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.

I made my first hotpot this evening and DS ate 2 portions so it must've been alright!

I'm feeling a bit sad I won't be having any cans this weekend (hopefully) but I don't know why as I feel better AF especially in the daytime.

Sweet I'm looking forward to noticable weight loss too but as I can't see it happening anytime soon.

Say and Dry I hope your days have improved and Ginger it's so unreasonable of your partner to say that, not supportive at all.

@SweetLathyrus sadly no. But went to the shop d bypassed the wine again so not all bad x

And who'd have thought I'd prefer diet bitter lemon to wine? Who knew!!

I supposed I'm a bit embarrassed about saying I'm not drinking because I don't want to be a party pooper?

Thing about the weight loss, Kind, Baking, Ginger is that I haven't! Well maybe half a kilo, but what has gone is the bloat. Wine is EVIL!

Think about what you'll have, Baking, not what you can't have. A Saturday full of beans, not nursing a hangover. I wish someone would make me a (veggie) hotpot

i think I look thinner but the scales are telling me a different story. My face is definitely less puffy. DH and DS going away tomorrow overnight to the footie so another trigger - an evening in on my own. January is conspiring to throw things in my way. DD said she and BF will wait until end of January before coming over to celebrate so they don't spoil Dry January. Behold the ring...one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.....Actually I love it.and it's right for her

Hi babes and bears.

So sorry to hear so many babes are having such a shitty time.I do think that if you can get through the bad times without turning to alcohol then you are making real progress.

To add to the Woes of the Bus, I awoke to find my boiler had packed up, so no hot water or heating. BG cannot come until tomorrow night. If I need a new boiler I am FUCKED. Selling the house in a few months. Bloody nightmare.

Then, as I left for work I realised I had a flat looking tyre. Took it to garage on way home as working just 6 miles away today, and had to have two tyres replaced

Feeling very poor and worried about boiler. However, on the plus side, I haven't drunk. I came home, got into 72 layers of clothing, made a Thai curry and am sitting sipping diet coke waiting for Death in Paradise later.

@dementedma what a beautiful ring! Love it x

Rothbury Boiler breakage in winter is one of my big fears. It happened to me once when DS was a tiny baby. Horrible. Hope it gets sorted soon.

I really like DD's ring Ma.

Sweet I know you're right. I'm going out for a meal tomorrow night with friends. I've volunteered to drive! This has never happened before! I never drive/give people lifts because I'd rather drink. Tomorrow I'm doing both! This'll be the first night time sober socialising I've done in years.

Ma she has very good taste.

Oh bugger Rothbury what a sucky day.

I'm feeling cold, but I think it's just my body rebelling against the workload, I'll be fine after a good sleep.

Baking, it'll be ok, you might notice people drink less than you think.

Day 10 done and am off to bed.
Ma that’s a lovely ring.
Rothbury that’s grim. It happened to me years ago just before Christmas, I’ve never been so cold in my life.
ginger well done you.
And to all of you, driers and triers (as someone said earlier) well done and koko.
mshooliescardigan how are you? I often think about you.

Night all

Beautiful ring ma boiler trouble is awful Rothbury I well remember when mine packed up at the poorest moment of my life - grim.

Bad chest now, fed up but not even giving alcohol a thought so every cloud...

I too am thinking of you MissHoolie and hope so much you're OK.

Best wishes to all

So sorry some of you are facing crappy times 😢

Business trip nearly done and still Dry! Went out for dinner tonight and was the only one not drinking on a table of 12....it was hard for a minute or two at the start, but actually the speed at which they were drinking and the volumes were so small and slow that had I been drinking I know I would have been itching for more or drinking much quicker than everyone else! That sets me (and all of us I guess) apart from "normal" drinkers....it's very interesting actually analysing how people drink and how far removed they are from me.

Nonetheless I had a great time - lots of laughter and fun and delighted to be sober and in bed! Looking forward to a good nights sleep ready for flying tomorrow and so pleased to be doing that without a hangover.

KOKO and hope everyone's days are better tomorrow

Meant to send a long post tonight replying to you all but fell asleep at my computer. So tired! Another early start tomorrow as our CEO is visiting for yet more business development stuff... I'll try to catch up at the weekend. Night all x

Morning All.

went to bed at 8.30, woke briefly to find the cat had been hiding under the bed, up this morning feeling like I've been hit by a train, but hopefully, no sign of cold or flu. Working from home today.

Lou, well done, you sound super proud and perky - as you should.

Lux, hope you're staying warm and tucked up.

Hope, one more day.

It's time to plan your Friday Babe, the wine witch gathers her powers. What are your tactics?

For me:
No white wine in the house (there are racks of red but I am actually allergic to it, I turn purple, sneeze uncontrollably, my eyes stream, and my nose runs like a bath tap).
DH is on board with not encouraging, tempting or otherwise being the WW's familiar. He also offers fruit tea.
And reminding myself that I have an early gym class and lots of things I'd like to get done over the weekend.

