Jho65

I am on day 6 so I still get lots of cravings, they will probably never stop right? Anyway, I have a question for people. Is it OK to drink non alcoholic beer or wine? A few years back I sampled a St. Pauly alcohol free beer and it was pretty good. What are your thoughts on these type of drinks and our addiction?

I'm also going to ask my doctor for his advise too. I see him later today for the first time I am going to tell him the truth about my drinking and ask for his help in keeping me sober.

dancinggirl

It would be too close to the real thing for me. I'll stick with coffee/pop.

suki44883

There's mixed emotions about it around here. Some wouldn't touch it, while others (myself, included) don't have a problem with it, so long as it isn't a trigger for the real thing. I drink the NA and don't have any problems whatsoever.

timzup

I had some last Friday. Tasted like rats ****.

Astro

Seems like we debate this every month Sooooo, here we go again!

JMO, but N/A beers & wines still have a small percentage of alcohol. In recovery I'm admitting that I can't ever safely take a drink again, therefore I cannot drink these beverages. However, someone will come along and say that OJ has a tiny percentage of alcohol and obviously certain mouthwashes contain alcohol.

That does not mean I'll give up my vitamin C and go through life with bad breath, but it also doesn't mean I'll drink gallons of OJ or mouthwash hoping to get drunk off of it! Make sense?

I just don't see a point in drinking N/A beer, I tried it years ago in an effort to moderate my drinking and the only result was having to urinate like crazy after drinking a case of it. And naturally I had to have the real thing shortly after that. I often refer to it as "denial-in-a-can". I'm done drinking alcohol and don't need the reminder of what used to make me insane.

Yes, the phenomenon of craving will go away, but the mental obsession and compulsion have to be treated. Keep reading and posting and you'll see different ways that we use for our recovery.

wibble

what he said!!


I tried becks NA a while ago and woke up thinking i'd got a brain tumour my headache was so bad.....

digderidoo

For me, it reminds me of drinking beer or lager, which was my tipple. So i wouldn't drink it for basically for that reason, in that it becomes a trigger.

Plus as timzup said,

Which is a good enough reason.

But surely the point is alcoholics do not drink alcohol.

If you like n/a beer and it doesn't start any triggers or cravings then why not?

Paul

CarolD

Hmmm
I am a non drinker these days
I do not eat or drink alcohol.

And yes! that includes OJ which is often
the example given when this subject is discussed.

For me...it's not just about the trace of alcohol
it is about my motive

Pinkcuda

Wrong! They go away very quickly. After a couple of days the physical craving is gone and it's mostly in your head from that point on.
Your desire to drink N/A beer will keep the mental desire stimulated and ever prevolent therefore hindering your recovery.

Coolmummy

I don't know if I'm a bit thick - but why does everyone mention orange juice in these debates about n/a drinks??

Personally, I am happy to drink n/a Becks which I just like the taste of! I can't drink more than 1 at any given stage cos they're just too gassy. I also drink n/a rose which is 0% alcohol so probably just fruit juice in a fancy bottle!! Tastes ok though.

sas

TryingSoHard

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...free-beer.html

See this thread from the Alcoholism forum. It sparked quite a bit of debate. But the OJ question gets addressed there, too.

dave47

Don't touch any NA drinks myself, I think it would be a trigger for me and there are plenty of better drinks to have.

Bamboozle

It depends. If you mean as a matter of opinion, that's up to you. If you have been drinking long enough to damage your health, that question is best answered by your doctor.


I've never had an NA beer in my life. I've entertained the notion of buying some, but so far I haven't. If a day should come in which I have one I won't lose any sleep over it. To me, NA beers are no better or worse than Twinkies. Speaking of Twinkies...I have a HUGE problem with junk food. I don't have the greatest diet and I know that has to be putting a strain on my liver. Food was a problem long before the alcohol...not an excuse...just the truth.


I do drink OJ. I've always liked it. I also bake cookies sometimes and use vanilla extract. I don't see it as a problem. Others will disagree and that's okay...I think intent is what matters. One tsp. in an entire batch is insignificant to me. On the other hand, if I was chugging a bottle of extract, that's a different story...(no, I haven't done that).

What's important for me is that alcohol is not running my life right now. I'm not wasting ridiculous amounts of money on booze. I wake up sober. I'm chunky in the middle, yes, but I hope to beat that with the same determination I've displayed on my fight against alcohol this year. I better hurry up.

TryingSoHard

I'm with you, Bamboozle. I'm not going to quit drinking OJ or using vanilla extract in cookies/baking. I've NEVER thought about those as "alcoholic" foods/ingredients and I never will. I might have to change a couple of recipes which call for white wine, though!

Jho65

Thanks everyone, you are all very helpful. Well I talked to my doctor today and all in all it went well and I am happy I am getting medical help with my additiction. He also mentioned the two schools of thought on this. And what it boils down to for me is like someone quitting smoking, sometimes they just need something in their hand. I am going to try an non alcoholic beer and if I feel like it is triggering anything I am going to dump it and call my sponsor. I feel pretty confident that it wont be a trigger. If I wasn't confident I would not risk it. Hell, I passed by the bar and did not go in despite the voices telling me go in and just drink non alcoholic beer there. Not even close to that point and may never be.

Horselover

It looks like you made your decision, but I just wanted to add that my Mom was married to a man that was a severe alcoholic. He almost died because of it. He actually did die, heart stopped and was almost pronounced dead. He did not die, however, and when he returned home after 6 months in the hospital he never drank alcohol again. He did drink the na beers and it never gave him a problem as far as triggering anything. I am sure its different for everybody though. Good luck to you!

nandm

My experience with cravings/obsession was that they did go away. Actually, I woke up one day and realized that they were gone. I can say though that the thought of a drink has crossed my mind but in the form of a fleeting thought not the all consuming craving/obsession that I had in very early sobriety. Hang in there if you are like many of us the obsession will go away.

Now for my opinion on NA beer. I choose not to drink it simply because it makes no sense to me. I am an alcoholic who enjoyed beer and I choose not to take the risk of my body and mind remembering the taste and feel of an ice cold beer. I would much rather drink an ice cold water as I know it will not trigger any cravings in me. I also avoid foods that have alcohol in them. There is some debate that goes around about OJ and bread having alcohol in them. The chemistry does not bear out that it is the same type of alcohol that is in beer/wine/and hard liquor. It does not act the same way in the system any more than rubbing alcohol would be comparable to a beer. But again this is just my opinion.

laurenlanai25

I always thought I loved the taste of alcohol, but once I got sober and tried the na stuff, gross...it wasn't the taste, it was the effect produced by it. Funny how I never sit around drinking 10 diet cokes in one sitting!! :o)

Serenidad

Don't drink N/A beer! This is dangerous. Not only does it have a small amount of alcohol, it will trigger a relapse.

doorknob

I do wish you would explain that more.. or direct me to a website that does.