Thoughts on non-alcoholic beverages??
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It's an oft-discussed and somewhat touchy/controversial topic here Sohard.
It's really up to you as to whether or not it's a "good" idea, but what's probably more important than the beverage itself is your reasoning/intentions for drinking it in the first place.
Some of the commonly posted pitfalls of NA beverages
1. They are not all 100% alcohol free - there is a trace amount in all of them
2. They taste pretty horrible for the most part
3. Many have reported that they end up leading back to the "real thing"
4. There are a zillion other options out there that are not a facscimile of the real thing.
5. If you are using it to make others think you are drinking alcohol - that's probably not a good idea either.
Again, some folks drink them with no issues, but for the most part it seems to be a bad idea.
It's really up to you as to whether or not it's a "good" idea, but what's probably more important than the beverage itself is your reasoning/intentions for drinking it in the first place.
Some of the commonly posted pitfalls of NA beverages
1. They are not all 100% alcohol free - there is a trace amount in all of them
2. They taste pretty horrible for the most part
3. Many have reported that they end up leading back to the "real thing"
4. There are a zillion other options out there that are not a facscimile of the real thing.
5. If you are using it to make others think you are drinking alcohol - that's probably not a good idea either.
Again, some folks drink them with no issues, but for the most part it seems to be a bad idea.
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Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: UK
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I have seen how controversial this is on another thread called "fake wine"!
I do tend to have some N.A. beer but I was a wine drinker, I would not touch N.A. wine. I have the beer sometimes but with lots of lemonade. The longer I go, the more other interesting soft drinks I find (12 weeks for me).
However, I do not have them to pretend to drink, it is just for something different. I have no issues with saying I don't drink. I only drink soft drinks when I'm out.
Also, I haven't had any real battles (so far) with my sobriety, it was like a switch flipped, something in me just changed.
If you're wondering about it then maybe best to give it a miss & stick to soft drinks. I find there are plenty around the more I look into it!
I do tend to have some N.A. beer but I was a wine drinker, I would not touch N.A. wine. I have the beer sometimes but with lots of lemonade. The longer I go, the more other interesting soft drinks I find (12 weeks for me).
However, I do not have them to pretend to drink, it is just for something different. I have no issues with saying I don't drink. I only drink soft drinks when I'm out.
Also, I haven't had any real battles (so far) with my sobriety, it was like a switch flipped, something in me just changed.
If you're wondering about it then maybe best to give it a miss & stick to soft drinks. I find there are plenty around the more I look into it!
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Join Date: Oct 2017
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Thank you for the thoughts. I had been thinking perhaps I'd order a virgin Bloody Mary at lunch. Not for pretend purposes (everyone would hear me order it) but I was thinking maybe mentally it would be soothing. But, I see how this is a slippery slope/dangerous idea. I better not if I'm wondering about it.
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Originally Posted by fini 
soothing....hot chocolate or a nice tea would soothe.
my question to myself would be WHY would i think a virgin bloody mary would be soothing? where inside me does that find a place to hook into?
my question to myself would be WHY would i think a virgin bloody mary would be soothing? where inside me does that find a place to hook into?
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Like a "mocktail"? Some of them sound fun. We don't have Bloody Mary here, we have Caesars, which I hate because I don't like fresh clam juice, isn't a virgin Bloody Mary just a glass of tomato juice? (teasing)
I'm a club soda girl, no calories, always have been. Coffee, tea, club soda, San Pellegrino or Perrier too. They bubble and fizz.
I'm a club soda girl, no calories, always have been. Coffee, tea, club soda, San Pellegrino or Perrier too. They bubble and fizz.
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I had iced tea at a dinner with old coworkers last night. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was. I’m usually the one everyone can count on drinking, but not one person pressured me or gave me a hard time when I said, “I’m taking a break. I’m on day 3”. They kind of laughed as though 3 days was not a big deal. It’s a huge deal to me! It was kind of an eye opener. Like, what? You guys aren’t drinking every time we aren’t drinking together? Anyway, these friends are good people who would want to spend time with me sober. I think. I have others who I have no idea whether we could be friends without drinking.
