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.

Ah flowers I get it...I know people are v nervous at interview, but unfortunately the role I have is quite senior and it involves interacting with MDs / Directors. I only get one chance to assess the candidate and as it's a contract, I don't have time to get them up to speed!

You're probably right it was nerves not arrogance...thanks for your perspective :).

ma hold it in, keep it zipped...think of the long game. x

Day 19...... just massively shouted at my kids. Thought my shouting was due to wine drinking so rather gutted to find out its actually just me!

oops sorry!

What was that about?

I think someone forgot to change their user name.

Hello all,

sorry not been about much. Am on day 170 but hormonal and wanting to drink a bit. Arghhhh. Red wine misses me, I can tell :(

Dragon just wanted to say around the 20 day mark I was totally wiped out for about a week or so. It seemed really common on the boards I was reading. You will come through it...

Hi all and my new found 's !
Reading all your messages .
Well day 1 AF
So flippin pleased with myself .
Didn't really feel too bad .
I can't remember the last time I chose not to drink .... usually because I can't if it happens ..
Full of cold anyway so in bed with a hot lemon 🍋
Hope I can be as positive tomorrow

ma even if you got home to a load of crap, WE care ❤ However you'd get home to a fridge full of greenopal fruits, and still no dinner....

I have been encouraged by the efforts you are all making, and quietly in the background to this thread I've been trying to loose weight over the past few months. So I'm delighted and over the moon that for the first time in .... about 15 years, my bmi is now in the 'ok' range.

Only by one ounce, but still

Well done Venus on the BMI. I on the other hand have put on 4lbs since Xmas. I started moderating last March and by Xmas I had lost about 10lbs which was good. It is starting to creep up again. I haven't got time to diet with all the shouting and eating chocolate

End (is that what we call you? It seems a bit offensive. Sorry don't mean to be). My words of wisdom are don't drink
I always feel like guzzling the wine when hormonal. I certainly did last night (felt like it) but I am so glad I didn't. I would not have felt any better today and probably would have been crying today with a monster hangover

Morning all.
Tink well done on day 1. You sound so positive and pleased. Keep it up!
Venus that’s great about the BMI.
ma I hope things are better today.
Lou the BSD sounds like it may be worth a try. I am currently doing the 5:2. Although I have only lost 3lbs in 23 days (with maximum effort) it is still a loss and maybe there is more chance of it staying off for me if it’s gradual like this. I am going to keep going although it is my birthday this weekend which will involve meals out so may be more difficult. I have to say focussing my mind on weight loss has stopped me craving the booze. (But I’m bloody starving...)
Have a good day everybody!

Morning all - day 23/25.

venus that's brilliant - I haven't been a healthy BMI since 2005. Since 2013 I've been around 10 pounds above the top of it so really not big (size 10/12) but want to get the last bit off this year.

I'm also hormonal (I guess if you're going to be on then the best time is immediately before a holiday).

Didn't sleep well last night (too hot, thinking about work). Just today to get through at home and then I can relax.

Can't believe I've made it through my first reset of the year with only 2 drinking days...x

Morning Twattage I hope you are feeling better today. You are coming to the end of your planned AF period and I am interested to know what you think will happen next as I know you have been AF before. Do you feel like you will be “released” and go straight back to drinking as before or will it be a bit slower?
I’m just wondering as I haven’t had cravings as such over DJ but wonder if as soon as I try having a drink I will be straight back to square one of the binge drinking. I know everyone is different but I’m just interested in other people’s experiences.

Morning allMa I'm so sorry you had such a shit welcome home after your time away. Well done for staying strong and not hitting the wine. I would have been tempted to because any trigger makes it more difficult. Hi trust I think we are both Day 22 aren't we? I know your question to twattage wasn't to me but I think lif I drink as soon as February arrives I would start with good intentions but I know it would be not long before I get back to over a bottle a night That thought really scares me and considering how difficult I am finding this I think I am going to have to try hard not stay off it for good - if I can.
Sorry if any typos am on phone and left glasses at work.

Morning Trust interesting question. Will try to answer as honestly as poss!

Am going on holiday with my best friend tomorrow, she is not a big drinker so that is good news. We like a beer together, but she's a bit like my husband, can do a couple of drinks and will then get bored and move onto tea / coffee.

I don't feel I'm about to be released (although I know exactly how you mean and I would have felt that way if I was going back to wine - as I don't have an off button I would have gone crazy). No thoughts about going back to pre-Christmas volumes and regularity of beer - feeling certain that I've broken that habit for now.

I guess what I would say is that having read everyone else's posts in January I do appear to be a bit of an anomaly with being able to moderate beer.

