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.

Years of lurking
Finally started moderating - may I join?
Did 4 days AF last week - can’t even remember the last af day before that 😔

Well done @areallady. That's superb 👍👍🌟

areallady welcome & well done.

DH brought beer and wine home last night. I’ve got to admit I was very tempted but I resisted and instead ate almost a family sized bag of crisps to myself and a twirl. I think there would have been less calories in the wine he feels like crap this morning and I am hangover free!

Hurray for hangover free weekends! Hope everyone else is doing well.

Hosted the first party at mine this weekend and managed it AF, gave my neighbour lots of wine to take home  Had a nice time but does anyone else find a few hours is enough of most socialising? We used to go on til the small hours and by 9 i was ready for them all to leave... enjoyed it though and good not to be a hermit.

Hi, arealllady and all the Babes! Hangover-free weekends are good. Well done on the party, Zorra and yes, I’m about done with socialising around the same time

Zorra hosting and being AF is amazing. I could happily be in bed for 9pm and not socialise at all.

but does anyone else find a few hours is enough of most socialising? We used to go on til the small hours and by 9 i was ready for them all to leave...

Most definitely, yes, @zorraoverseas

I have thought about this A LOT

Is it that I'm more boring when sober? Or do the people I mix with appear more boring when I'm sober?

Either way (or maybe there's another explanation?) I'm always keen to leave anywhere early, when sober , and get back to my book/Netflix 😂

Glad I'm not alone! Catherine Gray's brilliant book "the unexpected joy of being sober" says that a) lots of us who drink are secretly introverts, and when we stop using alcohol to be a fake extrovert we actually just want less time with people and b) if you are only saying things once and not repeating yourself it just doesn't take as long  I've read a LOT of books these past weeks, much more interesting!

That sounds like an interesting read, Zorra. I'd say I'm an introvert: people are great but I need a lie down after socialising! Love the observation that things take less time to say if you aren't repeating yourself. 😁

Zorra I am def introvert......except with a few drinks in me when I obviously turn into the funniest, wittiest conversationalist joking aside that totally makes sense why I feel the need to drink copious amounts in any social situation.

Day 6

Hi!

I posted mid October about coming off some pain medication I had been prescribed due to chronic pain from an epidural.

I'm SOOOO pleased to report I am down to just 3 tablets maximum per day and I've so much more energy! I've the next month I'll be swapping those for a different type of pain medication which is anti inflammatory and non drowsy.

I'm kicking myself I let it go on so long really.

Was not easy but so worth it!

X

That's food for thought, the introvert theory. I "came out of my shell" 30 years ago when I discovered booze!
Nofilter sounds like you've done really well.

Congratulations @Nofilter ! That's some achievement 👍

nofilter well done

missd 30 years, snap. That’s when I started too.

Brilliant job, nofilter.

Missd I think that applies in my case too: discovered my insecurity and selfconsciousness magically vanished a few drinks in.

Hello lovely brave babes...
I'm sorry for just bursting in on to the lovely battle bus -just wondered if any posters around from November last year- Nov to about March-ish? Just that I used to ride the bus regularly back in the day, and it helped me tremendously in the past. I'd tried to go alcohol free lot of times and failed and failed and failed. But I kept going. Somehow I got to today. 1 year alcohol free. I just wanted to express huge gratitude to all the guys on the bus past and present.....Thank you beyond measure. I've learnt so much and never before got this far. Here's to my dry 12 months xxx

forever huge congratulations on one whole year AF. That is amazing!

Forever wow! That’s a huge achievement.

What a superstar @foreverblessedbee 👍

Bee!!! I remember you...am so proud of you! Amazing to get to a year, huge congratulations!

Brilliant and inspiring news @Bee hurray!!!

Just popping on to say well done to you Bee that is brilliant.
Hi to all of you other babes. Everyone seems pretty upbeat at the moment. Keep it going!
Not long till Xmas and I may need some coping strategies put in place so will be on here a bit more now.

Thank you all so much. Really appreciate the comments as there isn't anyone in real life who actually understands what a great, huge, massive deal this is to me. I know more about myself now, and the thing that keeps me going day in day out is that I will never again have the first drink. But I also know that means I will never be able to drink socially and enjoyably. There are times when it's so difficult but I am proud how far I've come. From drinking every day and feeling reliant on wine just to get me through daily life, to not drinking alcohol at all. For a year. I just wanted to get though today and I've done it. Thank you so much for your lovely words Xxxx keep battling on this lovely bus ladies. It's worth it. And you CAN do it xxxxxx

Hi everybody

I came on this bus before , I fell off. I would really like to come back onboard
Bee that’s fantastic

I am reading through all the posts
Brilliant bunch you are

The self moderation thing is really interesting
I was a bit of a party girl in my 20s
I used to be able to just have a glass or 2 pretty much all though my 30s then into my 4os

Then suddenly at 45 I had a load of life events all at once and life has been truly challenging the last year and a half
I Just don’t seem to be able to moderate now , the only answer seems to be to abstain . It’s always wine, usually white. I can drink a bottle myself of an evening easily. When things were truly bad a year ago it was often 2

Now my pattern seems to be go one or 2 days wine free
Then on day 3 either a glass out with Freinds or buy a bottle for home and kid myself I shall stop at one glass

My secret wish is to be able to go back to a glass only in the evening