Non Alcohol Beer -- Any Opinions?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 27
Non Alcohol Beer -- Any Opinions?
My third month into sobriety and I have encountered a bit of a controversy. I've had some tough moments and in place of wolfing down a 12 pack I have settled for drinking non-alcohol beer like O'Douls. I do this in restaurants and social situations. It takes the edge off and it looks more "normal" when poured in a glass (as opposed to Diet Coke that gets me jacked or club soda that screams "I'm the one in recovery!") I mentioned it at a meeting and got mildly blasted by one of the veterans saying that it was "too close to the edge" and verboten. Don't get me wrong, the I admire his recovery (11 years) but I was shaken by the conviction with which he preached....any opinions out there? Is O'Douls a gateway to drinking?
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,225
We just had a post on this, and opinions vary. But I will give you mine. I would not drink them. There is a bit of alcohol in them, although small. It would feel like drinking to me, and I just don't ever want to go there.
I usually order a club soda with cranberry, which nobody has ever noticed is not a "real" drink.
I was told the NA beer is for non-alcoholics, not someone like me. I took that advice and stayed away.
I usually order a club soda with cranberry, which nobody has ever noticed is not a "real" drink.
I was told the NA beer is for non-alcoholics, not someone like me. I took that advice and stayed away.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Southwest Ohio
Posts: 103
I personally wouldn't do it. I never really enjoyed the taste of beer or drank it slow enough to taste it. Also I would feel like I was still clinging onto my old drinking habits by doing it, and if I failed I might have an excuse as to why. Thats just my opinion though.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 5,678
I wouldn't drink it because it makes me want the real thing. I don't even drink tonic water now. I have known alcoholics that do though. It does seem a bit odd to me though, like vegetarian bacon...
From your post it sounds like you are drinking non alcoholic beer when you're in a tough situation which would be the more worrying thing because it's like you still feel like you need to be drinking something. The idea that you need to be drinking something alcoholic socially might undermine your sobriety and your sociability
x
From your post it sounds like you are drinking non alcoholic beer when you're in a tough situation which would be the more worrying thing because it's like you still feel like you need to be drinking something. The idea that you need to be drinking something alcoholic socially might undermine your sobriety and your sociability
x
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,572
Where is it in the AA official dogma that non alcoholic beer is verboten?
Just curious.
I find other things a much worse trigger, like sitting around a campfire with drinking buddies, walking past the alcohol in the grocery store, stress, etc.
If you like the taste of beer, and you have one, It COULD be ok.
If you are worried about it, you probably aren't ready for it.
Be honest with yourself about your intentions.
Just curious.
I find other things a much worse trigger, like sitting around a campfire with drinking buddies, walking past the alcohol in the grocery store, stress, etc.
If you like the taste of beer, and you have one, It COULD be ok.
If you are worried about it, you probably aren't ready for it.
Be honest with yourself about your intentions.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: east coast
Posts: 1,711
I don't see what the point is but beer was never my thing. I know they have non-alcoholic wine too (which was my poison) but there is a little bit of alcohol in it. I would be on my way to getting real wine if I drank it though...I think we are all different.
Not Alone
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: South East UK
Posts: 1,513
This is my opinion:
Drinking non-alcoholic beer when you are in recovery for an alcoholic addiction is probably one of the most reckless things you could do apart from actually relapsing on alcohol. Some non-alcoholic beers have 0.0005% alcoholic content where as some just have a genuine 0%. Now obviously it would take you forever to actually get drunk on any of these beers and I doubt it would even be humanely possible.
The danger lies in association. I used to pick up a non-alcoholic beer very occasionally if I was out at a special occasion such as a birthday. I found that I almost got a fake buzz from drinking out of a chilled bottle that smells like beer, looks like real beer and to some extent has a somewhat similar taste to beer. Alcohol was never my chosen substance although I did drink it increasingly heavy with my drug of choice which was cocaine. I relapsed after a bit of clean time and whilst not completely down to drinking non-alcoholic beer I can say that it did play a part in it. It got to the point of me having one every now and again at occasions to having a 6-pack in the fridge. I would maybe drink a few on the weekend with a takeaway.
There is no point in giving fuel to your addiction. This may not be the case for you but with me it was. Well this non-alcoholic beer doesn't taste too bad. But I could go for a cold pint of Stella right about now. And then I relapsed. I will not be picking up a non-alcoholic beer again.
Drinking non-alcoholic beer when you are in recovery for an alcoholic addiction is probably one of the most reckless things you could do apart from actually relapsing on alcohol. Some non-alcoholic beers have 0.0005% alcoholic content where as some just have a genuine 0%. Now obviously it would take you forever to actually get drunk on any of these beers and I doubt it would even be humanely possible.
