Strugglingto

Anyone tried this? I was told it is a no-no for an alcoholic because it is just a gateway to going back to drinking. Because the taste and smell is enough. True or false?

doggonecarl

I was a beer drinker. For me, I don't want to hold something in my hand that is packaged like a beer, looks like a beer, smells like a beer, and tastes somewhat like a beer--non-alcoholic as it may be.

There are too many other "non" alcoholic beverages to chose from than the one that was poisoning me.

Tictoc

I have tried several. They are just fizzy water to me though as they dont have the alcohol I clearly crave. None tried since I stopped drinking on 27th May and I dont intend to as it just makes me think about the real thing.

NerfThis

I don't think it's a great idea. I'm someone who still goes to bars with people and can be around the smell of alcohol and even cook with it, but I think a NA beer would be way too close to drinking real alcohol and would likely cause me to drink.

The reason behind you wanting to drink it should be enough to tell you if it's safe to do so or not. If you want to drink NA beer to simulate drinking, you'll likely open the door to alcoholic drinking. I have one friend who used to drink NA beers because she liked the taste of beer. She's the only person I know who has ever purchased them for 'taste.'

MovingForward1

For myself, it's also a big No. I fear I'd be relishing the memory of holding a real beer and taking that first swig.
Besides, how ridiculous would I look chugging through 8 or 12 non alc beers?

ReadyAtLast

I only drank for the effect. I mean the wine tasted ok but if it didn't get me drunk I wouldn't drink it. Plenty of many more delicious drinks out there that bear no relation to wine imo

least

It's too close to the real thing for me. I could never drink NA wine as I didn't drink wine for the taste.

Santi27

I've never been a big beer drinker; my problem has been wine. As I haven't had any bad experiences with beer in general, for me non-alcoholic beer is a nice alternative to other soft drinks.
I can completely understand that people who were big beer drinkers wouldn't want to drink non-alcoholic beer. I wouldn't drink non-alcoholic wine for the same reason.
So my opinion is that it all depends on what your poison was.

babycat

I know this is a serious topic but the image of someone chugging non alcoholic beer did make me giggle a bit. So many better non alcoholic beverages out there that are not masquerading as being alcoholic.

Hodd

interesting. I’m a former heavy drinker, now teetotal, but I get along just fine with alcohol free beer. Once you get used to the taste, it’s great. Also, just one small bottle is enough. With real beer, it’d take way more bottles to satisfy me.

i know I can’t drink ever again as I’m dependent, but alco free beer does it for me

Dee74

It was true for me...

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 patterns.

I don't recommend it.

There a lot of other things to drink that don't remind me of alcohol.

D

Jim1958

I was a beer drinker, and I tried NA beer for awhile. But as others have said, it is pretty close to the real thing. Cold, in a can, in your hand. Although it was ok I found I just did not find it worth it. Anything that takes me backward is no good. I do think NA beer comes in handy for some occasions. If you are at a party, and everybody is drinking, you might feel more comfortable with an O'Douls or something. That is about the only time I would drink one.

Hope1989

It might work for some people.

Out of my 1000 relapses or coming back to drinking started with a non-alcoholic beer. It's just too close.

Resurgence

No buzz, empty calories, psychological torture.

At least for me anyway.

I'd stick with the coke, man.

sortofhomecomin

How it was explained to me is that non alcoholic beer is for non alcoholics. I've heard of several relapses due to it.

nez

It never turned out well for me. It just allowed me to temporarily hide my ultimate motives behind lies and denial.

Tetrax

I'm drinking it sporadically in my recovery. One or two I find is enough - the only kind of beer that statement's ever been true for.

I like the taste of an ice cold beer at certain times; I get bored of sweet cold drinks. I don't drink it if I'm craving.

To thine own self be true.

48heath

If you are a real Alcoholic,don’t touch it!!, Only non-alcoholics can drink it safely.

Purina

I dont get the point of NA beer. I mean beer tastes like cr@p, doesnt it? We only drink it to get drunk.

I also dont get people that drink decaf coffee. Coffee tastes like cr@p, doesnt it? We only drink it for the stimulating effects.

We gargle Listerine because it kills germs in the mouth but we would not do it "for fun", would we? Listerine tastes awful and it hurts.

I would ask anyone, what are your motives in drinking N.A. beer, exactly? Are we still falling for the marketing brainwash that "beer is good and refreshing" and those other lies?

Now that we know better let us not perpetuate this fallacy any further. The truth is that beer is a disgusting tasting poison that destroys people's lives and is one of the top contributors to violence, car accidents, divorce and even leads best friends to punch each other in the face.

Our lives are infinitely better without that pisswater to ever to disgrace our lips again.

August252015

Popular topic, comes up often. I'm a NO person on this specific habit for many of the reasons listed above. And, it generally does have a small amount of alcohol in it. I'm someone who realized eating foods with alcohol in them was out of the question for me, this would be reason enough not to drink it.

I wasn't a beer person but association with any drink of choice is a bad idea, for me. Example- I was a wine person (before the vodka took over) so why would I put the alcohol free wine Fre in a wine glass and drink it? No (good) reason. Oh, and ANY vessel became fine for alcohol so putting it any glass would be even worse.

Mocktails/zero proof drinks also come up a lot. For me, I only occasionally (pretty infrequently) choose one if i'm interested- at one of the restaurants in the large restaurant group I work for. Mainly bc? The owner is sober and we lead an industry recovery group, and he supervises the zero proof lists so I know that not even bitters is in any of them. The one thing I drink in a wine glass- when out- is my fave sparkling water with lots of lime. Also a habit I picked up from him. I drink it all day at home....in regular glasses.

intent is the thing and it is a sneaky thing. Are you trying to fit in? At the beginning of a sneaky habit re(forming) that will take you to real beer? and so on.

I always vote for the choice that takes you closer to sobriety and further from a drink.