about your health and that will provide a great motivation to stop but you need your OH on side. Is there any way you can make him see it is about your future health and wellbeing and not a random preference not to drink? Would he not be persuaded to go for a check up himself? Glad you are here with us on the bus anyway (passes Grotbags a mince pie and party hat)

Monday evening... a long week stretching ahead, possibly lots of stress. Ahh the tempting lure of a glass of wine.... but no! How will you really feel? Will you actually enjoy it? Will you just want more?

Whatever you have instead - a mug of tea, a cappuccino, a herbal brew, a cold glass of coke - go for that instead.

I have the sitting room to myself for once, lit only by the christmas tree and the fire. I am listening to Christmas Carols and happy. However am putting off the moment when i have to go into the rest of the flat which has no heating - STILL - and the temperature in the bedroom is probably below zero. Forecast to be minus 12 tonight!! It was minus 6 when I got into the car this morning...

Ma I’m feeling guilty in a centrally heated house. You deserve better.
I’m in the sidecar, probably need a slap with Barrie. I did 6 weeks AF weekdays, then lost the plot.
Will start again tomorrow.........

6 weeks is amazing slings. i can't do 6 days!
Well, we now have a new flue (ooh, matron) and hopefully the gas man will come tomorrow to do the widget which will generate heat..it's amazing how much we take it for granted to be warm, and to turn on a tap and have hot water.
tomorrow for work I am hosting guests at a Christmas concert put on by the Royal Marines.Do you know how many chaps in uniform that will be? ogle sensors turned to maximum....

Hello! I posted on one of the previous battle bus threads earlier this year when I was really struggling. Now three and a half months sober. (Yay!)
But tonight I have the fucking office Christmas party and the thought of it is stressing me out. I like my work colleagues but work-sanctioned booze up is not really something I want to deal with at this point in my recovery.

It'll be OK to duck out after an hour if I need to, right?

duke congratulations on 3.5 months!

Absolutely fine to duck out. Fine not to go if that's easier! You are much more important than any office party.

I decorated the tree with the kids no wine! So many triggers but did it made an amazing hot chocolate for us all- new tradition I hope for us. Really enjoyed it af. The first class is always nice the rest is a disaster.

Day 40 af.

Glass not class.....

Thanks Say!

I'll see how it goes tonight. Who knows, maybe I'll have a lovely time. But if I'm not comfortable, I'll just leave. Keep telling myself that my recovery comes first.

Well done with starting your new hot chocolate tradition. It's amazing what can be done (and enjoyed!) without booze. Who knew?

duke I find the important thing is to have a strategy, a plan for what you'll say when you feel under pressure (from yourself or your colleagues).

So if they are saying "oh go on, it's Xmas, just have the one" Take it, put it aside and say "brilliant! I'll have that in a moment but first I need a big glass of cold coke / hot mug of chocolate.." They will forget and move on quickly.

Or say "great, I'll get this one for you, you can get me one later in the evening" That way you're in charge or what you order at the bar, they are none the wiser. Many will only be concerned about two things - getting lots of drinks themselves, and making sure they don't feel guilty if you are sober.

Then as things progress you'll either find that you're having a great time dancing sober, feeling pleased that you're not the falling down person, maybe finding a surprising number of also sober people that you can chat to OR you'll find them all ridiculous, boring and a pita. In which case leave quietly. It's a good idea to have something to look forward to when you get home - the latest round of masterchef on iplayer, your pjs already warming on a radiator, some wonderful cheese and biscuits...

You can do it. And if it all gets too awful, retreat to the toilets and post on here.... someone will rescue you (metaphorically)

Well I managed 2 hours in a rammed basement bar with way too loud music before sneaking off home.

Only my sneaking wasn't very sneaky because I ran into my boss and colleagues when I was collecting my coat.

I'm feeling a bit shit now and I'm not quite sure why. I know I CAN have a good time without alcohol. I had a brilliant Halloween party and stayed up until 2 in the morning. But I didn't enjoy this evening at all.

On the train home now. Hot chocolate and cuddles with my cats when I get home.

Well done duke
A rare AF night for me as working late ogling Royal Marines. The bandmaster has the tightest of pantaloon thingies on which showed his rather nice bottom to the audience....well,me! The rest were probably listening to the music.