Brave Babes Battle Bus: Sunshine, Roses and Mocktails All Round

[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.

Summer offers all kinds of challenges for those of us trying to change our relationship to alcohol, pub gardens, summer holidays, school holidays, and apparently there's a big football tournament too. If you want to read where the bus has been so far this year 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

The Bus is a bit of a Mumsnet institution, but it has an open door policy, no cliques, no judgement, and the welcome is always warm. So hop on and join us.

Hello - thanks for the nice welcome back. Feeling cautiously positive on day 4/5 (I’m jet lagged and cant quite work out my time zones!) . It is just too hot for my normal tedious mental dialogue to kick in (shall I/Shan’t I drink) plus I think I drank so much on holiday that some last fleck of self preservation has kicked in and made me disinclined to open any wine. What’s everyone else drinking in this heat? I have gone back to good old fashioned water which is at least cheap - I’m a bit self-flagellatory after the holiday, as far as finances are concerned.

Hope everyone’s doing well and that you all have nice weekend plans. Mine would involve a large shower of rain.

Mint Yay! Amazing, just brilliant. Well done. Do you have any idea why it ‘’stuck’ this time? Sheer willpower, distractions, or treats, or just absolute bloody mindedness? You are amazing.

I’m with you on both the Highlands and perimenopause. The weather at the moment is killing me, I’m literally dripping ((sorry TMI) yet all the young things in my office are skipping around like little Annas and Elsas like they’re in Frozen Arrandale or whatever its called. God, I do not miss that film.

SmallFox
Sheer bloody mindedness I think! To show all those people who keep expecting me to fall that I won't! It's bloody tough. I do get really bad cravings for a cold G+T in this weather. We are off to a little music festival this weekend so that's going to be a tough one. Hopefully the weather will hold until end of August as we are off again for a week . I bet you can guess where.
I'm currently drinking Asda lemon and lime zero along with my beloved J20 watermelon. I pretend the lemon one is a gin. Works for me. Ha!

Amazing Mint I aspire to have that many days under my belt I am a wee newbie.
I am Day 21 (last night) AF and I am feeling well-er :)

mint you are doing brilliantly. And against so many difficulties. Well done!

Hi, I'm Day 5 and I'd like to get on the bus if I can? I'm struggling with the craving tonight! It's so warm that I want a cold one.

Not sure how long I'm intending to be completely AF for. In my head it's temporary but I have a convo with my GP on tues as he wants to discuss my liver function on a recent blood test. Petrified. And whatever he says could determine whether I'm AF for the long haul.

Welcome day5 you do realise that you're going to have to name change with every day if progress... tomorrow day6, Sunday day7 etc...

What are you really craving? Cold soda water with lime? Cold alcohol free becks blue? Iced coffee?

Don't let the doctor decide the future for you, you can decide for yourself.... no alcohol will improve your liver, your heart, your blood pressure, your skin, your libido, your mood... what can the doc say that is more persuasive than all of that?

Hi, thanks! The craving soon passed but it was for an ice cold wine! I had cranberry juice then water instead.

Yes, just trying to think up a new name and I know what you are saying about the doctor. TBH I think if I'd tasted the wine I would have been too scared to drink it with the things I've been reading over the last week.

Looking forward to a different lifestyle but very apprehensive at the same time. My social life and to an extent home socialising was centred around drinking mainly. People will be surprised!

"Day5"
You'll be surprised at how much drinking is normalised day to day. Eg: I get prompted in my online food shop to add wine.
I used to go holiday and it would always involve alcohol. This festival is another place I'd get hammered!
The cravings will start to lessen but it takes time. I find ice cold water helps.

'IronNeonClasp'
Well done you. 21 days is almost a month.

Name change fail there. Ignore me! Pretend I didn't post. 🤭

So we’re camping. We arrived lateish. We met up with some friends who are big drinkers. By the time we arrived they’d had 2 g &ts and four pints so pretty drunk. I was really worried about them feeling like my not drinking would spoil their fun (no idea why) so I accepted a small low percentage beer from them and had a couple of sips but then abandoned it and stuck to tonic water. They were so drunk I don’t think they noticed.
I’m hopefully going to have a chat to them today about my decision. It didn’t seem like quite the right time last night.