The danger lies in association. I used to pick up a non-alcoholic beer very occasionally if I was out at a special occasion such as a birthday. I found that I almost got a fake buzz from drinking out of a chilled bottle that smells like beer, looks like real beer and to some extent has a somewhat similar taste to beer. Alcohol was never my chosen substance although I did drink it increasingly heavy with my drug of choice which was cocaine. I relapsed after a bit of clean time and whilst not completely down to drinking non-alcoholic beer I can say that it did play a part in it. It got to the point of me having one every now and again at occasions to having a 6-pack in the fridge. I would maybe drink a few on the weekend with a takeaway.
There is no point in giving fuel to your addiction. This may not be the case for you but with me it was. Well this non-alcoholic beer doesn't taste too bad. But I could go for a cold pint of Stella right about now. And then I relapsed. I will not be picking up a non-alcoholic beer again.
Vince Matlock
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 2
Originally Posted by Tesla 
My third month into sobriety and I have encountered a bit of a controversy. I've had some tough moments and in place of wolfing down a 12 pack I have settled for drinking non-alcohol beer like O'Douls. I do this in restaurants and social situations. It takes the edge off and it looks more "normal" when poured in a glass (as opposed to Diet Coke that gets me jacked or club soda that screams "I'm the one in recovery!") I mentioned it at a meeting and got mildly blasted by one of the veterans saying that it was "too close to the edge" and verboten. Don't get me wrong, the I admire his recovery (11 years) but I was shaken by the conviction with which he preached....any opinions out there? Is O'Douls a gateway to drinking?
Have been around for almost 24 years now, never giving away my clean date 12-23-88 and have seen many test this exact situation, and lose!
Not Alone
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: South East UK
Posts: 1,513
Originally Posted by perea3
So does this make us .4% alcoholics?
Diana
Diana
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,432
this is my standard response Tesla 
for example...
I don;t know about you, but whenever I was worried about not being normal, and worried about what others were thinking regarding what I was drinking, I was always on some really slippery ice, Tesla.
D
Originally Posted by me, lots of times
My experience is I don't drink NA beer because it looked like beer, felt like a can of beer, it smelt like beer, it had that same condensation thing on the can like a beer, the same fizz and foam when you pop the can, tasted like beer (kinda)....
Then I'd wonder why I'd go out everytime and get 'real' beer.
I was still knee deep in old behaviours, and didn't even realise it.
As a former beer drinker I know it ticks all the boxes for me, and opens the door to old behaviour and old thought paterns.
I don't recommend it.
I don't need to know but maybe ask yourself why would you choose NA beer when there's so many other things to drink, though?
Is it really the taste of a beer you want, or are there other things happening here as well?
Then I'd wonder why I'd go out everytime and get 'real' beer.
I was still knee deep in old behaviours, and didn't even realise it.
As a former beer drinker I know it ticks all the boxes for me, and opens the door to old behaviour and old thought paterns.
I don't recommend it.
I don't need to know but maybe ask yourself why would you choose NA beer when there's so many other things to drink, though?
Is it really the taste of a beer you want, or are there other things happening here as well?
Originally Posted by Tesla
It takes the edge off and it looks more "normal" when poured in a glass (as opposed to Diet Coke that gets me jacked or club soda that screams "I'm the one in recovery!")
D
Clear Eyes Full Heart
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,272
Tesla, you're probably the only one that can determine if it's an option for you. From what I've read here on SR it's a really slippery slope and many that have gone that route end up drinking again. There are exceptions to any rule. It's better you chose O'Douls instead of real beer, no doubt about it. Congrats on 3 months sober too!!
Maybe it's time for you to quit worrying about how things look socially. Your drink of choice is only your business, no one else's. No one is going to say "wow, that guy looks cool because he's drinking O'Douls". If anything, the choice says out loud "I can't drink normally" and draws more attention to you.
(this is from a bartenders' perspective) If you want something to look like a cocktail there are tons of things that will do it. Just adding a lime floating in the club soda will do the trick. The thing is, if you're celebrating 3 months of sobriety, you might opt to feel proud instead and not try to hide that
Maybe it's time for you to quit worrying about how things look socially. Your drink of choice is only your business, no one else's. No one is going to say "wow, that guy looks cool because he's drinking O'Douls". If anything, the choice says out loud "I can't drink normally" and draws more attention to you.
