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.

Argh - day 17 AF and feeling super sorry for myself. Work was horrible, feel very raw and emotional. tried to chill out on the sofa with a hot chocolate to cheer myself up watching mcmafia and all the actors seemed to be drinking ..... need to find a new vice!

Evening all (anyone old enough to remember Dixon of Dock Green? Probably not....)
Day 14 done, tucked up in bed, DH is away so anticipating a lovely sleep with no snoring to wake me, although the dog has snuck up to join me.
Am enjoying watching tv, following a plot and remembering what I’ve watched, reading and remembering what I’ve read, and feelung almost human in the mornings. Still waiting for the boing, but I’m sure it’ll come soon.

Hi
Can I clamber aboard please .
Long story short .... finally got out of a v v long unhappy relationship ( 27 years ) .
Have hit into the habit of drinking more and more over this time .

Had a couple of years single to get sorted ( divorce / house / life / work / kids ect ) .

Almost 1 year into a relationship that is the best thing that's happened to me in I can't remember how long .
Realising I've been propping myself up in 3/4 of a bottle of wine most nights for years now.

Had to stop recently due to a travel commitment and was fine .
I've stopped for a few days in the past and once over the first night ( soon as I walk through door and get dinner on habit ) I am fine . It's just the thought of that first night !

Would massively appreciate some support here please ?
I've never lost control / been ill / not been able to get up or anything , but totally realise I have a problem .
If anyone wants to buddy up I'd like that too .
I'm realising my career is suffering a bit too as I'm alway shattered ( prob hungover ! )
I need to address this before I can take the next stop with my new partner as we're talking a about buying a house ect in a couple of years and I'm very aware I need to have sorted this before I can enter into this .
Thanks and sorry so long x

Morning Tinkerbel - welcome. You are welcome to join the group - we lost a bear early Jan! It won't just be hangover, you will be v v tired.

Need to get to work but day 22/24 this morning. 9 hours sleep.

Drumroll please - THIS IS MY LAST DAY ONSITE UNTIL 15 FEB!!!!

BTW if anyone has seen any Kate Moss photos recently in the news please take a look - I am 100% she's knocked the booze on the head at the mo. She looks amazing recently again.

Woken up this morning feeling like I am past the worst of the lurgy. Just need to get it cleared up now.

Right need to dash. Have a good day all. x

Welcome tink you are in the same position as a lot of people on here and the support is great - really helpful.
Glad you are feeling better now Twattagw have a brilliant holiday!
I'm Day 22 feeling a bit better but still waking up with headaches. Guess part of the process.

Morning all.

Welcome Tink, Can't stop this morning, it's my day from hell, so I'll see you all on the other side.

Morning all. I've not been on for a few days. I've been really struggling with PMT. I read that Sweet had been shouting and could relate to the drinking to control emotional outbursts. That's definitely what I do. I so don't want to be shouty, angry person but I get so annoyed with my 'D' H. I don't know what to do. I can't work out if I'm over reacting to him. I really don't like him at the moment.
I will write more in a bit, just needed to get that out.

Morning all.
I am not doing all that well. Day 23 of not drinking and I am so tired. I keep going to bed mega early but it’s not helping. I also feel really tearful and grumpy, the last couple of days.

I’ve been googling physical effects of alcohol withdrawal and not finding much. I wouldn’t think I’d still be feeling the effects physically? I was drinking a couple of glasses of wine a night 5 nights a week, a bit more on a Friday night. That’s not that much?!

Morning all and welcome to the new babes. Day 22 AF here. Still no significant weight loss despite daily gym classes, counting calories and no drinking. 3lbs lost in 22 days! Still keeping on though as I’m feeling good about myself (maybe even a small boing!) and that’s the main thing. Off to work now. Have a good day everybody.

slings That really made me laugh - I have watched a few programmes recently and been vaguely aware that I have seen them before but not really - guess I had been drinking

Tinkerbell Please be a with Twat and me? We sadly lost a and now twat is off to sunny climes for a fortnight and I will be all alone I will happily hold your hand. I was a regular drinker - wine and vodka at home, not tons of it, but every single night without fail. I also have issues with my barrel like body shape which is getting me down. Have lost 4lbs since 1 Jan despite eating pizza, chocolate, biscuits etc.

sweet I hope your day goes well. Fuck 'em all eh?

Babes who are tired and shouty - maybe it's alcohol withdrawal but it is a funny old time of year when people feel a bit low in general I think.

Let's keep going. I am working until 9pm tonight (duty manager) so won't be posting but definitely won't be drinking.

rothbury that’s a fabulous weight loss. I am well jell...

Welcome tink i see you have been recruited by the bears to re-for their trio. I ove how the new Babes brig new madness to the bus, it keeps it so fresh and fun. We never used to have bears and now we do.
dragon it does seem to take quite a long time to get into a new routine. you are probably out of the actual withdrawal stage but just not fully re-adjusted.

