Is O'Douls OK?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 73
Is O'Douls OK?
I have not had a drink since my 3rd DWI arrest last Sat night. I went a week without having a drink. I had an O'Douls yesterday. Even though it is labeled a a non-alcoholic brew, doesn't it contain a minute amount of alcohol. Should I refrain from such beverages to completely rid my system of any remnants of alcohol?
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Posts: 15,238
Hi im Sharon and im an alcoholic.
By the Grace of my HP and people like u
here in SR i havent had a drink or a sip...
of alcohol/POISON since 8-11-90.
For that im truely grateful.
Even tho they have said that it would
take a large consuption of O'Dules
to get a buzz....for me...just knowing it
contains very little...it still contain
POISON TO ME....why would i want
to drink anything that would remind
me of alcohol....if i want to drink any-
thing that looks, smells and gives me
the same affect as alcohol then it
very well be the real thing....
And the real thing for me.....one sip
one glass, one bottle of anything will
never be enough to quench my craving
for it...there will NEVER be enough
alcohol in this world to satisfy my
desire for it.....
Today...i have no desire to drink because i
have had the willingness to follow a program
that was freely given and shared with me to help
me learn to stay sober one day at a time.
That program u can find here in SR and
at ur local AA meetings....
Come join us and welcome to SR.
By the Grace of my HP and people like u
here in SR i havent had a drink or a sip...
of alcohol/POISON since 8-11-90.
For that im truely grateful.
Even tho they have said that it would
take a large consuption of O'Dules
to get a buzz....for me...just knowing it
contains very little...it still contain
POISON TO ME....why would i want
to drink anything that would remind
me of alcohol....if i want to drink any-
thing that looks, smells and gives me
the same affect as alcohol then it
very well be the real thing....
And the real thing for me.....one sip
one glass, one bottle of anything will
never be enough to quench my craving
for it...there will NEVER be enough
alcohol in this world to satisfy my
desire for it.....
Today...i have no desire to drink because i
have had the willingness to follow a program
that was freely given and shared with me to help
me learn to stay sober one day at a time.
That program u can find here in SR and
at ur local AA meetings....
Come join us and welcome to SR.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1
Theres no alcohol in O.J. Complete myth. In my experience, the people who started drinking O'doules almost always go back to drinking. Think about it? Being sober means staying away from a drink right? How is drinking a beverage that before you got sober got you drunk everytime helping you? Flirting with disaster... Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,947
I promised myself to stay away from O'doul's threads, for me they are much more harmful, to me personally, than the actual O'Doul's... LOL...
I'd say to you.... after three DUIs... sober for what, a week?... NO it's not OK!! Once you get recovered... well, then.... at that time.... if still you have to ask.... NO it's not OK!!
Oh jeez, broke my promise
Hi SoberRN... lot's of healthcare folks around, welcome to SR!!
I'd say to you.... after three DUIs... sober for what, a week?... NO it's not OK!! Once you get recovered... well, then.... at that time.... if still you have to ask.... NO it's not OK!!
Oh jeez, broke my promise
Hi SoberRN... lot's of healthcare folks around, welcome to SR!!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3,550
This is the way I see it. Your brain has been conditioned to associate the taste of beer with the buzz that comes from alcohol. Now that you are in recovery (hope this is true) then if you have an O'Doul's your brain probably is saying "Wow! It's a beer!" and then a little later, "Wait a minute! Where's the buzz!" Next thing that happens. Surprise! You suddenly have a beer in your hands. And then another, and another. And then the brain says, 'That's sort of O.K. But how about a little more buzz." Now you probably know what comes next.
So, particularly in the first stages of recovery, I agree with the other folks who have responded. Stay away from the N/A Beers. And all the other beers. Good luck.
Nika
So, particularly in the first stages of recovery, I agree with the other folks who have responded. Stay away from the N/A Beers. And all the other beers. Good luck.
Nika
member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,433
Whatever works for you 
Some people drink NA beer in recovery without a problem, others choose not to.
I do agree with Mark, maybe you should consider sticking to total abstinence for a while, and reassess your decision regarding the Odouls further down the line. Why? Recovery takes energy, imho it's better to remove yourself from all temptations for the time being so that you can focus on your recovery work.
Take care.
Some people drink NA beer in recovery without a problem, others choose not to. I do agree with Mark, maybe you should consider sticking to total abstinence for a while, and reassess your decision regarding the Odouls further down the line. Why? Recovery takes energy, imho it's better to remove yourself from all temptations for the time being so that you can focus on your recovery work.
Take care.
A work in progress
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
I think it's a pretty individual decision, but in general, if you are using it as a "substitute" for the real thing, it's probably a bad idea. I wouldn't be as concerned about the trace amount of alcohol as what it represents.