That said, I'm surprised that having made a concerted effort to not drink, I've barely thought about it other than my two stressful Thursdays. I've been surprised how easy it has been for me - I expect it's because I've done it before (and ceasing beer is much much easier than ceasing wine).

My plan for 2018 hasn't changed: step into the sidecar for holiday, then back to abstinence for 3 1/2 weeks, and then a week's skiing.

After that my current thinking (reinforced by this month) is to try to remain largely abstinent until September because I can't cope with my work contract even with moderation. Even a couple of beers disturbs my sleep and I really need sleep this year! Also the lack of Sunday anxiety has been blissful.

I am liking my life how it is now :) (minus the cold and the being knackered). I find January a very shit month at the best of times so am hoping for more boings in Feb / March and onwards.

Sorry for rambling! xxx

Try hard to stay off it for good.

I haven't been doing too well. But off on holiday Friday. Know a lot of people drink more on holiday but I drink less. Just shows it is habit. Will try to use it as a reset. Ma you say you are going to leave. Do you have a plan. Looks to me like your drinking and being with your husband are very intertwined.

Hi Trying yes we are the same days AF and I think I will be the same as you re the wine.
Thanks Twattage yes I can see where you are coming from re the beer and wine scenario. I am going to try not to go back to the wine and try and moderate with beer. Think this will possibly work for me as I do like beer but I can’t get as enthusiastic about drinking it as I do about wine but that’s a good thing!

All these babes and going on holiday - I am very

Still, I have lost another pound so that's five pounds since 1 Jan, purely by not drinking at home. It's shocking really.

ma I have a colleague who speaks that ridiculous corporate speak. I want to punch him in the face every time he says "band width" or whatever. You are on the up and up. You are one of the grown ups. You can do this. If DH isn't able to support you then he will lose out.

tink Hello! Glad you are doing well. Even if you fall off, don't disappear off the thread.

twat will you stay on thread beyond January?

Should be a nice easy day today - famous last words.

Ooh well done on the weight loss Venus and Trust - that's excellent!!!

Trust you asked a question of Twattage and how she was doing with moderation and I just wanted to share my experience.

I had tried a few DJ's and only got to 10 days or 22 days and hardly ever did days off - pretty much was a daily drinker for 12 years after my last child was born and was a draily drinker before I got pregnant with both of them. In September 2016 I did 93 days DRY and it did really reset me for a while....I had a couple of days where I drank over that christmas period and then went DRY for about another 3 months apart from 3 times when I drank on "special occasions". I then daily drank for 2 weeks on holiday and came back and didn't drink for a month and then drank only on weekends from May time until September 17. By the end of the year Sept 16- Sept 17 I drank about 27% of the year, which considering I had drunk 100% of the year for many years prior to that I was really chuffed with! The times I do drink, I often think it is not worth it as feel much much worse now than when I daily drank. I get far more drunk, far quicker now and think I can keep up the volumes of wine that I use to drink when I was daily drinking and I quite clearly can't! I also black out and can't remember a lot of the end of the evenings now, so all in all it makes for a rather unpleasant experience when I do drink! More and more I am heading towards being AF for good but things get the better of me and like this weekend just gone, I slipped up.

I don't think I am ready to give up completely, which is bonkers really because I realise that I find it really difficult to moderate! I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about when I "can" drink, worrying that I am drinking too much again, annoyed at weight not going down as being good in the week and then drinking at the weekend just keeps me level (BMI 27 so need to lose more). It is so tiring and the minute I do drink it completely sets a chain of events in place where I start craving far more heavily the day after.

However it is so much harder to quit drinking I think than quittitng smoking. I completely quit smoking 3 years ago and people look at me in awe and contragulations and think I am doing a great job, it is the complete opposite when I say I am not drinking unfortunately.....

I wanted to add something....

I have been really interested in Twattage's experience of giving up wine completely and managing to moderate a lot easier on beer.

I am thinking of trying to get off the wine completely and find something else to try and moderate with - vodka and tonic I am thinking, because I quite like those, can have a few but not bothered past a couple.

However, I am not ready to go into moderation yet, I want to try and stay AF for much much longer!

Hi team

Despite my bravado I managed one day AF with all the grieving and whatnot.

Funeral is over now and I am back and on day 2. I look like warm shit, My face is puffy and my liver actually hurts - that might just be anxiety as I developed a nasty cough and think I have probably pulled something.
My eyes look awful, I'm avoiding mirrors. I slept for 2 hours last night, woke up and then managed another hour and a half. Not great but will be better tonight. Really need to have a big break from alcohol now.

Haven't yet caught up with you all so will post when I know how everyone is doing.

Much love to all the babes, near and far. Thank god this bus is here