SeaOfSerenity

does anyone drink this or do you stay away from it?

I'm entertaining the thought of drinking something other than water in social situations to avoid the same conversation over and over.

also from the ones ive found in pubs so far they seem to be 0.05% which is confusing

ScottFromWI

There's a lot of thoughts regarding this topic and it is a somewhat controversial topic here to be honest.

First off, you are right - most NA beer is not 100% alcohol free, it contains very low amounts. So technically if you drank enough of it you could consume a measurable amount of alcohol.

Secondly, a lot of people end up drinking NA beer like they did regular beer - I drank it quickly, in private and in large quantities. It also eventually led me back to drinking regular beer.

Thirdly, there are a whole plethora of different kinds of true non alcoholic drinks that frankly taste a lot better than NA beer. Sparkling waters, fruit juices, sodas, etc.

Lastly, I would question what you are doing hanging out in pubs? Sobriety and bars/pubs are not really a very good combination. True sobriety many times requires major change in our lives.

SeaOfSerenity

I can see why its controversial for sure, that's why ive been musing on it.

1. why do they put alcohol in it? seems massively counter productive to its point of existence. although the amount, if I'm right, youd have to drink 800 of them to get the same result as a single 4% bottle. so youre not gonna get a buzz from them.

2. I can totally see this being a problem. returning to the behaviours of drinking without the end result would lead most to relapse.

3. I agree there are but they don't tend to avoid the 'why aren't you drinking' convo.

lastly, my drinking wasn't really in pubs or bars. my anxiety wouldn't allow it so I would drink at home on my own.
ive only been a couple of times since being sober. the first time out of curiosity as to how id feel and I felt nothing. I don't and haven't had cravings since I quit, which from reading on here I know is probably a rare thing. The events around my quitting were quite traumatic so that most likely is why.
I appreciate your concern though.

biminiblue

Well, if you drank at home on your own, surely the same questions would have been asked if you had gone to a pub? "Why aren't you drinking?" isn't an attack, by the way. It's a simple question with lots of answers, none of which have to include saying, "I'm an alcoholic."

"I just don't feel like it."
"I'm good with my soda."
"Not tonight."
"I don't like the way it makes me feel."
"I've drank my fair share already."
"I'm trying to take better care of myself."
"I'm driving."
"I have to be up early."
"I'm cutting back."


Really, I've only had one person ask, "Why?" when I said, "I'm not drinking." She is an alcoholic herself, so of course it was baffling to her.

Now, in fairness - people will continue to offer, even years after I've said I've quit. I just reiterate, "I'm not drinking." "I don't drink." or whatever suits me. They're just offering...

SeaOfSerenity

not that I didnt go to pubs and drink just that they aren't triggers for me. usually id show my face and only have a few so I could leave early to do some serious drinking without judgement.

I don't see the question as an attack, more a bore of a conversation starter.

biminiblue

Ha. Well, pubs are for drinking.

That's why I don't go to them any more. Bunch of intoxicated people there, making no sense and repeating themselves over and over.

Oh, and no. I will never drink non-alcoholic beer or wine. As much as I used to love beer, it would just set me off.

svenissober

Of course I stay away since I don´t *want* to drink nor do I have to.
Your reasoning is a relapse, you´re simply looking for a (super lame)
excuse to drink.

Once you start to drink the relapse is *over*!

Of course you may drink as much or as little you want to...

S

ScottFromWI

Beer is a fermented beverage, just like wine. The process used to make beer naturally produces alcohol. NA beer is regular alcoholic beer that has had MOST of the alcohol removed - usually by heat, but there are other methods. But most of them don't remove all of the alcohol.

The alcohol content itself is kind of irrelevant though - your motivations for drinking it in the first place are probably more important. If you are simply doing it so it "looks" like you are drinking real beer, you may want to consider hanging around with people who don't drink. Why should you care what they think anyway, right ;-)

SeaOfSerenity

thanks for the first paragraph. its nice for someone to answer a question without reading between the lines.

and youre right about the second. I suppose I'm looking to not disrupt others from drinking due to my problem or make them feel bad. as I know I couldn't get my head around people not drinking when I met someone and would bug them like a meat eater does to a vegan.

as for everyone mentioning relapses and making lame excuses. I haven't drunk any, I was asking questions for people experiences and opinions of it as it had crossed my mind that it must be seen as an option to those new to recovery like myself. if i was looking for excuses id would have drunk them. just curiosity

ideally i wouldn't have made the thread as i know what this place is like with anything slightly edgy but i can never get the damn search to bring up any relevant results.

tomsteve

I could see people eventually asking,"why are you drinking fake beer?"

FBL

I drank beer to get drunk, so I never understood the whole concept of "near beer". I thought more people would ask me why I wasn't drinking anymore. Turns out most people don't really care either way.

SeaOfSerenity

if you get caught out. it would be like hiding your abstinence instead of raging alcoholism. bizarre lol

Delizadee

Why bother? It tastes gross and doesn't give me the end result I really want.

I'd rather drink something non alcoholic I DO enjoy, and keep my sobriety in tact than play a game with NA stuff just for the sake of avoiding a few irritating why are you not drinking questions.
That's just me tho. Hop to it with a "thanks I don't drink" and if they ask why "because I dont" or "I don't want to".
I think a lot of people who pursue this line of questioning tend to be the ones who question their own drinking.

I like Virgin cocktails tho. Spicy ceaser or fruity mock tails. The rest are just... blegh.

Oct2016

I am only 29 days sober, but this time I think it'll stick. So anyway, I too have mixed feelings about the NA beers. I DID try one a couple weeks ago when I was at Epcot in Disney with my family. If you've ever been to Epcot, there are people walking around drinking exotic beers. Omg, that was tough! I suppose I could've had sparkling water or any other 100s of non alcoholic drinks, but I was white knuckling. Better fake beer than real. I'm doing ok otherwise, but in situations like that or maybe Super Bowl Sunday with wings. My resolve is real strong this fine around, and I'm doing what I have to do in the beginning to get me through. Fortunately, it did the trick for me, but I could definitely see where it could lead to the real deal.

stevieg46

Is non alcohol beer for non -alcoholics ?

Stevie recovered 12 03 2006.

LadyBee

I drank the near beer stuff last time I went sober. I believe that it led me right back to where I was, certainly not that it was the only thing that got me drinking again. I'm staying away from it this time. I am also from the class of Sept 2016, good luck and you're not alone! No judgment here.

SnazzyDresser

That fake beer would be nothing but trouble for me, for sure. Won't bother with decaf coffee either, or low-fat cheese for that matter.

JeffreyAK

Biggest problem for me with "non-alcoholic" beverages is that they're designed to taste like the real thing, which can be very triggering and can (and often does) induce cravings. Immediate ones that send you into a panic, or slow-burn ones that eventually lead to, "F'it, I'm tired of this fake stuff that tastes like the real stuff but doesn't give a buzz, I can have just one real drink, it won't hurt....." I remember a guy in rehab who told us he'd pounded a 12-pack of near-beer at a party over the weekend, and wondered if he should count that as a relapse. Ummm.

hellrzr

In my group if you drink NA beer it's considered a relapse. Alcoholism is not about your drinking but rather your thinking.

steve-in-kville

I see the wisdom in this. I discovered we still have a few of the heavy-bottomed "rocks" glasses. I have half a mind to get rid of them. Just the idea of having them around bothers me.