The Brave Babes Battle Bus - New year, old battles, big resolve

[SweetLathyrus]

Hi, I'm SweetLathyrus, Sweet for short, and I've been on and off Gerald the Brave Babes Battle Bus for years, so this time it's me standing in for our wonderful Mouse to invite you on board.

The bus is a place of support, safety and occasional silliness for those of us struggling with our relationship with alcohol. Some of us are sober, some are trying to be, some are moderating and aren't ready to give up alcohol just yet.

So whatever your reason for questioning the whys and WTFs of your drinking, hop on board, make yourselves comfortable and join in.

If you want to see what it's like, here's the link to the last thread, the one that saw us through Christmas.

And if you want to know how it all started, here is the link to JWN's original, inspiring thread.

Join us on our journey, you won't regret it.

sweet hope you feel better after a good sleep.

I've had a lovely relaxing Sat...didn't manage an afternoon nap but I've made (and eaten) a massive curry, caught up on TV (DiP / McMafia / Hunted).

I'd forgotten how far my weekly WW points go when I'm not allocating them all to beer! I had some left so I've just eaten 5 mini sausage rolls. Am now in bed with a rooibos, going to read my book and crash.

Can't believe how quickly 7 days have gone past entirely sober. This is the longest I've gone without a beer since 2014. I feel good...

Night night. x

I'm glad to see the bus so busy. I haven't posted for a while as I'm a bit of misery. I'm AF though! Day 6 today.

I've not missed it like I thought I would this weekend as I'm bothered about DS. His arm's gone very red/a bit swollen and kind of bruised looking after one of the injections he had Thursday. He's never reacted to anything before. The NHS website says it's fairly common and will go away in a couple of days but it's worrying me. It's 3 days now and it's getting worse.

We have been out again today though. Usually I spend my weekends waiting until the afternoon (for obvious reasons) but I was in the shower before 7.30 this morning!

Slowly catching up on the thread, the bus is moving so fast but with a lot of strength and positivity, it's wonderful, but a lot of reading!.
I did my run last night which felt great (and very cold) but did have two small vodka lime and sodas 🙄. Not anywhere near as bad as my usual 1.5 bottles of wine though so don't feel too bad. AF today and now in bed. Big lunch out tomorrow and AF only all round. Boyfriend is staying the next couple of nights which will keep me on the straight and narrow too. I think it's the after work routine which is my downfall as weekends aren't that bad.

Will try and catch up on the rest of yesterday now.
Waves at the bears 👋 x

Wow this thread is moving so fast...trying to keep up with all the posts, thank you for the welcome and responses to my post. I am feeling better today but aware that at day 8 AF I have a roller coaster of emotions to deal with.

I have just read Jason Vales book which is what started me off believing I could perhaps envisage a life without alcohol . And am powering my way through Clare Pooleys book from her blog which I am finding very entertaining and inspirational. A quote from another blogger in her book (Irish mammys blog) which really chimed with me is. "The last few months of my drinking I felt invisible and old and that that was going to be how I felt until I died"

The past year especially I have felt that way but now realising that it was probably the alcohol that was doing it or at least preventing me from making improvements to my life.

Anyway am off to bed with my herbal teas, am not yet getting the great nights sleep have been hearing about as I as still struggling to get off without alcohol but hoping that will come, night all.

Hey everyone, I'm just popping in to say hello to all the new posters, hope to get to know you all soon.

trying read your blog post and enjoyed it, spot on.

I have the dreaded lurgy so I'm off to bed with a box of tissues and a pack of strepsils, bleugh!

I'll catch up soon, best to all

margie I've missed you so it's great to see you posting and you Fox

Night lovely babes have sweet AF dreams.

Oh, those starting out whose sleep is still disturbed, it will get better, I promise. Give it another week and it'll settle. A multi vit never goes amiss and B vits especially.

Morning all - babes and bears...

Well done Bernie on the moderation - fantastic :).

I woke on the dot of 7 this morning, so probably around 9 1/2 hours sleep...had been intending to finish my book but fell fast asleep!

I'm one week down of my reset and on day 8 this morning, so thought I would just jot a few thoughts down on how I'm feeling. My main reasons for stopping beer in 2018 (at least until September - will explain why):

1. Health (consumption and frequency were rising in 2016 for the first time, after 3 years of very balanced moderation)
2. Work productivity (I am running a global team on a project that goes live this year through to end of March 2019 for my client, and I will need to be on call 24/7 over the summer - can't face the thought of being either hungover or fuzzy headed during this time and I need to set an example to my team)
3. Weight (I want to get to goal and finish the job that I started when I was nearly 4 stone overweight in 2012).

How am I feeling?

I think I might be on a 'boing' this morning! I feel suffused with calm and I've just realised that I have not been anxious now for a week. It is such a relief. Usually over the weekend I'd find it hard to stop thinking about work - I have had the odd thought but I've just parked it and moved on.

This week has seen me living my usual routine, just without the beer and with much better sleep. I realise now that I did all the heavy lifting of dealing with my emotions, adjusting my lifestyle without wine & spirits, getting used to cravings, in 2013/14. It has all been much easier than I expected - I'm quite surprised TBH.

Other than some thoughts of a nice cold beer on Tuesday, I've had zero desire to drink and I haven't thought about it really. I'm really enjoying waking up in the morning and being alert and fresh (and seeing the sun come up - this was one of my favorite things about not drinking - just wait until spring / summer comes - we'll be out in the garden with our coffees enjoying nature).

I'm not going to get complacent or smug - I have another 18 days until I go on holiday and I full intend for them to be 100% alcohol free. Then post holiday, another three weeks until skiing, and then my current plan is to be totally off the booze until 1 September, when the worst of my client work will be over and I'll go on holiday.