(this is from a bartenders' perspective) If you want something to look like a cocktail there are tons of things that will do it. Just adding a lime floating in the club soda will do the trick. The thing is, if you're celebrating 3 months of sobriety, you might opt to feel proud instead and not try to hide that
Crazy Cat Lady
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 2,661
i had a personal experience with the faux alcohol drinks. i was hanging out with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law on vacation and they're both wine drinkers. they are aware that i'm in recovery and i'm fine with them drinking wine or whatever around me (though they did get drunk the first night and i was a bit uncomfortable). anyways, the second night, my SIL asked me and the hubby to grab them some wine while we were on a shopping trip. cool, not a big deal for me. but there was alcohol free wine there as well and i pondered it. perhaps i would feel a little more comfortable drinking that? would i feel like less of the odd girl out? so i picked it up and read the bottle and asked my husband. he said it was up to me. in the end, i had to put it away. it just felt wrong. it was too casual and too close to my old habits. it felt too real to me. now, i do go get sparkling grape juice on New Years Eve and toast with that so isn't that a substitute? i suppose so but it didn't have that feeling of falling back into the old pattern.
it's not the actual can of near beer or faux wine that's the problem. it's whether or not it plants the seed in your head. does it put you at risk for falling back into your old patterns? are you really covering the fact that you're an alcoholic in recovery or are you actually trying to live the life of an alcoholic but with as few consequences as possible? me, i'm still down with sparkling water, juice and other non-alcoholic drinks. i don't think you should be bullied into drinking O'Douls to keep up appearances. stop worrying so much about what other people are thinking. most likely, other people aren't even noticing what you're drinking. do you notice what other people are drinking if it isn't a beer? can you tell a club soda from a gin an tonic at a glance?
it's not the actual can of near beer or faux wine that's the problem. it's whether or not it plants the seed in your head. does it put you at risk for falling back into your old patterns? are you really covering the fact that you're an alcoholic in recovery or are you actually trying to live the life of an alcoholic but with as few consequences as possible? me, i'm still down with sparkling water, juice and other non-alcoholic drinks. i don't think you should be bullied into drinking O'Douls to keep up appearances. stop worrying so much about what other people are thinking. most likely, other people aren't even noticing what you're drinking. do you notice what other people are drinking if it isn't a beer? can you tell a club soda from a gin an tonic at a glance?
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Keep Trying
Posts: 370
Maybe in a public place in a pinch I would have one, but was told on my first attempt at sobriety that it was not advisable. I drank them anyway and relapsed. Now was that the reason i relapsed? Not quite sure, but this time I am taking all precautions to keep from slipping and that includes not drinking NA beer.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Orillia, Ont., Canada
Posts: 165
I certainly do not to wish to sound rude, but really hope that you give this some thought:
1) your asking whether drinking NA beer is safe for an alcoholic, thereby indicating your uncertainty about it. Then you ask a guy at an AA meeting this question, a guy with some years of sobriety you mention, and then appear to be upset when his reply is "no"
2) you do drink NA beer at social fuctions in any case to avoid looking ackward by not drinking something--drinking diet cola is out due fear of the caffiene. Just why non-caffienated diet cola is out is beyond me, perhaps you can rationalize a reason.
So, basically, you would rather drink something that you fear might endanger your sobriety rather than, oh my dear, risk appearing ackward at parties. Seems an odd set of priorities, but then it is your recovery, so you need not listen to my opinion. Regards, and good luck-certainly I hope that you have better luck than the guy who switches from whiskey to light beer hoping that the difference in alcohol content will do him a world of good.---Rick ;
1) your asking whether drinking NA beer is safe for an alcoholic, thereby indicating your uncertainty about it. Then you ask a guy at an AA meeting this question, a guy with some years of sobriety you mention, and then appear to be upset when his reply is "no"
2) you do drink NA beer at social fuctions in any case to avoid looking ackward by not drinking something--drinking diet cola is out due fear of the caffiene. Just why non-caffienated diet cola is out is beyond me, perhaps you can rationalize a reason.
So, basically, you would rather drink something that you fear might endanger your sobriety rather than, oh my dear, risk appearing ackward at parties. Seems an odd set of priorities, but then it is your recovery, so you need not listen to my opinion. Regards, and good luck-certainly I hope that you have better luck than the guy who switches from whiskey to light beer hoping that the difference in alcohol content will do him a world of good.---Rick ;
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,525
Now that I'm off alcohol, the smell of beer turns me off completely. I noticed the same thing last time I was sober for 8 months. So I have no interest in NA beer at all. If I have to be out in a social situation where others are drinking (and I approach such situations with a hefty dose of caution), I'll drink soda or tonic & lime.
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