Brave Babes Battle Bus: Next Stop Fabulous February

[SweetLathyrus]

Hi, I'm SweetLathyrus, Sweet for short, and I've been on and off Gerald the Brave Babes Battle Bus since 2014. Over the years, lots of us have maintained the thread, most of all the lovely Mouse, who has been here since the early days, and still scurries onboard when she can.

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. Driers and Triers, all welcome.

2018 has been a busy year so far, lots of new travellers as well as old faces; if you want to read back on the journey through Dry or Dryer January so far, here's the link to the last thread

And in case 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.

Morning all

Saywhen I can relate to almost everything you said in that last post. I hope it means I can keep it up this time. Battling potential complacency here.

Trust Well done on dry Jan. Read Saywhen's post above. Put last night down to experience. Day 1 again today!

I've lost 5 lbs this week calorie counting. Got to try and keep that up too -long way to go! I am soo impressed with all you runners! I can't run. Severe knee arthritis, so sticking with swimming, cycling, and walking (dogs get excited when I take painkillers ).

Wishing everyone a sober weekend.

P.S. wine still in cupboard. Whispering to me.

And good morning MsHoolie

Saywhen you are totally inspiring, was nodding my head along with everything you say. It’s amazing to think about all those day 1s as a learning curve, I had never thought about them as anything else but failure. Like you I had to go through a mourning process, and acceptance that I can never and will never be the drinker I wanted to be.

Whenl, welcome. I drank because I drank too. I drank because it was Tuesday, or it was raining, or because I was happy or I was sad. I still have that void you talk about, but I’ve learnt to fill it with it with other things. You can do this.

Spanna, Ma, thanks so much for the good wishes, I am very nervous about tomorrow as I’ve set myself a target of under 2 hours and now I’m full of self-doubt.

Happy Saturday to all babes.

Thank you and Good luck margie that's my quiet target for my half in March. I think mine may be a little ambitious!! Maybe next half.

Good luck and enjoy It!!

Hello ladies...just a little hello from me this morning...no rambling I promise lol. saywhen I could have to ally written your post -virtual everything the same. I'm in 82 days now. No desire to ever go back. But in know if in had a sip right now in would have the bottle -and then the same the day after, the day after and rhe day after free that....and would be all the time hating myself after telling myself i had failed and feEling grim. So I am just not going to do it. I will not drink. I deserve not to be adddicted to a poison that will rot my body and steal my joy and ultimately steal my time.

margie good luck with your half tomorrow! I have only done one before, but have got 3 booked in this year! Did my long run this morning. Managed 12 miles....I so wanted to do another mile to make it a half but my legs just about gave up! So I am happy with the 12 lol. Had a horrid week - hospital appointments for ds3 and cracking pmt has not been a great week but praise God its the weekend -2 days off school runs! Yay! And it's ds1's birthday today - 10!!!!!! Can't believe my eldest is 10! Xxx

flowers huge well done and round of applause on your weight loss this week! SHAMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

bee happy birthday your son!! (Its my ds birthday tomorrow funnily enough!!)

I like this:

"I deserve not to be adddicted to a poison that will rot my body and steal my joy and ultimately steal my time"

Morning Babes,

A bit late this morning, I had to get DS to an earlier college interview (no school sixth forms in our part of the country. I have to admit I was a little concerned because he kept changing his mind about courses, but he has very happily settled on Computing, Sociology, Philosophy and Classical Civ. Now he just has to pull his finger out on the GCSE revision. I also spent yesterday afternoon getting his eyes tested and sorting glasses out.

Anyway, lots of lovely, thoughtful posts and positivity.

Spanna, the new bra was a very frustrating experience. M&S (the only place I could get to) seem to put underwires in almost all of them - really?! Why? Except for the zip-front ones that need tree hands to do up - or if you try a larger one for easy zippage, give about as much support as an anorak. Anyway, found one (horrible flower pattern) that will keep me going until I can get to John Lewis or a decent sports shop. I want to start the C25k this month - in the gym because running outside gives me asthma - spurred on by you amazing running Babes.

Ma have you thought about nice routes you can walk?

