Barto

Well said!

Barto

As far as I'm concerned that's it!

Too many good posts to respond to them all. Thanks, everyone, for sharing.

guywithpie

Hey Octo friend.. I had a NA beer about 2 weeks ago. Regardless of what other people think or say, I didn't relapse. I had a NA beer. The funny thing is I enjoyed the taste, but it didn't do anything for me. I don't think I will have another one. Not because I'm worried about starting to drink again, just because the taste isn't as pleasurable as it was when i was drinking to get a buzz. Does that make sense?

I'm glad candy doesn't have alcohol.

I would probably get pulled over and get a DUIS. (Driving under the influence of Snickers)

Tazman53

Acually I don't drink either, but not for the alcohol reason but simply because I do not like them! In regards to things like that and my sobriety, I never drank either of them straight any how to cop a buzz, but Lord knows that was my primary purpose in drinking beer!!

For this old drunk I know that I only drank beer for the alcohol, there were beers that I loved the taste of, but the taste of the beer was only secondary to the reason I drank them, the primary purpose was to capture (or try to) that feeling.

If I am drinking something for the taste it darn sure is not anything that taste like any alcoholic beverage because in comparison to other things that I drink for taste or to relieve thirst they do not even approach the taste pleasure or thirst quenching of Iced tea.

Jersey Nonny

Hmmmmn...I guess if I were looking for an excuse to drink, I could find one...even in this nursing home with over 200 patients (about 3/4 of whom are senile, in dementia, or having Alzheimer's). Every week, someone is either dying, close to it, or falling out of bed and being rushed to the hospital...sometimes they even come back here. Although I'm pretty much confined to a wheelchair, I'm one of the few with all their mental faculties intact.

Would you believe, when we play poker a couple of times a week, they actually have O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer to drink!?! Ain't no such animal, of course...it's actually .5%. I could have a nice cold O'Doul's (even though I never liked beer), and con myself into thinking I was still "clean and sober"...who would know? The most important person...ME! Nope...no excuse is a good enough excuse...not for this alcoholic.

Besides, if I were looking to get a buzz, how many of those so-called NA beers would I have to drink before they would take effect? Anyone here willing to do the math?

I was always told in the rooms of AA to "stay off the railroad tracks", if I didn't want to get hit. For me, that includes deliberately indulging in anything that can mess with my sobriety...mentally, physically, or spiritually.

BTW...this ESH results from 27 years of continuous sobriety...something I value too highly to risk endangering.

Barto

I want to add some final thoughts to this thread. I know this is politically incorrect, but that’s almost never stopped me before.

First. Thanks to those who have shared their personal experience in drinking NA beer or wine whether it has taken you out the door or not. I think this is much more valuable than your opinion despite your length of sobriety. My sober time is close to two decades and I have drank NA beer and wine on occasion and I have not relapsed. So there’s that for whatever it’s worth. And I know some that have been sober longer than me and have done the same. Of course none of them hang out in bars and do that.

Second. I want to inform everyone that Orange juice and Grape juice, to name two supposed alcohol free drinks, have as much or more alcohol than NA beer (up to 1%) And vanilla and almond extract have much more. So think about that as you enjoy that next AA Birthday cake with all those candles on it. (Yes, there is Vanilla in most chocolate, too).

Third. YOUR body naturally contains alcohol. That’s right. You don’t even have to drink it.

Fourth. Clean is such an interesting word in this context. What does it really mean? Let’s cut to the chase. It never ceases to amaze me that AA members will indulge in caffeine and nicotine while telling other alcoholics that they should refrain from indulging in anything that affects them from the neck up. Think about it. It is one or the other; it cannot be both. Caffeine and nicotine are mind altering drugs period. Yeah, yeah, you never went to jail because of caffeine, etc. Well, I never went to jail over a Hake Beck or a prescribed drug. BTW, O’Douls is **** water, at least it was the last time I had one, about 15 years ago.

Here are a couple of links. Read and enjoy. I didn’t have time to thoroughly research the issue, but I did research enough to satisfy myself. Besides, there is no money in doing this kind of research so studies are likely to be limited.

http://www.french-paradox.net/fpbksb1.html

http://www.wesleyan.edu/weswell/docs...hol%20Beer.pdf

PS. What’s wrong with kissing a hooker? I mean if she’s pretty, and you like her? LOL.

