Originally Posted by
SomeSortOfHuman 
When I was very stressed at the weekend, I opened [chose to drink a] *my words*] a bottle of non-alcoholic rose (0.05%, so nothing that would have an alcohol impact after one glass), and the action of opening it did give me some slight relief - I don't know what to make of that... One the one hand, it obviously means that I'm keeping a connection between alcohol and stress relief alive in my mind. On the other hand, it did stop me going to the bar in that moment, so it was a useful tool on that occasion.
Several problems and troubling signs here.
When stressed, you chose to drink.
0.05% alcohol is still....alcohol.
You exhibited the same behaviors as when you were choosing "real" alcohol.
As you said, [I]on this occasion[I], this was a successful tool. There are infinitely more tools you can use to successfully handle times you want to drink and feelings you have as a person, when stressed, sad, hurt, anything. And as others have said....some find that this re-starts the eventual drinking (in mind and then in action).
I think it is a bad choice for many (most? all?) of us because it introduces risk. Period. Especially at the beginning. We have to learn NEW ways of coping with life, and this (IMO) is simply changing our old one, slightly.
My life is simply about NOT doing things that COULD (ever) lead to drinking again. Why inject something like this?