Pinkcuda

Does N/A beer lead us back to drinking? Probably not as much as the fact that we're spending out lives in bars while we're drinking it.
I drank it like there was no tomorrow when I quit and eventually lost interest. But I was a "Stay at Home" drinker.

Pinkcuda

N/A Beer is regulated by the FDA as opposed to ATF
FDA requires the "less than 05%" be on the label if something is to be sold as "non alcoholic"
In all reality it contains way less than that.

Cobalt

Some NA beers are 0.0%

I personally drink it and it doesn't influence me to drink the real thing at all.

Really, I think over-thinking something like this may actually aggravate one's alcoholism more than NOT thinking about it would. For me, my problem with booze is COMPLETELY mental. Maybe not when I was drinking every day, but at least now it is only in my mind. I don't get physical withdrawal symptoms, but the mental urge to drink never really goes away permanently.

The only way to know if NA beer is safe for you is to give it a try, or if you're worried at all that it might lead you to drink again, simply don't try it.

Other than that, I wouldn't give it any more thought, it's just not that important.

SSIL75

I don't just b/c the only point in drinking to me was to get a buzz. I'd rather have a lemonade now b/c I drink for taste and thirst. I am not in a position where I feel it would jeporadize my recovery. I also do not specifically avoid food with alcohol (nor do I seek it out. I'm trying to think if I've had anything.... oh fondue. Fondue has wine in it).

gofish1331

I have been able to actually enjoy it on occasion but it seems to be a trigger for most so....be careful

DukeBurger

I drink it the odd time while watching the game and I don't get cravings for the real thing...It's actually a healthier alternative to the root beer and dr. pepper I've been drinking regularly since becoming sober.
Only 50 calories and 2g of sugar per bottle (opposed to 160 calories, 43g of sugar per can of root beer).
If you have worries that it will lead you back to the real thing then I wouldn't recommend it.
Be cautious and stay sober

MaryAnn100

I asked my alcohol counsellor about this because christmas is coming and all that.........she said.......make sure it is zero percent.

reggiewayne

All i will say is if you think you're an alcoholic you don't drink beer due to the taste. It's more likely to serve as a trigger rather than a solution.

yeahgr8

I did ask my counselor about this too, out of interest, he said you ight be ok but have a bottle of bubbly, a hooker and a blackjack table on standby just in case...

c49

Bit like smoking cigars after quitting cigarettes to me.
Shooting blanks at target practice.
Monopoly Money
"fools gold"

I think we all work to close the door on our former drinking lives but isnt drinking a non or zero alcoholic beer is like keeping a foot in the door?

stugotz

Non-alcoholic beer is for non-alcoholic people. Just sayin...

Untoxicated

I used to think I loved the taste of beer until I had near beer years ago. I even tried several brands and couldn't find one that I liked better than diet pepsi. Eventually I realized it wasn't the beer that I liked, it was the alcohol.

PaleMale

I made it to sober day 6.5. However, yesterday, my wife had a bottle of non-alcoholic beer. I had a sip, and man, I have to avoid it in the future! The cravings fell over me like a dark mood.

I can use Listerine mouthwash without cravings, vanilla extract, rum-balls, bitters, but that sip of fake beer almost had me going to the deli for a 12 pack... I got all cranky and restless, but managed to resist.

The mock-tails I've been enjoying don't taste like any alcoholic bevy I've ever had so I haven't been tempting by them. But the fake beer awoke in me very strong cravings.

I'd be very careful with non-beer. Especially early on.

TheMaster

Well, based on what everyone has said, I won't bother with it. I've never had it before, I wasn't a beer man anyway, so there's no real point.

I was just curious...

TwelveSteps

I found it useul to drink at BBQs, etc. when I was first getting sober just because it looked like beer and helped me avoid the (surprisingly frequent!) questioning by acquaintances as to why I wasn't drinking (I think they were trying to figure out if I was pregnant). But it never created any sort of craving for me. I would usually just nurse one bottle and be done with it, and I personally love beer.

GG

thisisme

NA Beer speaks of a benefit.
Alcohol has no benefit.

onlythetruth

I guess it's a trigger for some people. It doesn't bother me to drink it, but I don't. Frankly, I just don't think it tastes good. I'd rather have something else.

bassist85

I've never drank it but I have never had the urge. It would probably just make me crave a real beer even more.

MaryAnn100

@stugotz......"non-alcoholic beer is for non-alcoholic people"....that is amazingly wise..........maybe I will thirteen step ya after all .... joking.......excellent tho ...really.

shaun00

It reminds me of getting out of the lion cage..by the skin of your teeth.
Only to return to get your hat. .

Id rather wax my legs than have that sh@t any where near my mouth.
id be waiting for the hit that didnt happen......bit like chocolate with sugar...yuk.