calmself

Folks, When AV hits you and you must drink something, what favorite non-alcoholic beverage do you go for?

I have started loving Strawberry Kefir - sweet, tart and good mouthfeel.

doggonecarl

Seltzer water, coffee and tea.

Kefir is fermented. Fermented means alcohol, even if in small amounts, and not something I want to drink and risk awakening the alcoholic within.

tomls

I try to drink a lot of water.

MantaLady

Ginger cordial with soda water and ice

Abraham

I love tart sour. I have been making lemonade. Two lemons, 2-4 tlbs sugar, 1- cup of water and one cup of ice. Very sour but good. That or iced tea or both combine. Or just bought some malt so chocolate malts have been flowing.

DriGuy

It's been so long since I've heard from my AV that I had to think back to early recovery. I don't think I had an alternative. I remember people talking about having candy in their pockets to ward off craving, and one guy in AA saying in sobriety he liked to reward himself by going out for a steak dinner on the weekend. I certainly understood going out for a steak dinner, but as a reward for not drinking, not so much. My alternative to drinking was not drinking. I believe that was it, and as far as a reward, not drinking felt like a sufficient reward. Going to bed sober was a reward. I actually went to bed a few times, and said out loud, "Thank you. Thank you," to whom I'm not sure. I guess I just needed to express my gratitude.

OK, I'm kind of off track here, because the topic is not about rewards, it's about alternatives. So... I'm into orange soda mixed with orange juice (the kind with the pulp in it). It's a double wammy of orange that makes my mouth explode. Did you ever notice that about the flavor of orange? Lemon overdoes it a bit, and orange seems to be spot on when you want to light up your mouth. But I'd drink it even if I wasn't an alcoholic.

Why do alcoholics drink coffee all the time? It seems like we are always drinking coffee, and I drink more of it than I should. But when I think about it, coffee seems boring. It's kind of bitter, and I don't care for the aftertaste. I've got that going on in my mouth as I type.

Oh well, here's wishing everyone a happy sober 4th of July.

mako

thomas11

I'm very boring in this respect. Soda, water and milk. Gatorade once in a while.

sobersolstice

I find those slightly flavored soda waters to be refreshing. I've been drinking coffee in the mornings, but now down to one cup as it makes me jittery akin to when I would want a drink, so cut down... Occasionally sweet sodas. A lot of water.

Cookies and milk after dinner.. lol. I like it..

doggonecarl

I can only cite that I've read otherwise. For example, from a producer of kefir:

Traditionally, kefir was made with kefir grains, a blend of yeasts and cultures, which would result in a beverage with low alcohol levels. To this day, in some areas in Europe, this is a common practice. Since we do not want alcohol in our Kefir, we use a blend of cultures that only contain live active cultures. Our kefir is therefore free of alcohol.

So some is, some isn't. I guess the take away is know what you are buying.

Abraham

Seems like everyone drinks coffee all the time. I personally have never got into that habit. I'll drink a cup every once in a while. Like maybe a half a dozen times a year. Just crushed up beans in hot water. Does not even smell appealing. Then again I am always well outside the norm in most instances.

Atlast9999

melski

I do love coffee, also flavored sparkling waters and Zevia sodas which are sweetened with stevia.
They also make a sugar free tonic that is great with lime.
Anything fizzy is fun.

August252015

From the very start, whatever sounded good was the jam. And I tend to be one who gets compulsive (HA) so in phases it's meant the same thing. Right now, my choice is to be as addicted to lime flavored sparkling water w lots of fresh lime wedges, and coffee in the morning, and Diet Lemonade from Chick Fil A as I was with vodka. Cool with me- peeing a lot is a-ok. I will not have scurvy- or drunkenness

I don't use the term AV and it's not about substitution or alternatives, really, it's just what I do. Then again, my compulsive drinking of stuff in early days prob had a significant component of changing compulsion. Now, it's a running joke with anyone who knows me how many glasses or mugs I have around me at any given time.

entropy1964

I am a mixologist. Haha. Sans the alcohol.

Sparkling water mixed with pulverized fruit, like watermelon and agave. Water's flavored with strawberries, cucumber and mint. All manner of herbal iced teas with sparkling water and fruit flavored syrups (my fav is Monin because the sugar free versions actually taste good and are sweetened with less toxic substitutes). I love to take dried hibiscus flower and orange blossom bought in bulk and make my own iced tea. The pre bagged stuff is no comparison. Lavender is also really good in drinks. Dried rose petals. I have this thing for the color of a drink.

Matcha. Mixed with lemonaide. Starbucks charges a fortune so I take their ideas and make them better for a fraction of the cost.

Kombuchas...and yes there are no alcohol ones on the market. But they are pricey so its a treat.

I seem to constantly need a beverage. So I'm very creative!

NorthernLass

Fruit Tea, decaf coffee and water. I am drinking a lot of water, it's very hot here! Plus I always get v thirsty when I stop drinking.

Tailai

Numblady

It’s such a personal choice, which is why some may disagree with some of mine, but I really like sparkling grape juice as a kind of substitute in a fancy glass. I also really like strawberry shrubs with some sparkling water, as well as a ginger-lemon shrubs mixed with same. I’ll sometimes do lime and tonic or lime and club soda. There are also drink mixers that are really good with just club soda or sparkling water. I know there are different schools of thought on mocktails but I like to have a variety and use our different glasses. Have to also echo the lemonade recommendation. I had forgotten how good fresh lemonade was in all my drinking days. And of course coffee. That’s what I’m drinking at the moment. Cold brew with a bit of vanilla syrup, splash of milk, and some crazy whipped cream called barista cream or something. And of course plain iced water.

Impressed with Entropy’s mixology. I want some of those drinks!

Callas

Alcohol free beer at social functions, otherwise herbal teas.

Bonniefloyd