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

Thanks for the welcomes.

I like cats but I don't think I could ever have one on the basis I couldn't deal with any dead/half dead gifts.

Twattage13 I've been thinking of the positives today too. I should have weighed myself this morning - see if it falls off me in January!

Welcome cats and cupcakes. Good to you stillearnin
laughed at the half a pair of lungs........

Vile vile day here with atrocious weather and I need to drive dd2s wee car back to her flat for her coming back after Christmas at her Bfs in Essex. The new year Blues are striking hard and today and tomorrow will be grim.Trying to think of positives but today includes:
a drive in dreadful weather
a visit to my ill mother to do some housework for her
a possible visit to the care home to see dad who will cry a lot
putting up with sullen and silent dd1 (MH issues) who will get up this afternoon at some point
and, purely to keep me occupied, a clear out of the kitchen ...

Struggling

Aw dementedma sending a big hug to you for today...try to stay strong.

cakes - I've decided not weight myself until 25 Jan when I'm off on holiday for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm determined to stay on plan with no booze and I'll see where I'm at then (I will just depress myself on top of not drinking if I step on them today)!

My cat is a killing machine - usually nice and voles but sometimes slow worms and birds. Once he managed to get a huge crow through the catflap and drag it through the house. I prefer it when the bodies are dead as every now and then he drops a live one in the kitchen which I know nothing about until the tell tale signs start appearing in the kitchen cupboard (droppings, gnawed packaging - shudder!)

Twattage I suspect we are quite similar in our issues and goals. I could have written most of what you wrote except for the running bit I remember that high energy feeling jumping out of bed instead of crawling and I want it back!!!

I look like a barrel. I have skinny calves and lower arms so if I dress well, people often don't realise the horrors that lie beneath. I just measured my waist and it was 37 inches!! I am 5ft 5 and weigh 12.10. I also have gigantic norkage.

My eyes are my best feature but the yellow puffy bags underneath kind of cancel out the beautiful blue. And the red broken veins on my nose most attractive.

I have 2/3 of a bottle of Chateau neuf du Pape to finish off plus about an inch of vodka. That will have to do me tonight and then it's game on.

Like everyone else has said, my biggest worry is the lack of sleep in the first few days, especially as my job is so full on and I have to do some long distance driving next week. Not allowing that to be an excuse though.

Got to do it this year!

mice

demented sorry life is a bit shit at the moment.

Thinking of the positives, at least there won't be any mouse droppings when you clear out your kitchen

I had a lot of problems with my DD through the younger teen years and she is out the other side now and we are so close. She still has the occasional wobble but she is mostly great. I hope things improve for you soon.

Is there space on the bus for another one? I've been reading the threads since the beginning and the time has come to clamber aboard (the time actually came years ago but I'm finally feeling brave enough).

Morning all,
Massive welcome to the new posters, always room here for another.

So here we are at the end of the year, I joined this bus a year ago having been an avid reader for a while and having spent a long, long time being aware of drinking way too much.

Took a while to pluck up the courage to make my first timid post but I've never looked back. The support, advice and laughs have been incredible and I hope I've helped a little too along the way.

Started the year skint, bloated and in the most unhappy relationship with a very angry, sulky and selfish man and I end it (mostly) sober, single and sorted and a great deal of that is having this thread to write on, writing things down is, for me a wonderful way to see things more clearly.

I look back at my puffy, bloated self, who spent so much on wine and didn't take care of herself and marvel at the changes that happened when I became 'LuxuryWoman' sounds bonkers yes? But, this new me paints her nails, spends the wine money on nice undies and quality food and loves a face bomb weekly (buy one, my shares are dipping )

Tonight will be a challenge for lots of us, and so will DJ, remember 'Try January' is better than nothing.

I've learnt lots, and say it often but there is nothing like a genuine thirst to set of wine cravings, a big glass of iced water can really truly help as can having a selection of adult soft drinks (like Sweet) I'm a fan of Rose Lemonade, it's sharp and hits the spot.
Changing old habits is important too, if Friday night is a film and wine, skip that for a couple of weeks and do something else, meet friends for a coffee in the afternoon rather than a boozy dinner, just while you are resetting.
I've found that good friends didn't raise an eyebrow when I told them my drinking was becoming worrisome and I'd give the wine a miss this time, a simple 'sure you don't fancy a glass?' has been the extent of it.

