Brave Babes (Hygge) Battle Bus: Snowed in and Drinking Hot Chocolate instead of wine

[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 Jan and Feb 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

We've donned the snow chains, topped up the antifreeze, and turned the heaters up to loud, so even though it's cold outside, our welcome is always warm, so hop on and join us.

Welcome edge doris nutty

Wave to twattage and others.

Day 4 here. I'm off work this week so nothing too stressful to deal with. It will be day 10 when I go back.

Witching hour today is hard. I'm shattered. Wine would normally give me an energy boost. Am enjoying Innocent smoothie instead for a massive sugar hit.

No booze tonight... cravings were quite bad, but in bed now.

Welcome to all the new and the returning babes.

Morning all.
Well my cravings disappeared as soon as I'd had dinner last night, so there's a lesson there.
I finished reading the Jason Vale book. It's more than a little cheesy but despite my natural cynicism, I found it helped a lot. I'm fed up of feeling that I "have to" drink and I want to just put my foot down and say thats it, no more being stuck in this trap.

One thing Jason says which I don't agree with is that you shouldn't count your days sober, anyone got any thoughts on this?

Waves at you all.
baking I recommended the J2o. I'm addicted to it right now! Hope you enjoy it too.
I've definitely replaced pinot with sugar. It's horrendous, I can't stop eating sweet sugary things.
I went to the Doctors today. Have been booked in for bloods and referred for a scan as I've been having horrendous 'woman's problems. An extra reason why I've been so exhausted.

I so need a holiday. Although it looks like spring is finally here! My garden is starting to get colourful...no more blanket of white!!

Morning all - I have had a v bad week. Not motivated at all to be on Gerald. Have been running around like a headless, stressed chicken with terrible PMT (mint I am also having woman's problems).

I need to go to the office today and do my second interview of the week and hopefully hire for the other vacancy in my team, after which I should be able to get back on track.

I'm down at the coast tomorrow evening and going to restart running, do some cooking, and get a lot of sleep.

chiara - I can't exactly remember what the point of the Jason comment was (ages since I read that book). I didn't bother counting when I was nearly a year sober other than to know the date I started and how many months. I do track on my DJ app this year as am trying to at least get back on to more sober days (not doing amazingly well on that front at the moment but I will try again).

Love to all babes. x

twattage I have a similar issue at work, am currently without any staff to delegate to, so am overloaded, but have appointed one candidate and advertising other role at the moment.
I've definitely not been operating effectively at work in the last year or so. I've "got away with it" to a certain extent but got called on it last week by some colleagues. They dressed it up as not about my personal performance but that was really what it was about. It's not just the booze to blame, but the booze is part of an overall picture that has left me depressed and demotivated.
I'm kicking myself. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety five years ago but I didn't want to accept at that point that booze made it worse. I have been on meds ever since-but the drink is effectively cancelling out their effect.
I'm on day 6 now and am TOTALLY constipated! Eating lots of fruit and drinking water.
It might sound stupid but I've stopped smoking at the same time, I've switched to a vape which is completely fine as a substitute. I feel so relieved at the moment. I then have times of being terrified that I won't be able to stop myself from getting in the car and buying fags and wine.

chiara this is exactly the reason why I have rejoiced the bus. I need to get out of this spiral of demotivation and drinking way too much. That plus my DP who in love with all my heart and could never bear to lose has started talking about how things have changed..... It's scared me into realising that I seriously have to do something about this.
So now day 2 AF - will prob have a couple over the weekend being realistic as we are at a vair posh do but I shall definitely be moderating and go back to AF. My goal is to be able to drink socially and not need / want / be dependant on it otherwise.

Rejoined- not rejoiced! Although am looking forward to much rejoicing when I have sorted out the wine witch!

chiara well done on 6 days...I know exactly how you were back in my wine drinking days. Fortunately I only drink light beer now therefore it does not affect my work as I am not hungover the next day (although even a small amount of booze makes you tired and sleep less well), but I would rather not be coming home and having Heineken every night! This is a bad habit that I picked up in December, I did well in Jan, then I went on two holidays and I am back to bad habits again.

doris yes my husband says I was a nightmare in what we call my 'lost wine years', which stretched from around 2008/9 to 2013. I haven't drunk wine for almost 5 years and my life is amazing now.

The good news is I hired my second person so I now feel ready and re-motivated to go back to being sober 6/7 from tomorrow. I am planning to keep Thursday as my going out evening as I was before.

xxx

Hi again Twattage and good luck with the moderating Doris it's amazing how we all recognise each other's stories. It's so tough when booze is built into socialising. I have a meet up tomorrow in the pub and girls night out next Friday. I am staying AF for both. But I also have a weekend away with friends at the end of the month who are all big drinkers and the rest I'm still unsure how to play it. It's all very well Jason Vane saying not to avoid social situations but I'd defy him to stay sober over 3 nights stuck in a remote location with my hard-partying friends.