Why do I feel so awkward about telling people? I have no problem admitting that I have a problem... I think i’m worried that people will view me as “less fun to be with”

Hopefully i’ll feel less awkward today. Any tips?
I suppose i’d better count today as day 1 again in view of last nights beer. That doesn’t bother me. I know i’m going to do this! 😊

Welcome day 5! Hello to everyone else... hope you’re all feeling strong today..

Hi Day5 :)

I just want to know who you are now @FlamingGoat!!

Met some guys from work on a leaving do. Then met very short date last night. Odd. Then re-met my mate. Then she had to go to see her FB.
Then I had my first sober bad pub/club experience. Arrived around half 10 at a bar to buy another friend and I a drink - was looking forward to my last pineapple juice and soda and this arsehole I work with offered to buy me a drink, which I didn't really want him to as I was buying 2 (one cheap) and he'd already bought the other person a pint so it was easier for me (and soberly logical for me to buy). Insistence and then what I can only term as grabbing me around my neck - groping my shoulders pulling me into him. He's a big guy and strong. Urgh.
Asked him to "please stop groping me" and he stropped off. Bought the drinks and went to the dance floor. Colleagues were pretty hammered - but nothing I hadn't unexpected. Meanwhile this guy is angry at me. Completely livid. So I try to talk it out with him and explain how invasive it was. Calls me Darth Vader . Starts telling me to "fuck off". Asked him to take it outside as I couldn't hear a bloody word in there apart from "fuck off". He wasn't having any of it so I told him to "fuck off" and promptly left.

Then saw him at the station. He'd left about 5 minutes after me. I said "You're lucky I don't go to fucking HR about your behaviour". He apologised. Wouldn't leave me alone.Arsehole.

So - I has survived first karmic/negative experience!!!

I'm not even missing booze any more - has anyone else had that?

Hi...I'm Day 6 now! Haha. Must change name! Thanks for the nice welcome. Booze is indeed EVERYWHERE! My friend is coming round tonight - suggested our normal beers and curry but I've said no to both (for me, not her - happy for her to have one and she seems fine that I'm not).

It'll be very different to our usual chatty nights over a drink though but I can do it!

Well we survived the festival stone cold sober! Now that was an experience.

*waves at all the babes!
Day 99. Struggling to believe its day 100 tomorrow. Barbeque this weekend where i nearly caved, but seedlip and tonic got me through.
day5 oddly I'm better at chatting when sober!
mint sober festival is hardcore! Well done.

Mavis seedlip is GREAT. I asked for one the other day, but then picked up the wrong glass.. slplshplkksh! Urghh... The gin tasted so horrible, my face screwed up and I needed seedlip..

mint what an achievement!

Morning all!
Yes sober festival was odd. It was so nice to not be skint and have nothing but a hangover to show for it. And remember seeing the bands.
I caved yesterday at work and now thanks to the CPL I am now owned by these two little bundles of fluffy chaos! So a different kind of addiction starts, kitten photos on Instagram.
IronNeonClasp I do and don't miss it. On a hot day I'd love to sit in the garden with a glass of wine in the sun. That's what I miss. But it's never just one glass, it's one then two bottles.

Mint - oh my! So so cute. And Mavis - what an inspiration. Wonderful - you should be rightly proud.

Another vote for Seedlip here. Anyone tried the new citrus variety? I intend to - but it is quite an investment given the price so any reviews welcome!

Mavis
Meet Mavis!

mint that is very cute, but.... Ahem! Where is venus the kitten?

Next batch of kittens that come through at work will be a Venus and a Mars. MN will be a great way to name litters from user names!

Thanks small no but I'm watching ocado for any discounts!
mint she is beautiful! Excellent name

Sadly I am back to day 2 although I have been moderating lots of stressful situations going on at the moment our horse got kicked on Sunday and had a major op today which thankfully she will make a full recovery my mil is losing her marbles she’s phoned me tonight asking if dc are going back round as she wants to lock up but they haven’t been to see her she is convinced they were running round her garden earlier they are teens and have been with me all day. She rings me asking where the lads are are they out with their dad I presume she means her sons dh is the youngest and he is 49 and her husband has been dead 5 years

That is the short version just got so much going on it’s so hard to go af but despite moderating 2 glasses rather than 2 bottles of wine I am disappointed in myself as I know drinking isn’t going to solve anything or change things so why am I using it as a crutch to get through things?