And of course, lots of support and supporting on here.

Morning all - I had a horrible day yesterday at work. This last week with my client has been absolutely toxic on and off and I am now questioning my commitment (my contract us up for renewal at end of March).

I'm sorry but I fell off the bus into the sidecar last night and it wasn't enjoyable. Only a few beers but the circumstances were all wrong for moderation and I am feeling utterly miserable this morning. Last week I thought I had it all sorted and now I know I don't.

On top of that I am feeling ill again. My chest is tight and I can hear my lungs rattling. I've only just had a severe chest infection for 4 weeks in December and had to take antibiotics to get rid of it. I am now starting to think the work is making me ill.

I'm going to have a really quiet weekend, pack for my holiday, and hopefully knock this lurgy on the head.

Sorry to be very down today. I haven't felt like this in a long, long time. x

Twattage, that is horrible. Work was a big trigger for a lot of my drinking, I think I've only managed this far into January because I am rid of bastard boss and have a new and very supportive team. I am asthmatic, (mild) and for the first time in forever, I have avoided Autumn/Winter (so far) viruses and infections; it can really only because my mental health is better in work.

Oh so sorry @Twattage13. That sounds awful. Sometimes the stress becomes intolerable and we do whatever works to stop it even if we know it's destructive.

I'm on day 5 now but can see myself in exactly your situation soon for various reasons. Don't give yourself a hard time. Shit happens. Today is a new day xxx

Day 5 here. Feeling perky in spite of a meeting with the ex looming tomorrow.

Morning all
Twattage sorry to hear about your troubles. Hope you feel better soon and can look forward ot your holiday.
SweetLathyrus great post re Friday tactics. I'm planning to treat the kids and myself to a nice tea tonight and might get in some ice cream so I feel I've had a treat for Friday night. Also need to check if there's anything good on tv/iplayer etc. I need to go to the gym tomorrow morning before meeting a friend for coffee so could do without a hangover.
I'm trying to keep all the bad things about a wine binge at the front of my mind, to put me off. For me its feeling exhausted, struggling to get DD to bed, falling asleep mid-evening, having a disturbed night's sleep and then feeling rubbish in the morning.

Stay strong and perky, Ginger

Sounds like a plan, RubyRed, and remembering the bad things is really important, even after just 19 days for me, they are beginning to fade.

Hello all. Been running (staggering) along behind this bus for a week or so trying to catch up with you all (in the rare spare moments between sleeping and stuffing my face) but you’re going so fast! Well done to everyone, moderators and abstainers - what is coming through loud and clear reading back is how much self-awareness we’re all gaining as we stay off/cut down on the booze. It’s a long haul so wherever we are on the journey, stay positive and stay focussed on the here and now.

Ma lovely ring! I hope you are feeling ok and your emotions are evening out - I can only imagine how weird it must feel.

Dubh - did I dream it? You came - and went again? Come back, and bring that Terrorist with you.

I fear it’s an impossibility to NC everyone. Twattage - hang in there. Work sucks - but your passion for and commitment to what you do sings through your posts, so try not to let a crappy client get you down too much. My current tactic with crappy clients is just to let them rant whilst I zone out and dream of.... going back to sleep. I am looooving sleep again - such a joy to go to bed happy and actively excited to drift off, rather than drunkenly anticipating the 3am sleepless horrors.

Loving your Friday tips, Sweet. My approach is simple - continue to consume such unfeasible quantities of food that there is not an iota of time during which alcohol could actually cross my lips. Not sustainable long term, but it’s working for now.

Another couple of predictable Guardian articles today about the ambivalence of dry jan. Interesting that they all keep insisting it’s not for anyone with an alcohol ‘problem’. Grrrr, I say.

See you all later.

Day 19 no alcohol/fags here. I have it easy compared to a lot of you. I have a mundane working from home job. I have no major stresses in my life. I'm on ADs but not a high dose. God I feel flat though, not really interested in doing anything.

On the plus side I've found its much easier to give up completely than reduce. Usually I'm a 3 bottle of wine a week spread over 4/5 days. 4/5 a day smoker. Temper and insomnia reduced after 2 weeks AF and I'm more level-headed but in a very dull disinterested way. Very like low-level depression in fact. Felt much happier and engaged when I was drinking.....

Small, I have swapped from guzzling Christmas chocs to mainlining cheese puffs . There does seem to be a move about to 'dis' DJ at the moment, but I thought the point about the cuts to services was important; if only quitting drinking could be normalised the way quitting smoking has been - I don't know about now (I never have smoked) but I do remember there was a real push to get people to smoking cessation groups and to give them nicotine patches, no judgement.

Jog working from home is often when my drinking got even worse You are doing so well to give up both, your brain chemistry has a lot of readjustment to go through.