0percentABV

Talk about perfect timing. My first post was unearthed and yesterday was my 1 year of alcohol sobriety ( I quit weed about month ago). Ncognito13 your story is all too familiar with me. And Tang I feel the craft beer world is very similar to the wine world, both are run by professional drunks. Granted I know a lot in it that, at least on the outside, seem to have their stuff together but many others that you can just tell are wallowing in the high ABVs. But to them, as was with me, it's not a problem because they appreciate it. But the progression will catch up with them and they too will start to make Manhattans, chug from a hard liquor bottle or go to the depths and get Steel Reserve. Heck I remember towards my end when I was hiding it I had my wife stop a t a gas station in Wisconsin and I bought a can of Steel Reserve and I took it in the bathroom and slammed it and got back in the mini van with a nice cool buzz. So glad those days are over.

anotherquitter

In sobriety I realize now that I drank for effect, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the taste. I'm at 1 year, 9 months, 13 days and can still remember the dry hopped APA that I used to crave. When I think about how tempted I would be if I was in that brewpub I know the best approach is just to not put myself into that situation.

It also took me a bloody long time after quitting to be able to enjoy a steak. Just wasn't the same without that glass (I mean bottle) of red to go with it. This feeling passed, somewhat, but there are many things now that I just don't seem to do anymore. In some ways quitting made me less social. I just can't be bothered with going to certain events - especially when I know others will be consuming at a great rate.

I have a relative with over 30 yrs in the program (AA) who still enjoys an NA-brew with dinner. Likewise I on occasion may have one, and it is for taste. I don't see it as breaking my sobriety. There are some hard core AA big book thumpers that go ape-**** over this. I ignore them and the rest of the holier than though preachers, and focus on the third tradition. Can be tough being an agnostic/atheist and still be in the program.

witchylilac - welcome to the fold.

0percentABV - congrats on one year!

(PS. Homer Simpson quote "I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer.")

malcolmsloan

Just before I stopped drinking, I was about to enter yet another plan to control my alcohol. I told myself that I would only drink booze that I actually made myself. I was looking into making wine and beer. I bailed out before this came to pass.

I relate to a lot of your history. I did not go to treatment in high school, but I did get arrested and required to go through an alcohol awareness program. I also relate to reading bedtime stories to the kids hammered. Oh man, that was aweful, reason enough to stay clean.

I'm glad you posted.

Dee74

good to see you Opercent - congrats on your sober time

D

witchylilac

I wish I could post links. I too drink an occasional NA beer cause I like the taste, and I'm a big book thumper. To me it's just a beverage. The link I would post would show that soda such as Coca-Cola has alcohol in it (so go freak out purists). It's just you would have to drink a ton of it to get a buzz (if even then). Just like the NA beer. I know the different between drinking for effect and taste. I also take vitamin pills "Oh no, a pill?" So yeah it's about being sensible.

Sidenote: My husband used to work at Whole Foods, a natural foods grocery store. They used to sell a beverage called Kombuca, which is a fermented tea. It's alcohol content is higher than NA beer, but not enough to be considered an alcoholic drink.

Enter Lindsay Lohan. She managed to drink such copious quantities of it that she did get drunk, apparently while on probation, and it made the news. So Whole Foods pulled Kombuca fast, which pissed off a lot of people who don't drink it like Ms Lohan. It has health benefits, amongst other redeeming qualities.

Well this showed how messed up society and corporations are about alcohol, because Whole Foods also sells a (but of course) craft beer named....are you ready....Delirium Tremens. Yep, the DTs. Oh hardy har har. I wrote to their corporate offices repeatedly decrying naming an alcoholic beverage after a symptom of alcoholism. I asked why not name a candy Diabetes type 2 or maybe a carby fatty loaded snack Heart Attack, or maybe Stroke or Cardiovascular Event! Cause that's how insensitive that name is to mock a disease that harms millions. And since they were so darned sensitive about these things, they kept the beer and their response to me was....*crickets*.

Oh,and they also sell a beer called Pink Elephant. Good times.

Anyway, happy anniversary 0%, I tried to send you a private message congratulating you, but alas with the 25 post rule, it was not to be. And I want to thank everyone from welcoming me, and......and.....here it comes...

SIGH!!!! <==The big sigh of relief for being around those to Get This, and by extension, Get Me. It gets lonely out there sometimes.

Dee74

When you're at this recovery thing for years you get to know your parameters

I still say it's good advice - especially in a forum like this specifically for newcomers - to urge caution.

D

Brian316

Glad this post came up. I actually started out as a beer snob 14 years ago at 21. Belgian imports were my favorite. But the first couple of years my big thing, much like the OP's was trying new ones. Eventually I realized I was just drinking to get drunk. Yeah eventually I got to Steel Reserve and 99 cent vodka shot bottles. This story reminds me a lot of myself. I liked drinking and being drunk. Taste was just an added benefit. I am now 106 days sober and grateful that today the smell of booze makes me squirm.

