Ruby2

This afternoon I went to the shop in the lobby of my office building to buy something to drink. I saw a fancy flavored fizzy water with lime, mint and coconut flavoring. A probiotic sparkling water (whatever that is) so I thought "what the heck, I'll try it."

In the elevator I opened it and took a swig. It was good. Tart, mint. Well, I looked at the label on the bottle to see what was supposed to be so special about this water. "You've got to be kidding!" And I said it out loud. there, at the bottom, was a tiny warning that said "may contain trace amounts of alcohol." It had vanilla extract in it. I felt yucky after drinking one mouthful but I think that was psychosomatic.

I sadly poured out my fizzy water. My smarty pants husband had to say to me that the people where we both attend meetings would consider that a relapse. Not. But it is a warning to be more careful. Who would think something billed as a sparkling water health drink would contain alcohol?

desypete

lol its just a mistake is all
i well remember a xmas aa meeting i went to one year and we were all eating mince pies, then someone pointed that the mince pies contained alcohol in them !!! we all ended up in fits of laughter

its just a mistake and can happen in all sorts of situations

FeelingGreat

Hi Ruby, the main thing is that you're so committed. Congratulations!

LadyinBC

I wouldn't classify that as a relapse. It's an error, which many of us have done here. I've had mouthwash with alcohol in it and I had Nyquil one night because I had a bad cold. I wasn't intentionally wanting to drink alcohol I really never gave it any thought when I took this stuff.

leviathan

try to avoid. some folks say a taste is all it takes, and then they are off to the races. unless you accidentally slam a shot and eat the worm, relapse is completely out of the question for situations like these.

i will not suffer such childish games. i KNOW if im drinking. im a professional. splash of wine cooked in a sauce? vanilla xtract... at the DROP level? not a relapse. a risk for some, maybe. but not a relapse.

Ruby2

Thanks everyone. I didn't consider it a slip or a relapse because it was an accident. I'm not beating myself up except for paying four dollars for fizzy water that I dumped down the drain. I wanted to point out that alcohol is hidden in things that we might not think had alcohol in them.

On a side note, I still regret having to give up NyQuil. It is the best cold medicine ever. But...DayQuil works nearly as well with no alcohol.

Tiptree

I like bitters in my sparkling water, a few drops. Bitters are 40% alcohol. Is this a relapse, my new day one? No, I don't believe it is. A few drops in an 8oz glass is negligible to my way of thinking. I feel this way about vanilla extract, cooking with wine, and mouthwash. But, I will not do a shot of NyQuil with alcohol. That's just too close for comfort. We all have different sensitivities I guess.

MythOfSisyphus

I don't think there's enough alcohol in extracts to trigger anyone. I guess I should issue the disclaimer that YMMV but that's my take. A few months ago I got a Soda Stream machine to make soda water/club soda. Generally I flavor it with a few drops of orange or lemon extract. Extracts are made with alcohol, a fair amount, but I can't see how anyone could detect or be affected by a few drops.

You're wise to be checking the labels but I wouldn't worry overmuch about it.

scintillady

I have a friend who has been sober for over 9 years. Last year he was joking around about enjoying having a cold once in awhile so he could take Nyquil and get a legitimate buzz! I'm sure he was joking as he is very committed. I made the mistake of having a bit of rice wine vinegar on some Chinese food recently without thinking. Don't consider it a relapse, but since I'm taking antabuse, I felt the effects almost immediately. I have to be extra careful now. I just read the ingredients on the spray can of foot deodorant and it says it contains ethanol. Glad I read it before I used it.

LadyinBC

Me too! That stuff always worked so well. The Dayquil is okay but I don't think it works as good, but it does the job.

EJ43

In my eyes, not relapse or even a mistake! I bet there was nothing in it in the first place and you dumped it. I call it an achievement and a commitment to your sobriety!

megacrankcase

I bought a bottle of kombucha tea a few weeks ago, and I was drinking it and started to feel woozy. I had never had it before and heard there were health benefits. Reading the label, I saw that, yes, there are "trace amounts of alcohol" in it. I had drank almost the entire 16 ounce bottle. I don't count it against my sober time because it was unintentional. Maybe I am wrong about that, but I consider today Day 67 without taking a drink.

I sure was pissed, though, and I had almost 20 miles to drive after drinking it. I definitely felt the effects of the alcohol.

Ruby2

Who would have thought kombucha tea had trace amounts of alcohol? I suppose most things could if they ferment. Thanks for the tip.

I cook and bake with extracts. Same with wine vinegars.

I'm getting how someone with tree nut or peanut allergies might feel when buying things.

PurpleKnight

I wouldn't worry about it, one taste and then you got rid, onwards and upwards!!