shelly009

I have to say.. I LOVE my beer. That said, I wonder if it is dangerous to substitute non-alcoholic beer for the real thing. I have really enjoyed cracking a near beer in the last week when feeling the urge the drink and I love the taste of it. Is this a dangerous thing to do... I personally think it works great for me and doesnt make me want a real beer. In fact, it reminds me how crazy it is that I would sit and drink 10 of these as I could never imagine drinking 10 Near Beer!

Thoughts?

marty888

Hi Shelly, you will get different opinions on this. To me the taste and the feel of the cold bottle is too close to the real thing. For me it would be like playing with fire

matt88

I drink them sometimes. They're perfect for me right after I get done golfing. I've been in the sun, I'm sweaty, I'm hot, I'm tired, and I'm craving a beer. And it seems like nothing else will just hit the spot, and be as refreshing. A NA beer hits the spot. I drunk 2 yesterday after golfing actually. If I hadn't drunk them, I'd have probably drunk an actual beer, and be hungover now - so they work for me.

suki44883

This topic comes up every other week, seems like. There are those who are dead set against it and there are those who don't have a problem with it. No one can tell you if it would be a trigger for you. You'll have to find that out for yourself. But, if you're not strong in your recovery, I'd wait to try it. Myself, I have no problem with it. I keep it around the house and have one occasionally. It's never once caused me to crave the real thing. But, everyone is different.

Dime

Hi Shelly!
For me personally I do not touch it. I think it is a bad idea to toy with it because it has a strong potential to be a trigger. Drink near beer and you are creating a positive association with beer. We need to quell those positive associations with the negative realities of what happened to us.

Personally I didn't even like light beer when I drank. I have met lots of people who drank the non-alcoholic beer in sobriety and wound up drinking a real beer and right back to addiction. Some people can do it without a problem but why risk it.

In early sobriety especially we are very vulnerable to any potential triggers.

smacked

we really should make a list of all of the threads that discusses this... suki is right, it comes up so very frequently.

Can't it be a sticky?

I'll weigh in.. again. I stopped drinking beer when I quit drinking. I have no desire to flirt with my addiction. Near beer is not zero alcohol, but you'll hear it compared to as much alcohol as orange juice or a loaf of bread due to fermentation. For me, pairing the alcohol and the taste/feel of beer,... that's just insane to me. I stay away, and find NEW and healthier alternatives.

But again, everyone definitely has an opinion on it.. here we go.

justanothrdrunk

About the only thing I know about alcoholics and NA beer is that this forum is very clearly divided on the subject.

Rad44

I drink Non Alcoholic Beer on occaision and it doesn't bother me in the least. I like to use it as a sort of prop in Social situations where Alcohol is around. If it is a trigger for you then by all means aviod it.

1_day@_a_time

OK, slice it, dice it, mince it, chop it, blend, puree, mix, chop, aerate.......it has alcohol in it. period. could care less the amount & how it won't "hurt me" or cause relapse.

whatever rationalization, justification or denial you like to take on, go ahead.

it has alcohol in it.

we are here (yes ?) to make our lifes better because we have issues with alcohol on one level or another. me, I'm an alcoholic.

NOTHING good ever came from drinking alcohol. NEVER.

so, why ingest any at all, in any fashion shape or manner??

not cooking, gargling or drinking "N/A" beers.

today, my life is important to me........yes, I know, it took me decades to figure it out, but I finally did, so no matter what, I pass!!

yes, I know, I've taken a hard line here. and why not, alcohol, unless you can drink like a normal person, just isn't good for us/me.

so, do you want to know how I really feel? lmao.......

least

I never drank wine for the taste, always for the buzz. So drinking na wine has no appeal for me since there's no buzz. But for those who enjoy na beer or wine, as long as it doesn't lead you back to the real thing, it's your business.

CarolD

I'm so grateful I quit ...No way will I drink alcohol.

I also avoid foods with alcohol

it never cooks completely out.

Taking5

Not again.

Carol please find one of these near beer/non alcoholic beer threads and make it a sticky.

matt88

Alot of it might have to do with if beer was one of your previous indulgences. I'm sure no one would have a problem with drinking a strawberry smoothie, or tomatoe juice, or OJ. But if someones drink of choice happened to be strawberry daiquries or bloody marys, or screwdrivers, then those might be a trigger. Just depends.

lunarise

I have never tried NA beer....but...I think for me..... well honestly I just dont know how I feel about it. I am not in any rush to figure it out either. I guess at this point Im not interested enough to risk it at all.

shelly009

Oooops, ok sorry. Nevermind. I can see that its a bone of contention for some so lets not go there

Thanks for your replies... I will definitely give them all some thought.

Gypsy Feet

Haha, don't apologize! Dig up a "cooking wine" thread and you will see all the same=)

I still cook with wine, use mouthwash, and vanilla extract. My "vow" was never to get drunk again, and I am almost 6 months into never forever. As I dont know how many is too many, I drink none. I also quit without meetings, cravings, problems or rehab, and so far so good (knock on wood). This weekend a buddy of mine who is struggling quite a bit more than me with his sobriety bought a bottle of NA wine. I had a small sip, tastes nothing like wine, I found it icky. To me NA beers are gross, but if they ever invent a super tasty dark NA (bohemia zero=), I will have to consider this topic again.

hendershot

The amount of alcohol isn't anything significant--the taste is the problem. Your brain will think it is actually drinking real beer and release dopamine and that makes you feel good. If you are an alcoholic I would steer clear of NA beer, it is not worth the risk. If you are a casual drinker looking to quit for health or other reasons and it is not a problem for you to drink it, more power to you, drink up! I know I never drank beer because I liked the taste so it not an issue for me. Really, it is up to you but be honest with yourself about your motivations.