0percentABV

Thanks Dee! I don't frequent here very often anymore but this forum was vital to me in my beginning months and you always said the right things. Short and sweet and to the point. And not only you but others as well. Success stories and failures, they all showed me what alcoholism is and I learned so much. I stay vigilant and never consider myself cured. I have it and it will never go away. SR was there for me and I owe my sobriety to it. Thank you all very much.

1Trail

I too am glad this post came up. So much of what has been said is true for me. Craft Beer is/was my identity. Almost every t shirt I own is from a brew pub, have 20+ pint glasses, growlers, etc from two decades of visiting every brewpub I could on vacations, biz trips, etc. I planned vacations around brewpubs and booked hotels near brewpubs. I'm only 30 days sober after everyday beer drinking (with some single malt scotch thrown in each week--another vice and squired taste).

I'm wondering and trying to figure out how to carve out a new identity, and how to tell friends and colleagues I no longer drink without revealing it was a major problem--not as worried about family. I was the beer guy, the expert of all things beer (even brewed my own for several years as others have posted).

Anyway thanks for posting and good to know there are other alcoholic (former) beer snobs out there.

Tang

I still think even "normal" drinkers drink alcohol for more than just taste. Everyone gets some effect from alcohol. Otherwise they'd be drinking grape juice and root beer. I think it's a misnomer that only alcoholics drink alcohol for the effect.

0percentABV

I'm sure there will be more, lots more. Minnesota and I'm sure other places as well are having a boom of breweries popping up. Old blue laws are being chipped away here when for decades they wouldn't even be looked at by the legislators. I'm not saying that craft beer is making more alcoholics, more just they're throwing them into the fast lane. Alcoholism is progressive and though always inside of a person I think at times it can lie dormant for years until it builds up. All these high ABV's and a new beer hitting the shelf every week that you just have to get because if you don;t post a review of it on your blog or other social media beer club then you are not worthy of the scene kicks the disease into high gear. Part of me is kinda glad I got thrown into the fast lane. Who knows how much longer I would be farting around being a weekend warrior? I like sobriety so much more. No more foggy mornings and sluggish days. No more throwing money at beer merchants for a 20 oz bomber of some silly named brew with enough alcohol to cleanse a deep cut. The only benefit to drinking is that initial buzz. Such a price to pay for that. Can't believe I fought so hard to maintain it.

For me, being in Minneapolis, I was cycling a lot. In fact craft beer and cycling sort of grew with me at the same time. Beer got in the way though, when that was gone I started to be known more for my 300 mile bike rides than beer (I used to be known as Beer Stu). With the beer gone I dropped a lot of weight and started to be known for that too. I just revealed to the masses via Facebox that I quit and a lot of people's lightbulb went off. "Ohhhh, that explains it. Good for you" For people that knew I wasn't drinking I was pretty ambiguous about it. I would say to be healthy but things were going downhill when in reality it was the truth but the "going downhill" part was more crashing and burning. How to tell people you don't want to drink anymore is easy, all you got to say is it's not good for me because it's not a lie, it's not good for ANYONE. What do you want to do or what do you want to get better at in your life? Doesn't matter what it is because with alcohol involved you can't do it or get better at it. It's ambiguous but the truth. I wouldn't hide the fact that you're not drinking, be truthful about it but you don't need to go into detail. Faking it is a lie and not healthy in recovery.

1Trail

Very good advice, especially the last piece.

witchylilac

A question...is this board just for newcomers? I think I may have made a mistake, and if so, I apologize, and I'll move on to find something more appropiate for my length of sobriety. I admit I came here because of the great postings on craft beer, and I may have missed something important.

Also I was not advising newcomers to drink NA beer, or anything resembling an alcoholic beverage, including Kombuca. I was given that advice in early recovery, and becaue of my desire to stay sober, I followed it along with most other advice. I myself did not touch NA beer until I was well into double-digit recovery, and even now, maybe a few times a year. It is truly about taste, not effect, for me. There is a NA six pack in the fridge now that has been there two months. I just drink a bottle on the occasion I want that certain taste. These days, it's 99.9% water and coffee for me! (Yeah the coffee is about the effect, I'm afraid. Gotta work on that. Odd factoid: I never even tried coffee until I went to AA/NA, then I got curious cause it was at most meetings.)

Brian316

LOL I love it! Not to mention one of those 20 oz bombers that costs a dollar or so an ounce give or take.

That's awesome. I'm also an avid bicyclist. When I lost my license and was riding everywhere, I would load my backpack up with beer to take home. Used to make me feel "special". I remember I used to have a top to the cupboards that went all the way around my kitchen. I filled the cupboard tops with empty bottles and cans of the imports and microbrews I drank. Because they were "rare" or had a cool label or whatever. My best friend once, in all his subtlety told me like "Man you think you're cool or a beer snob or whatever, it looks to me like you are just an alcoholic."

kflee

I live in California and I never drank anything besides craft beer. Or micro brews..I worked part time at a micro brew where my friend made specialty craft beer at the local brewery. So I know what you mean. I have drank coors and miller before, but it never turned me as fast as craft or micro brew and wine. That is the poison that gets me the most. Just reading the description you made makes me salivate.