That said, I have had an O'Doul's on occasion. I was never a big beer drinker--I drank scotch or vodka. I enjoy the taste with certain foods or after yard work on a hot day. In almost two years, I believe I have had maybe five on separate occasions. I never had one because I was in a drinking situation where I needed a "prop". I never had one because I was craving alcohol. It never made me want to have more, or want to have the real thing.
I would never encourage someone else to have one, because for some people it would put them at risk for relapse. I am confident that it doesn't pose a danger to me, personally, at this point.
That said, I have had an O'Doul's on occasion. I was never a big beer drinker--I drank scotch or vodka. I enjoy the taste with certain foods or after yard work on a hot day. In almost two years, I believe I have had maybe five on separate occasions. I never had one because I was in a drinking situation where I needed a "prop". I never had one because I was craving alcohol. It never made me want to have more, or want to have the real thing.
I would never encourage someone else to have one, because for some people it would put them at risk for relapse. I am confident that it doesn't pose a danger to me, personally, at this point.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 1,591
Cubbie, this comes up like clockwork every month, and it's one of the pet peeves, I think, ha ha.
I'm not a statistician on this, but some number of people are OK with drinking stuff like this, but then others (I think the majority) don't like the idea of drinking beverages like this. In your situation, after a third DUI, you probably have a lot of technical details to adhere to, like not touching alcohol or showing up where it is served. Since there is a trace of it, maybe it is a better idea to avoid it altogether. The judge or probation supervisor or whoever in the system might be a real stickler on the trace of alcohol and take a hard line.
Aside from the legal situation, I am like the people that are against drinking O'Douls or similar drinks. It's courting the thing we are meant to stay away from. Courting and touching are two different things, but still: if a man intends to stick with being married, really, then what's he doing sitting in a singles bar? I suspect that logic of intentions and the reality of what we are up to applies to most people, and that it is few people who actually like the taste of the virgin brew THAT much that they can drink it safely without inching toward getting the stuff with alcohol in it. I drank alcoholically on beer and yet I think I never really liked it as a beverage. The taste of it was all part of repeating the experience of being drunk I became fond of, and for me tasting an approximation of it would be starting the experience all over again.
I don't know where you are in your experience with alcohol (whether you think it has to end or not), but if you say you have to quit drinking, I would study the purpose of drinking non-alc beer some more. We're supposed to drink because we're thirsty, and when you look at it that way, there doesn't need to be a hell of a lot of different things to swallow, even at our pickiest. Water, juice, cold tea, hot tea?... It's as simple as that for me.
Wish the best for you.
I'm not a statistician on this, but some number of people are OK with drinking stuff like this, but then others (I think the majority) don't like the idea of drinking beverages like this. In your situation, after a third DUI, you probably have a lot of technical details to adhere to, like not touching alcohol or showing up where it is served. Since there is a trace of it, maybe it is a better idea to avoid it altogether. The judge or probation supervisor or whoever in the system might be a real stickler on the trace of alcohol and take a hard line.
Aside from the legal situation, I am like the people that are against drinking O'Douls or similar drinks. It's courting the thing we are meant to stay away from. Courting and touching are two different things, but still: if a man intends to stick with being married, really, then what's he doing sitting in a singles bar? I suspect that logic of intentions and the reality of what we are up to applies to most people, and that it is few people who actually like the taste of the virgin brew THAT much that they can drink it safely without inching toward getting the stuff with alcohol in it. I drank alcoholically on beer and yet I think I never really liked it as a beverage. The taste of it was all part of repeating the experience of being drunk I became fond of, and for me tasting an approximation of it would be starting the experience all over again.
I don't know where you are in your experience with alcohol (whether you think it has to end or not), but if you say you have to quit drinking, I would study the purpose of drinking non-alc beer some more. We're supposed to drink because we're thirsty, and when you look at it that way, there doesn't need to be a hell of a lot of different things to swallow, even at our pickiest. Water, juice, cold tea, hot tea?... It's as simple as that for me.
Wish the best for you.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: the high desert
Posts: 887
For me, if I am going to drink the calories of beer, I want beer, not non-alcoholic. Having said that, my counselor, who is 20 years sober this month, told me that he and his wife will occasionaly drink really good NA beer. I think it is a personal choice. If the taste will bring you back to drinking, don't do it. If you can enjoy it without having the desire for the "real" thing, then avoid it.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Caswell Beach
Posts: 85
O'Douls is .05% alcohol by volume. alcohol = alcohol no matter how you look at it. Someone like myself, while still wanting to drink but not being tempted, I wouldn't risk it. However, when my stepmom was on blood thinners for a blood clot, the doctor did tell her that she could drink O'Douls or Bucklers or other NA beer. Bucklers was her beer of choice, and it's actually good.
I guess it's up to you, and whether or not you feel that you have the self control to not take it any further than that.
I guess it's up to you, and whether or not you feel that you have the self control to not take it any further than that.
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