Anyway, I won't project as it's too far off...I'm feeling really, really good this morning. I am supposed to be going for a run (haven't run since end of November due to massive chest infection) - it's blowing a gale here at the coast but it is sunny, so just need to psych myself up to get out there!

Keep going all.

x

Morning ALL

First really good night last night, maybe that's what my body was telling me when I felt low yesterday?

Morning Lux, I'm off into town later (bleugh, I hate it), DS needs a new coat, but I also have some Christmas money to spend from my DM.

Mrs C, that quote, is resonant and chilling all at the same time. I'm well aware that for middle-age women it is double. My drinking has made me hide for all sorts of reasons. I am going to remind myself to be as present as possible.

Right, doggo to walk (and inevitably shower), day 7.

Morning all. Heading into day 7 - last night was easier than I expected and I even managed to steer clear of the wine at the lovely pizza restaurant we visit fairly often. It's always been a large red before.
I'm relieved not to have drunk last night, not least because I would have stood no chance of following the plot of Hard Sun, the new BBC thing, if I'd had a bottle of wine!

SweetLathyrus
I've had a hot chocolate in my special HC cup, it's 20 years old and makes Hot Chocolate taste even better than usual
Oh me too! Mines from when I was around 10 so it's almost an antique!
So begins Day 13. It's a tropical -5 right now. Today's plans will involve dying my hair and binge watching Peaky Blinders.
Yesterday I had a wobble around 5.30 so I hopped in the bath to stop the Wine Witch calling me from the dining room. Thanks to Christmas, it's chock full of booze.
I've been reading the paper's online, and apparently Ayrshire is full of the Aussie flu. Obviously mines just a cold and DP is the one who's got manflu it. It is worrying though as my Mother is prone to getting viruses. One of my old friends from England had flu over Christmas and died in his sleep Tuesday night. I don't know if there's any connection. I'm sure the PM will show what happened.

morning. Day 7. Slept well but still bothered with head pains. It seems ot be neuralgia as it is shooting pains on one side of head only.
mint sorry to hear of your loss. My mother has been ill with flu since Christmas and it has really hit her hard.
It's very frosty here this morning but I might wrap her up well and take her out in the car just so she can get out of the house

So many people on the bus now so forgive me for not NC everyone. You are all doing so well.

Luxury Get well soon. This virus is a proper nasty one isn't it. I'm popping Lemsips so much I'll rattle if you shake me. And now I've got the skits

I've just created a savings pot on my online banking account and transferred the first lot of Wine money I would have spent so far into it. I'm going to save for a Mulberry bag.

Yorkshireteaforme Oh thanks for reminding me. I wanted to watch Hard Sun. And McMafia

Mint, I’m so sorry about your friend. Hope you’re ok, and also that you start to feel better soon. Mention of Ayrshire makes me feel happy - have such nice memories of childhood holidays around there, particularly of Culzean castle.

Sounding perky this morning, Twattage - I’m glad! I’m feeling cautiously cheery too - the sleep has kicked in, and for the first time in a while I managed to sleep past 5.45, despite all efforts by the DC to rouse me. But oh, the sober dreams! They blow my mind every time I go through this process: what on earth does my subconscious look like?!

Have good days, all.

Morning all. I'm glad you are feeling better today @LuxuryWoman2017 (thank you for saying you like my blog) and also @SweetLathyrus it must have been the good nights sleep bought on by the special nostalgic hot chocolate

Morning all, a very good 8 hours sleep and now ready to face the day (well, an all you can eat Chinese buffet . No WW for me today but no alcohol either)

Fantastic post Twattage you have quite a year coming up!
Sorry to hear about your friend mint, I understand this particular strain of flu is dreadful.
Yorkshire I'll have to have a look at that new series - is it any good? I love a good plot but as you say when I've had the wine I can't follow them so it would be good to watch something with a clear head.
Still working my way through the old posts from 2010 (and I think someone else asked the question) how is Jesus now (the poster who started the thread) Does anyone know??

@MintToBee I am very sorry to hear about your friend and the illnesses that are going around.
@Twattage13 your comment about enjoy a cuppa in the garden has given me optimism I associate sitting in the garden with drinking wine but actually now the thought of sitting in the garden early mornings no with a cup of tea or coffee AND in the evenings with a nice cup of tea is really quite inviting and something to look forward to when the weather gets warmer.

Can someone please tell me how to make names bold I can't remember where to look to find where to do bold, strike through etc.

SmallFox
Culzeans a great place to walk the dogs.

trying put an asterix before and after the text that you want to bold

Mint - you have made me sooo happy. Thank you. Such lovely memories. I would so love to go back.

@Margie32 yay you are here. That makes me happy. This thread and a member on it saved me. I'm glad I gave something back. My first posts were under user wanttodie and I bloody did.
Fast moving thread and I need to motivate myself to get ready for work tomorrow after an amazing few weeks off.
Happy sober Sunday babes

Thank you demented

I'm back from my run! I haven't run for 7 weeks and had to walk for 2 mins about 2/3rds of the way through as thought my lungs were going to burst and I felt sick. I also had my watch set on miles rather than km for some reason! Fortunately I remembered that 5k is 3.1m.

Time this morning 35.55 - of which 2 mins was walking. My PB (set in August 2014) is 32.14. Aim this year is a sub-30 minute 5k. Let's see what I can do without a fuzzy head / hangover.

I should sleep well this evening after running on the beach and some very fresh sea air.

x

And sorry you're not feeling well. Hope you feel better during the day.

trying just wait and see - you will be amazed how much you enjoy your garden when you're not drinking...it will all unfold before you in a way you won't have noticed before - all good things to come :). x