SayWhen stopped returning your calls! They could at least have had the balls to admit defeat. I think lots of little furries are beginning to feel spring-like around here, and that's behind some of it. On the money, just think how difficult it would have been to get through the expensive months and drink! I have definitely noticed a difference, even with Christmas, and Feb will be a triple bonus, no drinks spending, no council tax and a short month.

When1, "I drink because I drink* sums up where we end up, but it generally masks something else. Welcome abroad.

Otter, the truth is a powerful thing.

MsHoolie, I can honestly say, I have never thought of any Babe in terms of "I'm not that bad". I look at your posts and marvel that you can be so compassionate in the middle of such a difficult time.

• 'three hands' not 'tree hands' I really should proof-read better.

Hi all my friend has been texting about what I said and did last night and I really want to forget. Am considering another drink so I can take the edge off and also blot it out. I know I shouldn’t but it is very very tempting! She keeps saying what I did and said but oh don’t worry it was a one off. But it isn’t a one off for me

When I say forget I actually can’t remember and wish it had stayed that way!

Trust that sounds like the start of a potentially long and vicious circle. Is that what you want? Are you ready to stop? Could yoy not drink, just for today? Then take tomorrow as it comes.

trust sorry you had a shit night. Just start again.

hoolies Keep posting. KOKO

ma I know it is easy for us to say but how long can you keep this up? You sound amazing - strong and intelligent. It sounds like your DH is sucking the joy out of life.

otter It's weird how our reactions to alcohol change. I stupidly drank 3/4 of a bottle of red wine last night after getting some shocking news (work related) and just turning to my usual crutch. I thought I had done well, stopping at that, not emptying the bottle. However, as I have been strictly moderating and only drinking outside the house (probably 2 or 3 times in Jan, small amounts) I woke up at 2.30 am with a raging headache feeling like utter shite.

On the plus side, I saved around £100 in January from not drinking at home which is brilliant.

Trust A drink now to take the edge off is a slippery slope.

I also keep wondering where my drinking &smoking money has gone! I should feel so much richer!

I'm ok so far today. I took DS to the cinema for the first time. He sat all through. It was good. Just a bit of whinging when we ran out of food half way through.

It's a truly grey day here. Not sure what to do this afternoon.

WhenI I drink because I can too.

Thank you everybody I am managing to resist for now

Trust, can you ask your friend to stop texting you? Tell her that you don’t find it helpful to relive stuff you’d rather just forget?

Thank you Margie I am just deleting her messages without reading now. Think she has got the message. Really appreciate the help and support on here x

Absolutely huge congratulations to all of you who have done dry January. It really is an amazing achievement. You should all be so proud of yourselves. And I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the support you’ve given me. You’re an amazing bunch of people xx

Just popping on with a bit of new born cuteness for the weekend.
I'm busy cleaning the oven to stop my wine cravings. It's the witching hour when I'd normally crack open a bottle of Pinot. And the rugby sucks, bloody Scotland.

Oh, Mint, one of each, please! I've had two bottles of Heineken AF - wish I could see cleaning as a wine substitute instead

Trust, well done for dealing with it; the hair of the dog (see what you've started, Mint) will just delay getting back to a better place. It might be raw and embarrassing but face the feelings now. Was there a particular trigger, or just the absent stop button?

Baking, what did you go to see? It's grim here too, I need to take SweetDog out again, but I'm not really feeling it!

Thanks for the support.
I've just survived my first ever soft play birthday party without my husband to talk for me. I find it really difficult to talk to people without a drink. I managed to chat with several parents which was a positive step. Still feel stupid and uninteresting all of the time but guessing a large part of that is how I see me and not necessarily how others perceive me.

Whenl that is a really big step, and yes, it is your perception, not how people will see you. I struggle to talk to new people too, before Christmas I was thrown into a situation with the friend of a friend of a friend who had a terribly interesting media job, that she saw as boring, but she really wanted to talk about my academic field, which I thought would be boring!

on the Beck's Blue - could very easily tip back into drinking again so need a new target. this is my 32nd day in 2018 so going for 50 days next. Kitchen painted - WB very helpful and grovelly and irritating the fuck out of me.
But today, Babes, I went to the airport because....drum roll.....Richard is home!!!10 months since he set off for his new life in China and home for 3 weeks. mum is happy to have her eldest baby home.

ma you mean my future husband is here 😀😁

MINT They are gorgeous!!!!

Bears, otters and puppies