Substitues for alcoholic drinks?
 

Hi guys,

could you please kindly recommend some substitutes for alcoholic drinks that you can have in bars, etc. Maybe some non-alcoholic cocktails, but also ones that do not remind you or make u miss the taste of alcohol in them. e.g. I love cranberry juice... but it doesn't taste the same without vodka....

:thanks

I'm not currently allowed to go to bars, but I'm so getting me some Grenadine from the store someday to mix with either 7 up or Coke.
Nothing like a good ol Roy Rogers or Shirley Temple, imo.

Squirt (sour) is good to drink on it's own.
You can also just get a 7 up or something with ice, no one will know it doesn't have alcohol in it, if you don't want them to.

I usually just stick to a Diet Coke when I'm at a bar and not drinking. I would guess that is the #1 non-alcoholic drink ordered at bars. If I'm not in the mood for diet coke, I'll get a club soda or something. In general, I try to avoid situations in bars where others are binge drinking, though.

If you're a coffee addict, like I am, you'd be surprised how many bars have coffee as well.

a slippery slope here.....another fruit juice cut with seltzer? lemonade? I personally like tomato juice with lots of spices and celery to crunch...but that's not the case for most people.

Love he grenadine idea. Although if I will drink 7up all the time I will be the size of football field... hmmm somehow didn't bother me when it was with alc :-O

Tomato juice - great idea! Love it on its own & actually never liked it as Bloody Mary - so awesome for me :)

Not the biggest fan of diet coke, but coffee is my friend :))

thanks guys :c011:

perrier with lime is nice, though maybe pubs would not have that...a nice bar should though.

I have no reason to hang out at the bar now that I'm a non drinker, but when I go out for dinner or whatever, I order sprite or dr. pepper.. I can't stand drinking diet coke as that was a 'mixer' for me when I drank. Sometimes I've ordered a Cranberry with Soda, but I don't flirt with my addiction, I stay as far away from alcohol drinks and mimics of alcohol drinks as I can.. I have no interest in either!

.

lol..lol..........aint that the truth.
maybe its about the effect rather than the taste..

ever tried purdeys??.......sainburys.....real nice.

I've never been a soda drinker (only gingerale when sick), i can't stand the too sweet taste of diet coke or even diet 7-Up. I do like lots of lemon or lime in almost every other drink.

Ditto that, I rarely went out to bars when I was back home, no reason to, take no pleasure in watching people get hammered, the conversation isn't wittier, the jokes aren't funnier.

Watching people drink na beer over here I've thought, what's the point, and I must be thinking the same as a lot of folks, have seen very few people here actually drink the stuff. BTW, they have na beers here like Heineken and St.Pauli Girl, didn't even know those folks made na beer.

I can think of another reason for not hanging out at the bar, trying to fit in while drinking non-alcoholic drinks. What if the server/bartender makes a mistake and serves you an alcoholic beverage?

If you like coffee why not have a coffee.....most pubs serve good coffee.

You may find in early sobriety it is easier to avoid going to bars and clubs to start with. A another good reason to meet new friends in AA, is that none of them are interested in going to pubs either. :)

Cambridge great idea, love my perrier!

I am not a great bar- goer really, if a visit a bar or a club once a month that's it really, but I do love to drink (non alc drinks) so therefore my question really.

Will try purveys - although no idea what it is... Hey, another day, another adventure!

Hahaha! You got me here intention :c011:

thanks all!

A little caution here.....:)

It's easy for a bartender or server to misunderstand
or mix glasses when you are around drinking.
Drinkers at your table also can be careless.

Smell before you drink is always wise.....:yup:

Grapefruit juice in sparkling water, chilled well. Its awesome :)

I don't go to bars anymore either.

But, if I'm out in a restaurant I have diet coke or water. Life is simple.

coke, apple juice, orange juice, fanta, sprite, coffee, tea, water, club soda, bitter lemon, ice tea, iced coffee, milkshake, fristi, mountain dew, red bull,

there´s plenty..

Still going to bars and trying to quit? You know what they say..."if you keep going to the barbershop, sooner or later you are bound to get a haircut." Nuff said.

Lovinmenow: I think the original poster asked a valid question. There are recovered alcoholics who work in bars -
And, many of us have found ourselves in a bar now and then.

Ha, I had a step meeting in a bar yesterday...
It was the only place close to the AA meeting we were going to afterwards. We ordered tea.

Hi, I know it sounds a bit tough but going to bars ain't really a great idea. I got too depressed about thinking about not being able to go to pubs/bars/whatever when I first tried to get sober and I ended up drinking. I came to the conclusion that I was going to have make real sacrifices inorder to stay sober in relation to going out to bars/pubs/clubs.

Bearing in mind I am musician and have always played in bands it was kind of difficult to get my head round, still is if I think about it too much, but it's just got to be done as I am an alcoholic.

It is not that I fear drinking as the compulsion has been removed but I don't want to allow subconscious thoughts to come in through witnessing people jollying it up at bars/pubs. This is coming from an Englishman who was an avid fan of real ale and Pub culture! But you know what? Losing that license and that job and self-respect just wasn't worth it.

I think anything under 12 motnhs is still pretty early in sobriety. I went to pubs occassionally earlier in my sobriety but now I have 7.5 motnhs my sobriety is just too precious and i don't want to be physically near to alcohol at the moment. I have had to place my sobriety No1 priority above all else, including my music as it is still too closely related to drinking/drugging/partying. bearing in mind that i always lived the on the edge lead guiatrist lifestyle when gigging and out socialsing with fellow musos.

With time things will all sort themselves out though. Life on lifes terms.

Me I just drink a pint of Coca-Cola when i go out now and watch the bartender like a hawk when they are pouring it.


peace

Ella, I took a second to check for non-alocholic cocktails online, not sure if anyone posted a link. I didn't find a good site fast enough, but maybe you can find one.

I don't know what you are like, but some people might have trouble with the drinks, either because of the chemistry in them or because they remind the person of drinking a drink with alcohol in it - and maybe danger would be behind that. Sometimes accidents can happen too if the drinks look the same.

Some people will want to avoid sweets. It's very dangerous for some people. I am keeping an eye on it, because a taste for sweets returned after quitting (I bought ice cream in the winter and "chocolate kisses", out of the blue, and am loving oranges....It's been years since I included those flavours, because of my drinking).

And as others would have pointed out, it's not a good idea for everyone to be in the old drinking context. I'm not advising "never" to go to a bar or where alcohol is found, because sometimes it will be where friends or family are, and we have to live and be with other people. Whatever it takes to "live" yet without alcohol, and enjoy something decent to drink besides water (which is what I had a recent party).