Sober for almost 3 years is O'Douls ok? What do you think?
 

I have been sober for almost 3 years. It will be officially 3 in September. I honestly don't miss drinking at all. I don't miss the morning after blues. I don't miss the feeling of being out of control. And I don't miss the weight that I have lost since I quit. But I do like the taste of beer. Whenever my family and I go out to eat and there are beer battered onion rings served I have a nice big order of them. Of course I have to share. Bottom line is I like the taste of beer. I just don't like the alcohol and it's effects. In the past almost 3 years since I have quit my life has turned around 180 degrees for the better. I can't express enough to anyone here that I never want to sip another drink of alcohol for the rest of my life. Which brings me to my point and question. In everyone's honest opinion that has been there and done this do you think drinking a non alcoholic beverage like O'Douls to be a trigger? Do you think it's a good idea? I know there is some alcohol in the non alcohol drinks. But not anywhere near enough to worry about.

I have not yet tried one. I want to explore every possibility and opinion that I can get before I do. My feeling is that I can handle it. And that it won't lead me down the path I walked before. I have too much fortitude in my commitment to never drink again. Even my counselor has said that she has never seen anyone with my resolve. When I asked her what she thought about the idea she said to be careful. But she also thinks that I can handle it if I have the right mind set.

So please pipe in. I would love to know what you all think. Thanks.

And by the way 3 years sober from pot on 5/18/10. :c031:

obi,

It's my feeling that if I open a "loop hole" for my alcoholism, I'd take it. I worry that the NA beers are pretty close to a loop hole. I don't think it's worth the risk.

I'm glad to see that you're really thinking it over. I worry for you that it may be the addictive voice trying to coax you back in.

Love,

Lenina

Are you alcoholic? If you are alcoholic, it will end up in a very bad downward spiral as Non-alcoholic beer still contains alcohol. I don't understand why anyone would want to tease themselves by drinking non-alcoholic beer though.

I'm with Ian.


If you're a heavy drinker or an alcohol abuser and can stop given sufficient reason, go ahead and have some. When you start drinking the real stuff again, which will more than likely happen, you'll just have to quit again.

If you're an alcoholic and you want to try relapsing, go ahead and order some up. I don't know anyone who's glad they relapsed though.

If you're an alcoholic and don't want to relapse, I'd really suggest getting "sober" (of sane mind and sound judgment) before you consider messing with O'Douls. Once you're sober you won't have to ask. ;)

I Feel a Relapse Coming On
 

So knock it the **** off! You have 3 years. 3 whole years. Why are you even thinking of doing this. Its not worth it. At all. The fact of the matter is you don't know where drinking that O'Douls is going to take you.

Alcoholism is sneaky. The disease lies in wait. Doing push ups. What if you lose everything that you've earned over the last few years. When I went to a meeting one of the people there said that his sponsor who had 15 years of sobriety started drinking again and was homeless in a little over 5 months.

again, as someone who is still in active addiction.

KNOCK IT THE **** OFF. ITS NOT WORTH IT.

sorry to yell but like I said, I feel a relapse coming on.

Hi Obi

I was a beer drinker...I used to love the taste too...or at least I thought I did. I'm not sure now.

To me a former beer drinking alcoholic drinking NA beer would be like a former coke addict snorting their prescribed meds.

Leaving aside the vexing question of whether it's a relapse, it's certainly troubling behaviour IMO.

D

Congrats on your 4 years! For me it didn't work. I remember buying some and drinking it, but my brain was waiting to catch the buzz. It was weird. It felt like a relapse to me, but I was disapointed afterwards. While it didn't take me all the way out, it was wasn't a wise choice for me. I was w/ a gal who was drinking the real thing and I remember wanting to be drinking a real beer at the time. I would advise against even going there. blessings, Sheila

I have no desire to romance any part of my past. My love affair with alcohol, including the taste, has long been over, thank God.

I've had N.A. beers a few times (back when I was drinking), thought it was just sudzy water. I think if I tasted it now after being sober for a bit, I would want the real deal - and I liked really hoppy, flavorful beers too.

To me, it boils down to - Why risk it? There is no upside, only downside. I miss the taste too, but not enough to risk my health and sobriety.

I used to like to snort coke, and I haven't thought it necessary to chop up some baking soda and blow down a few rails. My brain wants the REAL stuff, not the near beer. I wouldn't suggest trying Non Alcoholic beer. just my opinion. I'd be to afraid that my brain would talk me into having just 1 cold regular beer.

I've had O'Douls before. The way that stuff (or any non-alcohol beer) tastes... well, it hardly seems worth the risk.

I think that the fact that you have only been completely sober for less than two weeks would be a concern for me. I would give yourself time to get used to not having that one last little relief you were holding onto.

And honestly, the comment about the beer battered onion rings kinda raised a little bit of a flag for me. I know it is silly but the fact that you equate those with beer seems a little like looking for that connection. I have never "tasted" beer when I ate beer battered onion rings. Maybe it is just me?

Anyway..not a big lover of the non alcoholic drink. If you really want a lot of emotional opinions, run a search on SR for "non-alcoholic beer". There are a LOT of threads on it.

Congrats on your three years sober from alcohol. That is incredible!

In a word, since you ask: No. I tried it once, with the expected results. "Cunning, baffling, powerful."

Absolutely led me back to drinking the real stuff (beer). Was dry for almost four years and decided to try some N/A beer. Bad, very bad. I got addicted on it and well....

Obi, everybody is not the same, but I would think there is a difference between having fried food with beer in it and a non-alc beer to drink - maybe not chemically but psychologically. Maybe having 3 years makes a difference, but then again there are people who relapse after having a long period of sobriety. I'm not a mind reader and I'm not claiming to know the truth, but I feel skeptical when I see someone talking about non-alc beer. Culinary preferences abound. We have caviar and fish and chips in a newspaper; which one is the more pleasant? It's like debating over which colo(u)r is prettier. Is beer that tasty, that a non-alcoholic variation of it is worth putting in your body, after what it's been through? Compare it to people who really love seafood or dairy and what happens to them because their bodies can't handle a small derivative of those things. That's how I see someone putting an "in-law" to alcohol in their system when they know they're an alcoholic. But the person with the seafood or dairy problem has an easier Out than an alocholic does, it would seem. For my brain and body, that would be courting danger. Then again, I can say that beer doesn't taste very good to me, even though I was an alcoholic on it and almost exclusively so for around 15 years.

My advice: cling for your life onto your sobriety and your newfound clean time from pot. Cling onto it and don't let ANYTHING come in your way including stupid pathetic non alcoholic beer! It's NOT worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep giong and well done on your clean and sober time!


Cathy31
x

Thanks to all for you comments and support. Again this website has proven to me to be so vaulable. The fact that I have almost 3 years under my belt and have turned my life around for the better is the common sense voice I have in my head when I even think about maybe it would be ok to have one drink. It tells me how to look at life before I quit and then after I quit. Then it asks me which is better. Oh course after I quit always wins out. Keep it sober. Brush the little monkey off my back again. Evil Monkey!
Peace.

I've drank a few over the years. From what I've read, o.j will break down and put out as much alcohol as a can of O'Douls.

If, you have to ask, you're probably best to leave it alone.

I'm glad I saw this thread. I would have thought O'douls was a perfec substitute for real beer. I didn't even think it can lead back to the real thing.

This makes total sense though.

I wouldn't say it leads directly back to being a drunk again for everyone but if you have any question in your mind at all that it will then I would avoid it.