StillInTheDumps

Teach,

I see that you got many replies to your post. Something I noticed is people replied talking about the disease of alcoholism/addiction and how a non-alcoholic beer may effect you. I believe the other posts here to be true.

I can give you something diiferent. I have experienced drinking fake beer in my recovery. I used to drink about two 12's a day of 0.5%alc/vol beer for about a month. It was expensive, made you spend hours in the bathroom and fill you up with gas. From my past experience I know that I was drinking near beer as a substitute for the real stuff. I think it may have helped me a little in the beginning, with maybe a little less withdrawel symptoms. Mine were pretty bad. I can't believe that I actually became addicted to fake beer at one point in time. This went on for maybe a month or so and eventually I relapsed (on 7% and 10% beer and 40%liquor.)

I don't plan on ever drinking any type of alcohol again. (Or at least not for today). I don't use mouthwash with alcohol in it. If I go to a restaurant I always ask how dishes are prepared. If I order a steak that is cooked with a wine based BBQ sauce, I ask for the steak plain.

About 6 months without any alcohol, I had a chocolate bar which had alcohol in it (I did not know). The cravings became just unbelievable. My mind came consumed by drink for a week. Never drank though.

I eat a tonne of ice cream, many AA's will reccomend a high suger diet to help with cravings. At least in my area, everybody recommends high suger diet for the first little while. I try to limit my caffiene. I don't know about this orange juice thing, but I drink a lot of dairy now.

Hope this helps.