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I went for Perrier water with food, a cappuccino afterwards. I never used to be a coffee drinker. I needed fluids like Gatorade in the morning (not coffee) and then in the evenings when everyone would wrap up their meal with a coffee, I'd wrap it up with another glass of wine, to be continued at home. So, coffee is new to me. It kind of gives a kick, which I like. Surprise, surprise.
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Originally Posted by MyLittleHorsie
Like a "mocktail"? Some of them sound fun.
It's not so much the ingredients or lack of alcohol that necessarily defines the beverage, but what we ascribe to that beverage: its name (Virgin Bloody Mary vs. tomato juice), its container (use of wine glasses and old fashion/rocks glasses) and why we choosing it...for instance, so no one suspects I'm not drinking.
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Originally Posted by doggonecarl
If non-alcoholic beverages are for non alcoholics, then mocktails are for "mock alcoholics."
It's not so much the ingredients or lack of alcohol that necessarily defines the beverage, but what we ascribe to that beverage: its name (Virgin Bloody Mary vs. tomato juice), its container (use of wine glasses and old fashion/rocks glasses) and why we choosing it...for instance, so no one suspects I'm not drinking.
It's not so much the ingredients or lack of alcohol that necessarily defines the beverage, but what we ascribe to that beverage: its name (Virgin Bloody Mary vs. tomato juice), its container (use of wine glasses and old fashion/rocks glasses) and why we choosing it...for instance, so no one suspects I'm not drinking.
I would go to an all-inclusive resort, but I wouldn't drink the alcohol included, I'd give a credit card to the front desk and drink a bit more premium, less gross combinations than what is typically offered. Hard to explain, when I drank, I drank specific things, occasionally I would say switch to vodka or whiskey if I had consumed enough wine, but they were always straight and neat.
Always an interesting conversation and I can see why it becomes a bit controversial, so many of us coming from different backgrounds and places.
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Originally Posted by Sohard
I went for Perrier water with food, a cappuccino afterwards. I never used to be a coffee drinker. I needed fluids like Gatorade in the morning (not coffee) and then in the evenings when everyone would wrap up their meal with a coffee, I'd wrap it up with another glass of wine, to be continued at home. So, coffee is new to me. It kind of gives a kick, which I like. Surprise, surprise.
Go easy later in the day, or you'll be up all night .
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I went to a Halloween party this year and saw some friends another time (who had quit drinking so that was all good) and would usually have drank. I know I wanted to have something that felt like a treat so I bought a bottle of Belvoir raspberry lemonade which is too expensive and sugary to drink often but that I love. It felt like a nice treat and kept my hands and mouth busy (stupid oral fixation) and I didn't feel like I was missing out.
I've found NA drinks tend to taste pretty horrible and just make you want a real drink so I avoid them. Some get on fine with them though so there seems to be a fairly big swing in how they can affect you.
I've found NA drinks tend to taste pretty horrible and just make you want a real drink so I avoid them. Some get on fine with them though so there seems to be a fairly big swing in how they can affect you.
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Originally Posted by Sohard
You're right...you're right...
ha, but i wasn't trying to be right . My question about where the idea of a virgin bloody mary ( the name alone is a horror!) finds a hook inside you so that you consider it was a very genuine question.
asking myself those kinds of things and examining and deconstructing was really helpful to me in taking apart the seeming allures of crazy ideas
Maladaptive
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: East coast, USA
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I was a wine and cocktail drinker. In the warmer months, I had some na beer when with friends. Now I’m into hot drinks, instant hot apple cider or hot chocolate at night. I might have next summer, but it doesn’t do anything much for me. i had it for a change of flavor, because i drink sparkling water with cranberry all the time.
I would never go near a virgin bloody mary- it was a drink of choice. The taste would do me in. Mock wine is not very tasty, plus I drank Wine for the buzz. All calories no buzz. Not for me.
I would never go near a virgin bloody mary- it was a drink of choice. The taste would do me in. Mock wine is not very tasty, plus I drank Wine for the buzz. All calories no buzz. Not for me.
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