OCDDan

I haven't seen NA beer mentioned too much, (maybe for good reason) but I wanted to bring it up because it is what helped me stop drinking and it worked. First off, some na beers don't taste good, the one I like starts with teh letter "L". It seemed like replacing the alcoholic drink with something really did help, there's a tiny bit of alcohol in it so maybe that helped too. At first i was pounding 8-9 of them a night and little by little I've worked my way down to just 3-5 of them on a friday night with the GF, I have no desire to drink them anymore during the week, even tho they are typically about 60 calories and probably better for you than soda. This really helped me and i just want to share this, maybe it will help someone, feel free to express disagreement with this, I welcome the knowlegde, thanks for reading..

justhadenough

Hello
I would be concerned that there is some alcohol in a na drink. In any event I don't particularly like the taste of alcohol-I only ever drank for effect!

Sapling

I don't know if I heard it here....Or in a meeting....Something about....I didn't get rid of my ex-wife to go out and find someone just like her. I just don't think this a good idea at all...They do contain alcohol and I stay away from food cooked with alcohol and cough syrup or mouth wash that contain alcohol...I know what it does to me and I don't want to test myself. If it works for you...That's great. Just the whole idea of the ritual of it is more than I want to play with....Diet ginger ale is fine with me....If I need something fizzy with a little color. I want to hang on to my sobriety with my life...Makes no sense to peek into the darkness for me.

justhadenough

Love this bit!!

IndaMiricale

This is a question and topic that comes up alot here.

For me I loved the taste and the effect. Effect was the more important of the two. And if I started drinking that with out the buzz, I know it wouldnt be long before I had to have it.

So for me I dont even need one bullet in the chamber. No reason for it.

vanpol

I think it depends on a person and it really can help. I have some in my pantry. The concentration of alcohol there is not low it you can;t possibly feel the effect. I used to drink it while I was pregnant, I would bring it with me to parties, this way when people were drinking beer I was too and I did not feel left out.

loudog430

NA beer has like 0.5% or 1/10 of your average beer. So you would 10 of them to get the effect of one. I think trying it out isn't a bad idea since the concentration is so incredibly low. But, it may spark the desire for a real beer. Or, you may say that it is enough. It's all trial and error. Find out what works for you.

I prefer mineral water like La Croix when I am out by the pool and everyone else is drinking. I pound like 10 of em! No salt, sugar, or any additives.

Sapling

So if you were pounding eight to ten of them a night....Wouldn't it be easier to just have one beer?

IndaMiricale

Just thinking like that to me says , I am not a normal .

For me I have a allergy to alcohol. If I have some I want it all.

I thank you all that support having it, cause you help me in reminding me how far I have come. That I dont need to let those thoughts live rent free in my head anymore.

Sapling

That's how we think....

gaffo

Whenever I can, I try to sub my beers with tap water because it doesn't have any calories and it's free. That's not to say I wouldn't drink anything w/o alcohol in it to stay sober. When I was a real beer drinker I didn't like NA beer because of the flavor. Now I guess I'm afraid of them.

Nirvana1

It was real easy for me to stay sober for 4 months in 2007 just drinking NA beer all the time when my friends were getting drunk. It was so easy to do that when I picked up a real beer again, I didn't even notice the difference. The transition to the real stuff was so easy that I started just getting drunk again. I didn't even think to quit drinking again for 3 more years.

Sapling

When I was a real beer drinker....I can honestly say I never even saw a reason to try one.

eJoshua

Not a big a fan myself, although I will say that the market has put out some surprisingly good brands in the last few years. I've had one now and then but for the most part they just don't strike my fancy. Frankly, I'd rather not spend the money. I'm just as happy drinking tea or coffee, which are much cheaper.

bostonluv

Whatever works for you is great.

augustwest

whatever works for you man! personally i won't touch a na beer with a 10 foot pole.

phoebe64

Not a big beer drinker, but I do/did like it. Wine is my poison, where I get into trouble and have wayy too much. I actually get too full with beer to get too faar there. But, not good for my blood sugars.

Anyway, I like(d) IPA, heavier microbrews, so the NA beer just tastes watery and bad for me. Might work for a person who was a light beer drinker.

Personally, I just see it as a slippery slope. I have seen it do that to my BIL with serious addiction problems. His relapses often begin with the NA beers.

Needsassistance

I too would stay away, seems like it could easily turn into that firsT real beer for me, which I cannot have. I personally lie fresco, it's early but I look forward to a cold glass when gEt one now...

augustwest

i was as wrapped up in the little rituals that were associated with my addiction almost as much as the substances themselves. i had to break those consumption patterns, those time/circumstance based rituals, and a lot of who i hung out with. for me drinking a na beer is about as appealing as snorting flour pretending it's cocaine. certain circumstances, smells, etc. currently trigger me into wild fantasy where i can actually taste the alcohol or drugs. i think drinking a na beer would freak me the hell out.

but like i said, if it works you thats great.

Abetterway

I'm 68 days sober today. For the first week or so after i quit drinking i had 2 na beers per night. Having those drinks in my refrigerator helped to ease my anxiety about quiting. One night i had tea instead then i just didn't have another one. It helped me.