Good idea or not?
I only drank for the effect not the taste so never saw the point of non alco stuff. for me,I'd just be annoyed it was having no effect and probably move onto the real things. There are lots of fabulous non alco drinks around which I love to experiment with now
GracieLou, I'm going on a holiday & every other holiday has
been a drinking one. Now that I'm sober I thought maybe drinking non-alcoholic beer or wine would take the edge off a totally sober holiday and make me feel like I'm not missing out on anything.
been a drinking one. Now that I'm sober I thought maybe drinking non-alcoholic beer or wine would take the edge off a totally sober holiday and make me feel like I'm not missing out on anything.
This comes up so often I have a response written...
My concern for you Talana would be you'll be there, in a situation you've been in before, drinking something that reminds you of the old days... how long will it be before you miss the buzz?
how long might it be before you think I've been good, one 'real drink' won't hurt?
been there done that too.
D
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.
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.
how long might it be before you think I've been good, one 'real drink' won't hurt?
been there done that too.
D
Certainly avoiding these drinks is another thing to add to the armory if needed.
A friend of mine is a recovering alcoholic and she has fallen off the wagon many times, but this time around she is drinking non-alcoholic wine and she says it's helping her stay on "the straight and narrow." She has been sober for 4 years now.
I thinks it is a personal decision, like everything else. I think (for me) it's ridiculous to engage in all the same behaviors without the added alcohol (the look, the feel, the taste, the timing etc).
I wouldn't touch a non-alcoholic beer for all of the reasons Dee and flutter mentioned, plus as far as I know all non-alcoholic beers contain a tiny amount of alcohol and I've heard of people relapsing after no more than the tiny amount of alcohol in a shot of Nyquil. No point in risking it. Also, if I couldn't be in a room of people drinking without feeling like I was missing something, I would feel that I wasn't ready to be in that room at all yet. Just my $0.02.
I have thought about non-alcoholic wine. But my boyfriend is recently sober, so...if I do that, then of course he should be able to have non-alcoholic beer, and we both know that will get him drinking again....
So, I guess I was trying to kid myself. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and in this case vice/versa. I could see it was a danger for him, but wanted to pretend it wasn't a danger for me.
So, I guess I was trying to kid myself. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and in this case vice/versa. I could see it was a danger for him, but wanted to pretend it wasn't a danger for me.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: LA CA
Posts: 47
Talana,
Hope no one thinks less of me for saying this but I drank them at the start and have no problem except that now I just don't want to. Drinking something that tastes like beer but dosen't give a buzz just dosen't have too much of an appeal any more. Rather drink something refreshing. I Think it did help me in the beginning and understand your reasoning. However, I will say that my life is a million times better sober than not and if I felt that I was risking it with NA beer or anything else I wouldn't do it.
Hope no one thinks less of me for saying this but I drank them at the start and have no problem except that now I just don't want to. Drinking something that tastes like beer but dosen't give a buzz just dosen't have too much of an appeal any more. Rather drink something refreshing. I Think it did help me in the beginning and understand your reasoning. However, I will say that my life is a million times better sober than not and if I felt that I was risking it with NA beer or anything else I wouldn't do it.
wouldnt non alcoholic drinks be for non alcoholics???
been doin pretty giid here for 8 years with water and diet mountain dew. havent missed out on anything. not sure what this"edge" is thats being referred to, but i could see me if i were to drink non alocoholic wine/berr sayin,"screw the dumb stuff. give me a real drink" pretty quick.
non alcoholic beer/.wine has a small percentage of alcohol.
been doin pretty giid here for 8 years with water and diet mountain dew. havent missed out on anything. not sure what this"edge" is thats being referred to, but i could see me if i were to drink non alocoholic wine/berr sayin,"screw the dumb stuff. give me a real drink" pretty quick.
non alcoholic beer/.wine has a small percentage of alcohol.
This is a pretty hot topic around here, you can find a multitude of discussions about if you search the archives Talana.
Contrary to and against the recommendations of some I do consume NA beer from time to time. Never "alcoholically" like I did with regular beer though. I have half of a 6 pack in my fridge at home right now that has been there for a couple weeks at least. I do enjoy the taste along with certain foods and find it refreshing. Having said that if I ever found myself drinking large quantities of it or obsessing about it, i'd probably quit having it around. And I also understand that there are many who might find it way too tempting and have it turn back into drinking the real thing in short order.
Every person is different, you need to decide if it's a good idea or not for you. Probably the biggest question would be your motivation for drinking it. Just for the taste, or to help feed some of your old habits/cravings?
Contrary to and against the recommendations of some I do consume NA beer from time to time. Never "alcoholically" like I did with regular beer though. I have half of a 6 pack in my fridge at home right now that has been there for a couple weeks at least. I do enjoy the taste along with certain foods and find it refreshing. Having said that if I ever found myself drinking large quantities of it or obsessing about it, i'd probably quit having it around. And I also understand that there are many who might find it way too tempting and have it turn back into drinking the real thing in short order.
Every person is different, you need to decide if it's a good idea or not for you. Probably the biggest question would be your motivation for drinking it. Just for the taste, or to help feed some of your old habits/cravings?
Talana, I'm also going on my first sober holiday soon and I've personally decided not to drink n/a beer or wine while I'm there, but that's just because I was only drinking for effect for most of my drinking years.
I'm planning to work my recovery program just as I would at home, as much as circumstances will allow me anyway. Do you have any particular recovery program/methods/tools/activities you could continue to use while you're away? I'm also planning on taking my laptop with me so that I can log on to SR occasionally if I find an internet connection.
I'm going to plan activities to do that don't involve my old drinking habits/routines etc. I'm hoping to spend quality non-drinking time with the people I'm going away with and the people that we'll be visiting. I'm looking forward to exploring the place in a way I never would have done while I was drinking. If someone offers me a drink, I'll say I don't drink. If they remember that I used to drink and ask me about it, I'll say that I stopped because it doesn't agree with me - which is all too true! The people that I'm going with know that I don't drink anymore anyway.
But the important thing is for you to find a plan/response to people that will work for you personally. I hope you have a great time!
I'm planning to work my recovery program just as I would at home, as much as circumstances will allow me anyway. Do you have any particular recovery program/methods/tools/activities you could continue to use while you're away? I'm also planning on taking my laptop with me so that I can log on to SR occasionally if I find an internet connection.
I'm going to plan activities to do that don't involve my old drinking habits/routines etc. I'm hoping to spend quality non-drinking time with the people I'm going away with and the people that we'll be visiting. I'm looking forward to exploring the place in a way I never would have done while I was drinking. If someone offers me a drink, I'll say I don't drink. If they remember that I used to drink and ask me about it, I'll say that I stopped because it doesn't agree with me - which is all too true! The people that I'm going with know that I don't drink anymore anyway.
But the important thing is for you to find a plan/response to people that will work for you personally. I hope you have a great time!
You will get lots of different views on this and as someone said it can be a pretty hot topic!
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)