I hate to sound like a L'oreal advert but we are really all worth it, we are worth looking after, worth a good night's sleep and worth a clear head.

Nobody ever regrets not drinking the night before - never

Bloody hell, I am going on one of my epic rambles again, sorry to the person sitting next to me on the bus, I can see you glazing over

Anyhow, thank you all for being here, for your support and thread friendship, good luck tonight and let's hope that 2018 is kind to us - a shiny new year.

MissHoolie I think about you lot's and hope you are ok
Elba Made if you're out there reading I also hope you're OK, miss you guys.

Far too many to NC right now, but every post I make is to everyone.

Morning and thanks for the welcome and af drink ideas. I'd totally forgotten about ginger beer so will definitely try that and the ginger and lime cordial sounds good too.
Sadly my day 1 didn't start yesterday, turns out trying to quit when you have a half bottle of red and half bottle of white in the house doesn't work! All now consumed though so will have to see how tonight goes.
Twattage thanks for the list of positives it's a great reminder of the good stuff to come and rothbury you sound like my twin physically speaking so I hope we can begin to embrace some inner svelteness by the end if the month. I also run but after running a half marathon in March I got injured so am back to doing the Couch to 5k.
Marge I hope things with your brother are not too trying for you?
I remember reading the posts from MissHootle (sorry not sure if that is quite correct) at the beginning of this thread wondered if anyone knew how she was doing? I may have missed some posts in the middle.
I don't own any cats but I do have a dog

Aw rothbury we should buddy up a bit to get through Jan! I know what you mean about waist size...I also used to have massive boobs but I had them reduced in 2015 to a C. At the time I was 10'13 and I don't ever like to go above that weight as it means the fat goes straight to them...I would hope by end of Jan to be below that to have some wriggle room during my holiday.

LuxuryWoman2017 - thank you for giving me hope that I can get back to how I was...I know I can do it...it's just a case of proving it to myself this coming month.

BernieBear I'm with you for tonight - I've just been to the supermarket and got myself another bottle of San Pellegrino and a lime. I've also got a salmon fillet for dinner a bit later, fresh off the fish stall - am going to have a healthy day!

Am really glad I joined this thread already :).

Fantastic bracing walk. Doggo had a fit of the zoomies along the shore, but was really well behaved, impeccable recall, and walked to heel like a proper trained gun dog. This is the first time I have had him off lead anywhere other than our local park (and even there only in the last month) in 12 months. So proud that I can (mostly) ditch the long training line. I even managed to walk through the woods.

The weather has closed in here now too, Ma, that's a difficult day, but the bank holiday limbo will be over soon, the days will get longer. It won't solve everything, but will bring some relief.

Rothbury I always tell people I didn't have a mouse problem until I got a cat . SweetCat quite often lets them go for sport, but she does generally sort it out within 24 hours! I think I'm shorter than you, decent looking legs, boobs that make me look matronly, but are beginning to get lost in what I laughingly call my waist! And 10st3lb, my heaviest for about five years, I generally hover around the 9.5st mark, I'd ideally like to be just under 9.

Welcome Scooter, stay brave and keep posting.

Luffs you Lux.

Sweet you to lovely one.

I just had another moment, was in the kitchen baking something for tonight and this old dance song came on, do you remember it? The chorus goes 'I'm a different person, turned my world around' a Pete Tong song I think, anyway I'm in the kitchen singing and dancing along to these pertinent lyrics and realised how true they were and there was nobody telling me to' shut up, stop acting like a twat, turn that fucking noise off' etc.

Nobody is going to get shitfaced tonight and molest me, screech at me and call me names and I do not have to get pissed to cope with it.

Stress can do terrible things to willpower and habits.

Luxurywoman you sound exactly what I want to aspire to!! Thanks for posting.

So twattage bear and I can be the three twats or three bears - what do you think?

I am really excited about 2018 now!!!

Luxury I remember it! Reminds of being in my usual nightclub back in the day. Haven't heard it in a long time. I liked your earlier post. Very positive.