Peace and Love. I mean it. I love you all. I don’t agree with all your thinking, but I love you all.

Barto

They really just don’t do it do they. That’s why three or four bottles of the six pack I bought were still in the garage refrigerator more than a year after I bought them.

queenteree

My AH told me today that he thinks it was more the psychological aspect of opening the can, drinking it and the taste that made him want a real beer. He's not making excuses, just trying to see what went wrong.

misslisa

To me no matter what form it comes in Alcohol is still alcohol!!! I have a problem with alcohol ... I am an alcoholic! The closest I come to contact with it would be through spraying perfume on me! I have even stopped using mouthwash because I am scared it will "awaken' something in my head and cause the triggers to go off!

i would stare very clear of anything that even resembles an alcoholic drink even if it clearly states its alcohol free!

I was pouring water from a container and the tap resembled that of a wine cask and I got a horrid feeling!!! Each to their own.

I plan to never touch a drink again. Because honestly what would I benefit from having one drink anyway? My issue was that I could never have "just one"

guywithpie

I guess I have a different view on this than most. I'm still new to my recovery so I'm sure people with other experience can shed better light. I'm only speaking my own opinion as well so take it with a grain of salt.

I don't have a problem having nyquil when I'm sick.. I don't have a problem eating pasta with vodka sauce.. Doesn't really bother me to watch other people around me drink. The reason why is, I've told myself that I'm not going to drink anymore. That sounds so simple but that's the truth. I can have a non-alcoholic beer because it tastes good, but it doesn't make it harder for me to not have a "REAL" beer, because I don't drink anymore.

Even though I may consume alcohol from standard products, I won't drink a little wine, or a half a beer.. That part I agree with.. alcohol is alcohol.. but you won't find me reading the ingredients on the label when I'm grocery shopping.

The only thing I check is my conscience.

Pinkcuda

I used every excuse in the world to drink N/A beer when I was new to sobriety. It was a crutch to lean on. If you spend too much time leaning on this crutch, you will never learn to walk on your own. That's the best case scenario. worst case is that crutch will not be enough support you and you will need a stronger crutch.

"It's what beer drinkers drink when they're not drinking beer" right?
I have a catchier slogan. "It's what beer drinkers drink when they're on the fence!"
Fortunately, My experience with N/A was a short one. My resolve to give up drinking was stronger than my desire to drink that stuff. Thank God! It would have been the perfect stepping stone back to drinking. I lost interest in the stuff for some reason. I guess I drank it for the same reason I drank beer. I had myself convinced that I couldn't drink anything else. It turns out that Ice Water wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be

albertawind

Even though there may be little or no alcohol in the beverage, don't you think you're pushing it a bit far? I mean, I like beer as much as the next guy but I didn't drink it for the taste. Maybe a little, but let's be honest... alcoholics don't care what it tastes like, as long as it numbs you. I suppose it depends on your level of sobriety (and maturity). I can only speak for myself, and even non-alcoholic beer would be a big step in the wrong direction.