Ps Twattage I have tried swapping to beer or gin but the amounts I drink just escalate up to wine levels. Basically I can't moderate.

Ah well that is a familiar story so I totally get that. For some reason I have an off button with beer (I only really drink bottles of Heineken or Peroni - if that's not available I will go without as don't like the taste). I just stop and go to sleep.

There are some people on here who can moderate but also lots who can't. I cut out all spirits at the same time as wine as I don't think I have an off button with them either!

Mint me too on the sugar front its actually awful the amount of sugar I'm eating! I hope the Dr goes ok.

Chiara im the same i tried other drinks and just kept going. Wine is my nemesis but the amounts of gin I could drink was really frightening.

twattage good news on appointing someone!

Morning babes. Morning of day 7 here. I've been having bad back/stomach aches every evening, and been constipated (sorry TMI). Has anyone else had this or is it just me?
I re-read a bit of the Allen Carr book which I bought ages ago but found a bit bombastic. I think I prefer Jason Vane as it is more written from the personal perspective, although a lot of the messages are the same.
Reading what he says about how ".liking the taste" of alcohol is a fallacy, I remembered from the distant past how I disliked the taste of alcohol when I first started drinking. Strongbow was my first tipple, and how pleased I was to eventually develop a taste for lager! I didn't drink wine until I went to uni, and then the cheap plonk we used to buy was absolutely rank. But even so it was alarming how quickly I progressed to drinking too much. I was so socially anxious and desperate to fit in.

Morning chiara - totally with you there. Not having drunk wine for a v long time, if I sniff a glass it smells absolutely disgusting.

I've woken up this morning feeling completely knackered but determined to reset myself. Just had a long chat with one of my contractors (who I am good friends with outside work) and we both agreed that our beer habit has to stop, so we're going to buddy up for the foreseeable. I am sure that + this thread will help to see me straight.

I got on the scales this morning and have put back on 2 1/2 of the 3 pounds I'd lost - I am now a stone over where I usually am, so back on the WW wagon today.

Onwards. x

Just getting us back on the page x

Morning all babes...

I've finally had a sober evening, feeling much better. I'm not going to make any big declaration today, I'm just going to do it.

Am up early today as came on (finally). Going to have a quiet day - probably a bit of gardening and a lot of lazing.

I'll leave it there - worried I'm putting people off the thread!

x

It's been a while since I've posted. I'm still AF. Today is day 104. I didn't think I'd do this long ever. Wierdly today I've craved cans and fags. I think it's the sunny weather and being outside in the garden. I hope I'm not going to spend all summer craving like last year.

Mint I like the J20 watermelon spritz. Didn't think I would when I first opened the bottle but I do!

Chiara I think it was you who asked about thoughts on counting days. I always count. It makes me try harder. And gives me a sense of satisfaction seeing the number rise but it is a bit soul destroying when you keep doing the early days repeatedly. Then it's more a case of if at first you don't succeed redefine success.

I'm waiting for BGT to start again tonight. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I know it's rubbish and a bit cruel. I've got my Becks Blue chilling in preparation.

Congratulations baking on the days sober that's Amazing!!

Chiara knowing the number of days was very important to me in the first few months - up to 100. Now i have the next target in mind. Last one was 150 af, now I'm looking at 6 months af.

It is really important for me. To reflect on how far I've come. It was still important when I couldn't get to 2 days af or 5 or over 21.

I asked my dh recently how is life with me sober? As I'm so much happier? He said he hadn't really noticed a difference. I'm amazed! I was drinking on a great week 50 units but bad week 90.

Guess it goes to show all my worry about what everyone else thinks is a waste of time!!!

Morning all - just a quick check-in to say another sober day down. I had been living off fumes since Easter which is both unhealthy and a return to my bad habit of December.

I feel like I've got my mojo back again but we'll see how where I am by Thursday and then I'll post a longer update.

Have a good week everyone. x

Hi. Tend to read this thread. I dont drinks ever day but am not good at stopping.I did dry January and 3 months this time last year. I am paranoid about liver failure having had an alcoholic relative have this. I had two whiskeys Friday and a bottle of red last night and am panicking I have liver failure. I am convinced my eyes look dull with a very very slight yellow tinge. Does anyone's eyes not look bright?

Hi babes - been in sidecar way too much
... only one AF day last week.

Not going to drink tomorrow or Tuesday. Am out on Wednesday and will have a drink then.

just checking in. need to read back to meet all the new Babes.

icelandic a week of no alcohol, no caffeine, no nicotine, and then look at your eyes again. See how bright thet are and say "than you LIVER". It is the most miraculous organ, clearing toxins, and then regenerating itself...... untill it doesn't.

Then you're in trouble.

Don't risk it.