Hope your day's going ok Ma. Its very wet outside now. Glad I took DS to the park when it was sunny and bright earlier.

I was trying to think of a suitable combo of both twattage and bear but all I could come up with was 'the twatted bears', which unfortunately isn't a moniker I want to aspire to in 2018!

I am happy with either twats or bears! x

😂😂 that's hysterical! How about "barely twats??? "

Luxury Thank you so much for thinking of me, that’s so kind of you and it means a lot. I’m still here which is about as much as I can say right now.
I will update later. Love to you all, wherever you are with this.
If you’re at least trying, you’re a hero in my eyes.
One of my DM’s friends came round earlier who lost her DH last Christmas after 55 years of marriage. They had loads of problems with 2 of their sons with addiction, including heroin.
She actually found a quote for me today from some ancient philosopher which was along the lines of ‘Sometimes, even staying alive can be an act of courage’. I really related to that and think there are millions of people out there who are heroes for deciding to just keep going.
Will catch up later but do genuinely think about all of you a lot x

3 bears is preferable to 3 twats, I think!
have cleaned out a few of the kitchen cupboards - God, how much clutter and crap there was! Another bin bag full of shite now in the car for when the dump re-opens. Am now about to tackle the front room. DH is working tonight and DD has just stunned me by saying she is going out tonight for dinner with a friend. Well, knock me down with a feather!! This means I will have the house more or less to myself tonight as DS won't come out of his bedroom anyway. I feel like a terrible parent but not having DD sitting silently like a Groke has lifted my spirits already.

I agree three bears is best!

demented I have fifteen years of stuff that should have gone to the tip in my garage so you are doing really well. I totally get what you mean about your DD. I am sure you love her to pieces but mine used to be like a dementor, sucking all the joy out of everything and leaving a chill in the air. Hang on in there - mine laughs and jokes sometimes now!!!

Three bears it is then!

One of the things I love most about being sober is decluttering everything...it's become a bit of an obsession for me at various times. After all you suddenly seem to have a lot more hours of the day available...

I don't really have too much left as I've been so ruthless over the last few years. At one point I did think about setting up a decluttering business but I probably don't have time any more.

Gah! I've just spent 15 mins chasing a mouse around the study (whilst I should have been fulfilling my Rosetta Stone commitment for the month).The dog is trying to deal with it, but at the moment its behind a very heavy bookcase. I will be having words with that cat.

That's a wonderful quote MsHoolie.

Ma sounds like progress for DD. I also have a DS (15) who is mostly in his room - I've obviously made it too comfortable - but honestly, sometimes I just think, he doesn't appreciate my trying to parent him, so why bother?

Twattage Bears and Bearly Twats

I will join you in the sober decluttering. After 10 houses in 16 years (moving with DH’s job - he might even have met demented somewhere along the way!) we have finally bought our own house.
I do not want to be sitting on the sofa swigging red wine surrounded by crap. I want to be happy in my skin and my surroundings. I also don’t want to look and feel ten years older than I am, and I want to stop worrying that I’m doing myself damage.

Hi everybody
I have been looking across at this bus for a while
Now I am here with my travel card ready to jump on if there is a seat .

I have been a bit heavy handed on the wine for a while , drinking in the evenings when lonely
Today is day 2 of not doing this .

Over the summer I drank way too much as I have been going through a lot .. A bad car crash , financial problems , anxiety , a broken relationship . Just got really scared and lonely and it used to block it all out . I gained a lot of weight too .. bloated and puffy with lovely clothes in ŵardrobe that dont fit

My goal is to go 2 months without wine .

Been to shops and gym/ swimming with 11year old Ds today
Am going to stay in with him and see how he likes watching Love actually this ny eve

Happy new year to everybody onboard

yorkshire I'm guessing a military family?
mrshoolie good to see you. Think of you often
sweet DS is like a giant, acne ridden troll. On the rare occasion he appears in the kitchen or sitting room I have to do a double take to figure out who he is. My cool "and you are?" enquiry is wasted on him.

Hi Bumbelinadance - I am new too. I also had a problemo with the vino but I've managed to stay off it for over 3 1/2 years...you'll find weight-loss suddenly becomes much easier when you are not drinking. HNY!