Lovinglearning

Hi
Thank you for all your posts, they have been enlightening, from what I've seen I guess really it's spiritual/mental health that's the strongest factor. I've been sober just over 2 years and recently found out that my soy sauce that I use to garnish salad regularly has 2.8% alchohol. This surprised me as it hasn't sparked off a craving.
The only drink I have missed is red wine as I did enjoy the taste of some. After 2 years sobriety I recently tried some of the de-alchoholized red and did enjoy it. It was far more pleasant than any of the alchoholic reds I remembered as it didn't have the sharpness or the slight whiff of vinegariness caused by the alcohol. It didn't burn the back of my throat and I wasn't craving another glass during my first mouthful.
The thought of drinking alchoholic red makes me feel sick and I wouldn't want a mouthful of the stuff, yuk! I came on here to see other people's responses to n/a drinks and guess it is each to their own. I was concerned that I had enjoyed the taste and may have been subtly sinking back into the disease, cunning, baffling, powerful that it is.
After much pondering of the posts I've read I've remembered that when the wine ran out I would drink anything, drinks that I'd snubbed a few hours ago, Also when I used to drink before it was for the effect of the alchohol, the taste of the wine was sometimes a bonus. Now I recoil from alchoholic drinks as if from a flame (BB) as it burnt me badly and I don't want to go there again!
Drinking the de-alcoholized red was purely for taste and has not led to a craving, also I stopped at 2 glasses which I would never have done when I was actively alchoholic. Also I did not want to recapture anything of the past as I do not like the alchoholic me, I prefer the recovery me.
I do not feel the need to have more or to drink alchohol as I value immensely my new found sanity. I do not like the memory of feeling drunk, and do not wish to have my mind altered in such an unpleasant manner. I'm so grateful to be able to live life on life's terms instead of fleeing in terror. I'm immensely grateful to AA for helping me to live and grow and experience such profound love and beauty in life that I was so blind to before. I'm having a life beyond my wildest dreams and growing through pain, this is my buzz and the thing I want more of.
I've considered that I may have been taking a risk drinking the de-alchoholized red and thankfully I have all your posts to learn from. I do feel that it would be silly to take such a risk if I was not in a good frame of mind but I do not want to live a life in fear of foods and soft beverages, the only fear I maintain is a healthy fear of that first drink.
I know what the alchoholic in me is like and I know what a slip would look like even though I haven't had one. For me a slip would start with fear, resentment or unwillingness, then it would be self-pity and more unwillingness. Then I would make a decision to jump off the programme and straight into an off-licence or pub. De-alcholized wine wouldn't even be a consideration as I'd be full on self-destruct. I know I haven't had a slip but I can see it in me, I know my drinking would have progressed and I'd reach a 'yet' I hadn't reached before, I'd also be very close to suicide and don't think it would take long before I was seriously making plans. For me to drink is to die, I would die inside as soon as I picked up that first drink and then I would more than likely kill myself.
I have a lot to lose by just having one alchoholic drink so I go to meetings regularly, do the program the best I can and stay committed to my sobriety. If I'd have felt I was seriously risking all that by drinking de-alchoholised red I would have run a mile! I think that motivation is a primary consideration, I don't need n/a drinks as a substitute - I have a program for that.

Wishing you all serenity and a relatively happy 24 hours

stugotz

I never bought fake pot, coke, or dope. So why would I buy fake beer. I am an alcoholic, period.

erikm02

I've got a friend that drinks non-alcoholic beers occasionally. He's been sober for 2 years now. So far so good.

Who knows it might be fine with you? Maybe not? Your call

DayTrader

NA beer is masturbation of the mind for an alcoholic. Sure it's not TECHNICALLY sex but........


Go drink the real thing or recover from your alcoholism.

Do you have a history of saying "not drinking tonight....... well..nope, not gonna............but..................yanno, I really shouldn't.......................... however..........I GOT IT - I'll just have three tonight......NO MORE THAN THREE." next thing you know you're wasted, pass out, wake up the next morning with a hangover pissed off that "it happened again!!!" If you do that like I did that......does it make ANY sense to start negotiating your way in any direction other than abstinence?

Middle-ground almost ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLWAYS leads back to the bottle.


As Chris Raymer says, "Go have yourself a spiritual experience and stuff like that won't even enter your mind in the first place."




I love myself wayyy too much now to mess with anything that is likely to get me back to that mess I left behind.

smacked

ditto!

yeahgr8

This one again;-)

I...ah 4 get it hehe

AADavid

NA is too close to the real thing for me. I stay away from it. I don't need something that looks and tastes like the real thing. I stick with A&W Cream Soda.

If you really don't want to drink, why chance triggering off a drunk by giving yourself something so close to the real thing?

That is just me though.

JohnnyZ

Exactly. Everyone's different. I happen to enjoy an occassional NA beer.

Is Diet Coke fake Coke? No- Diet Coke is real Coke without the sugar, and it's better for you especially if you're diabetic. Is NA beer fake beer? No- NA beer is real beer without the alcohol, and it's better for you especially if you're alcoholic.

Do I recommend NA beer? No- I just don't see anything wrong with it for me. JMHO.