ScottFromWI

I was never able to remove any of those associations. NA beer/wine is a real touchy subject of conversation around here. Certainly some people do drink it but it's a decision you need to make for yourself. For the most part it's a horrible facsimile of what the real thing tastes like anyway, so the concept of drinking it for "taste" is a marginal reason at best. There are also literally thousands of other options that taste better, and don't have the potential to lead you back to real beer. That's exactly what happened to me, multiple times. I would drink the NA beer the same way I did real beer - secretively, quickly, and i'd feel guilty after doing it. And in every case I eventually started mixing real beer back into the mix.

It's your call, but based on all the struggles you've had with quitting i'd very strongly recommend you pursue other options.

KeyofC

I think it ultimately contributed to me drinking the real stuff again. I was sober 1 1/2 years, was drinking NA and started taking a prescription for anxiety/depression. I think that prescription mixed with the NA (which does contain a small amount of alcohol) contributed to my relapse of 6 months. I have been sober again since January 28. I touch none, nothing...don't even try to mimic a drink, beer, or anything else. If I am quit, I am quit! (That's just my take on it).
And like Scott's post...(secretly)I drank it as fast as I could, as many as I could, and felt just as guilty for doing the same behavior...so I doubt it was for the taste. I think it was a substitute and a escape goat for really quitting, for me at least.

Briansy

Yes, best avoided.

FBL

I drank beer to get drunk, so I never understood the concept behind NA Beer (which actually does contain a very small amount of alcohol).

feldknocker

Alcohol has had pros in my life. I have had a lot of great times when drinking. I loved the way it made me feel when I was buzzed. I also liked how much easier it made socializing.

But as has been said so many time, those good times were all a long time ago. I couldn't drink just enough to get a buzz and then maintain. I always got smashed. It also became a real problem as social settings because I usually drank too much and then risked huge problems.

On the con side, the anxiety alcohol gives me is mind boggling. It is a poison for me and I believe it will always be.

bunchie

If your an alcoholic there are no pros, if you are a normal social drinker and you drink responsibly , something I never did, I guess there are some pros but you would have to ask them ? Not me I drank like a Viking every weekend for 38 years, I drank early on thinking it was fun , but it became a chore, a heart ripping tale of wreckless woe.