TheMaster

Is this ok? I have never tried it, before.

Has anyone here tried it? Does it somehow fill that craving to drink just from the taste alone?

I mean, it still tastes like beer, right?

Just curious...

Mark75

I would not suggest you use it to curb cravings. Tastes sort of like beer, depending on the brand... But, If you are newly recovering and having cravings... I would suggest you pass.

ImReadyToQuit

Theres a lot of threads on this..... For me personally, I tried it once, it led me right back to drinking...

Dee74

This is a regular topic round here The Master.

Some do, some don't.

I don't drink it - I tried to moderate it with it when I was drinking...it just frsutrated me, I wanted the buzz and it led me back to the hard stuff.

I was a beer drinker - if I'm drinking something that tastes like beer, looks like beer and comes in a beer can, I reckon I've got something else going on.

To me, it's the same behaviour I used to have - or close enough to it to make me skittish.

There's a million ways to quench my thirst with things that don't remind me of beer.

As my good friend Desert Eyes says 'Give me non-alcoholic beer, and I'll go buy it a non-sexual strip joint, fire up some non-addictive marijuana and enjoy some victim-less crime'.

D

tsmba

All great points! You do realize that "non-alcoholic" only means the alcohol content is below 0.5%? Many folks have had relapses following use of something they assumed was safe.

TheMaster

Oh... Oh well, just a thought.

Isaiah

I drink it but not regularly, only at restaurants on occasion. Maybe once or twice a year.

I feel confident enough that I realize it for what it is. It's for nostalgia and it's not to substitute for a craving. It's basically barley-hop soda pop, and if I thought anything otherwise I wouldn't take the risk of it.

The alcohol content of the drinks is something that I think might vary a bit from person to person. I've heard people speak of being triggered by small amounts of alcohol, but I consume a lot of such drinks (kombucha and kvass) and really don't feel a thing. I also read about a study once where alcoholics were given diluted alcohol and again some responded quite a bit and some not at all.

So I wouldn't recommend it highly, or at least say that it's not a risk-free thing. Especially if you're using it as a substitute for "real" beer.

TheMaster

Well, I was always a scotch person, anyway...

I only got beer every so often, maybe once a year or so.

I was just curious as to how others saw it. I'm sure the alcohol content of a few of them wouldn't bother me, as I downed 5ths.

I guess you're right, maybe just for nostalgia..

Freedom1990

I have no inclination to romance any part of my painful past.

I'm pleased to say that I haven't had a craving for over 20 years now.

Toronto68

This is often a pet peeve kind of topic.

I used to give lengthy relpies to it, but I like the idea of answering it with a question now.

Do you want to drink non-alcohol beer because it's a product that tastes great?

I was an alcoholic on the real thing for many years, even though I think it tastes like ____. If you think there is a possibility you want to drink the non-alcohol beer because you miss the real thing, then stay away from it. Some alcoholics who have quit drinking are fine with drinking the non-alcohol stuff because they like it and don't go back to their old ways; others would not go near it because it would be risky or because it tastes awful or both.

NYCDoglvr

The answer is in your own posting. If you know you're powerless over alcohol, it's dangerous to go after something that, you think, will satisfy the craving.

CarolD

Well.....
if I were to delibertly drink or eat food with alcohol
I would be compelled to re-start my date of sobriety....

There is no other way to cut it for me.
My recovery is based on personally abstaining.

johndelko408

Feeding the craving is still feeding the addiction. You can rationalize it any way you want. It doesn't taste the same at all. I tried using that as a way to control my drinking when I was drinking. To me it tasted like carbonated water with a hint of beer, not having the alcohol content as a regular beer it doesn't have the same almost stinging feeling on the tongue I would highly suggest not doing it, it still has small amounts of alcohol in it, it won't satisfy your cravings in my opinion and it will probably just lead you back to beer being that the cravings won't be satisfied. When I was drinking it just didn't cut it.

Homer38

to me its just a replacement for real beer which would mean nothing is changing other than i'm not drunk,again for me i NEED to change my whole thinking pattern.

maybe someday i may encounter a situation where i want to just have a beer,then i would go for a non-alcoholic but then again,i may NEVER have that craving,who knows.
for today im good with the water,coffee or lemonade.

rws177

This topic gets brought up a lot and I think that drinking non-alcoholic beer is the worst idea ever!!

However what do people think of drinking out of wine classes or glass bottles? When I have friends over to wach the UFC I love getting Fitz cream soda as it come in glass bottles. I like how cold it is and drinking from the glass. Sometimes I wonder if that is "wrong"

Texasblind

Here we go...

TheEnd

What's the point?? Might as well drink a soda IMO

Zebra1275

In my opinion it's a bad idea.

LaFemme

To be sure we never consume anything ever that can in any way, shape or form remind us of our drinking past I suggest we only drink from streams using our hands;-)

I wouldn't drink the NA beer mostly because it tastes yucky...ditto on the NA wine...I did try a bit of my mom's Grand Marnier souffle two months ago and I would be worried about my sobriety if that taste put it at risk. If you think NA beer will put you at risk...figure out why...IMO.

At Thanksgiving I drank my fancy herbal soda out of my mothers crystal wine glasses...my Dad thought I was drinking wine (my parents are in denial...lol)...I don't think it was cheating.

Mark75

That sounds good laFemme... Make sure it's free of giardia!

There really is no one right or wrong answer for everyone... We see that some would reset their sobriety date because of the less than 0.5 % alcohol content... To myself who has little or no issue with it except that it's expensive and I prefer diet coke with free refills!

Nonetheless... If you have to ask, if you are not sure, then it's a mistake. Always... To thine own self be true!

Mark