Meeting yesterday was ok. I'm very naieve in business really. I expect to come out of a meeting with a written approval for my plan and a wad of cash to implement it. which never happens! So both of the key parties agreed to create a strategic partnership and listened to me, which is good I suppose. I had kind of thought that once the big kids were round the table they would listen to me and then they would sort the big kid stuff out so i was caught on the hop when senior person, who my boss's,boss's, boss's, boss turned to me and said "so Demented, what do you propose as the next steps?"
"wha....? me? erm, ..."
Chap to my right then suggested comparing client "journeys" and mapping to find synergies and identifying key mutual outcomes and ...and...and..zzzzzzzz. yeah, whatever.
I know that I'm playing with the big kids now - one of them was heading off for dinner at No 10 later - but I don't DO all the corporate wank speak..

Rithbury thank you I would love to be in your pack
At work today and not home until after 7 .
No alcohol in the house and I'm not bringing any home .....
That'll be a first in too long .
Thank you for having me !

Morning all. Day 5 here and doing grand despite a really tough day at work yesterday. Hope everyone is okay.

Love a bit of corporate wank speak ma, can you play a mental game of bullshit bingo? Extra points for “pushing the envelope, overarching strategies, client journey, joined up thinking” (add your favourites here)

Welcome Tinkerbell and NK.

Day 15 here, had a bit of a wobble yesterday afternoon, the WW tried to convince me that I deserved a drink, but I kicked her into touch and had a shower (and a lot of chocolate) instead. If she comes calling again today I’m ready for her.

we had client journey.......rolls eyes
Well done on clobbering the wine witch. i really struggled being in a hotel on my own but survived by the skin of my teeth. Got newly engaged DD home on thursday and DS birthday at the weekend and then I'm home and dry. What a lot of challenges and triggers this month

Hi all, I am getting extremely frustrated with lack of weight loss and lost the plot a bit at the weekend for a number of different reasons. But back in the game today and looking to start the Blood Sugar Diet. Predominantly this is a low calorie, low carbohydrate diet which is going to be really tough for the first week or so but once in the zone, it should hopefully get some weight loss off and keep me AF for a lot longer. Hoping to do this for 8 weeks prior to my holiday late March.

Day 21/23 - I am not going to dwell on the 2 days in the sidecar.

Everyone is doing brilliantly!! It is really encouraging and motivating.

So last time I was on the wagon, I managed about 40 days (think that was October) and then cracked, then about another 3 weeks in November. Since then I've been steadily working my way through 3-4 bottles a wine a week

Today I wrote the list of reasons why I will be sober for the rest of 2018, and I told my family and DH so I am committed. It was a loooooong list. There were no reasons to drink.

Hi DD sounds like you are all planned with your approach to being sober.

Eventually I have started my period thank god. I feel calmer already, although I think I'm getting a headache so migraine tablets at the ready just in case. I keep having flashbacks of shouting like a crazy thing yesterday. I'm still generally annoyed with 'D'H

Evening all babes and my other two rothbury and tinkerbell.

I am home from client site and it hasn't quite sunk in yet that I don't need to go there again for absolutely yonks!

I've had a bit of a frustrating day. Spent two hours this morning interviewing people to join my team who were fucking useless and also somewhat arrogant (although looked great on paper). It never fails to amaze me that there are apparently so many jobs floating around at massive salaries that people are led to say that they 'only want to do strategy' and 'they might get bored'. Jeez.

Anyway onwards...am leaving my team to hire someone whilst I'm away so it will be a surprise (or a total nightmare) as to who appears when i get back!

ma - bollocks to the corporate speak. I am forever grateful that I as I know run my own business I do not have to participate in items such as the company values, team away days, attending the Christmas party etc etc - all of which I detest.

Everyone's doing really well :). I'm feeling knackered again although definitely getting better from the cold. Early night again for me.

xxx

back from London to untidy house, no dishes done, no dinner prepared...DH drinking beer and watching football. No-one has asked how the meeting went. Nobody gives a fucking shit.
Trying very hard to hold it together.

Ma, that’s shit.
Can you get yourself some dinner and bugger DH?

and unmumsnetty ((hugs))

Hold it together ma - I'm a MN newbie and therefore I'm sending a hug. Don't really give a shit if it's the done thing or not. xxx

thanks . have had some toast and am in the bedroom.
I am going to leave him at some point but trying to get things sorted out as much as possible first. If I blow tonight there will be no going back. The fridge is full of cold beer and no fucking food.

Evening

Day 23 here. No wobbles to speak of.

Loublilou, I can thoroughly recommend the BSD. I did it a couple of years ago and lost 4 stone (I had a lot to lose, and still do), most of which I've kept off (I think - batteries have gone on my scales, but I can still get into my clothes). I was thinking of having another crack at it in Feb.

DD you sound in the zone. I have a feeling you will crack it this time. Are you planning abstinence or moderation?

Sequins I was permanently annoyed with DH when I started moderating. Now that's calmed down, thank God.

Twattage those quotes from your shit interviews could have been me. I often came out with that kind of shit at interviews - then went and banged my head against a brick wall at my own stupidity. When I'm nervous it comes out as sort of flippant arrogance . I was a good employee though when given the opportunity. Now I am self-employed though.

Ma that's crap. Especially after having to put up with the coporate bollocks speak. No wonder you want to leave. Could you get a takeaway for tonight?