" Then my son and son-n-law started becoming "microbrew snobs." We are a cigar smoking family, so we'd sit and smoke and sip and converse over many pleasant things. I liked the microbrews, but they just didn't have enough alcohol to make it worth my while." You hit it right on the spot Gilmer

Craft beer is the best or was for me. I agree on the microbrews. They are strong but the minute i had a homemade craft ale I fell in love. I am doing pretty good so far, and today is my first outing/luncheon with a client. I know one of her assistants or pharm techs will order a drink, and that is fine. I am posting a thread for my luncheon.

kflee

WitchyLilac: you are on the right site. Wether a newcomer or a 10 year RA Sr will read and respond to anything they feel they can give enlightment. I got on the craft beer post as well,it was so interesting and so true. You can always find a thread that you will find interesting and join in on conversation. Have good day.

Dan Dare

When I was studying for the beer judge exam, I was lucky enough to travel to Europe and study the styles of beers from various regions.
It really helped on my exam. Back then, I never thought of alcohol or drinking as a problem.
It was when I started drinking for the wrong reasons that I began to worry.
I felt and still do that drinking is much more a cultural thing in Europe.
In America it's hypocritical. You'll see an ad not to drink and drive, then you'll see an ad for the new BIG MOUTH beer cans so you can drink faster. It has nothing to do with culture.

0percentABV

I want to sincerely apologize for totally missing this post. Hopefully you'll still see this.

I was on vacation last week, it was very hot and I walked to a gas station to get a soda and I saw one of my all time favorite beers that I could never get where I lived but I could in Wisconsin, for a while until it ceased being distributed there too, Dogfish Head 90min IPA. I ignored it and got my soda and left but while in the gas station and walking back to the beach I had a whirlwind of thoughts. I admit that picking up a 4 pack of it crossed my mind but it was only fleeting because I simply thought of the immediate and prolonged consequences if I did, being drunk around family, the eventual grogginess when the buzz wore off, the sickness and worse, the potential of drinking again and again. I understand that a few hours of bliss doesn't make up for a day of illness, crankiness and guilt. So later that night I was sitting in bed and decided to venture down the "craft beer + alcoholic" Google search just to see if anything new has been written upon it and I noticed that this thread is right up there so I reread it and low and behold I noticed this post that I somehow missed yet still posted after it. I feel like a jerk. I saw your other posts afterward and was sort of confused on what you were talking about but now it all makes sense.

I know what you are talking about. I didn't have the years of sobriety and then having my friends discover craft beer in the middle of our friendship but I understand your disappointment and can relate to some of the things you are saying. When I started getting into the craft beer scene I acquired a whole bunch of new friends. During the same time social media was talking off and I was making more there too, plus I was getting into cycling and it all started to meld together. But then it all came crashing down and what was left was a pile of new friends who I like and we get along and have a lot in common but what brought us together was essentially beer. If it wasn't for that our paths would have never crossed.

So now what? Well it's been about a year and half since I've quit drinking and if you're not on a bike then I probably haven't seen much of you, and even then it's rare. During the first few months I would go on "rides" with them but they weren't much of a ride as much as they were riding to a bar or to the liq to go drink so I pretty much only see them now on race days. The ones who don't cycle? Pretty much dropped off my radar, and I with theirs. Even real close ones. It's sad in some ways but in others it's not. If you recall in my first post that I did a 4 month stint of sobriety a year before I finally quit for good and the whole "breaking of the friendship" thing and changing my life I didn't even consider. I wasn't ready. When it was obvious that my problem wasn't just an annoyance but a legitimate issue having to do those hard things actually came fairly easy. But as with you I have the Facebook and in the past most would be completely gone from my life but they still exist as "friends" in cyber space which is kinda weird because I see they still do what they do and I'm watching them do it from my phone. At first I thought I should quit social media but I've found that it really doesn't bother me and I mostly pass over the drinking post but there is still this nagging voice in my head that tells me it's over with them but for the friendship still lingers because, well, sometimes they say stuff more than "look what I'm drinking!"

But as far as you're concerned I think you're doing the right thing. It's what's right for you and if it's what you need to do then do it. When I went to therapy after I quit the therapist instilled something in me that for better or worse I use all the time. For lack of a better description it's basically be selfish. Do what you want to do and what makes you comfortable and don't worry about what others say or think. Now obviously don't be an aloof, self centered jerk who avoids responsibility but learn to be OK with removing yourself from situations that affect your well being. Luckily for me beneath the years of alcohol there was a loner who only came out of his shell when booze was added. I don't expect everyone to be and feel the same as me but I found that embracing the quiet really helps me move forward and if some friends want to do things that I cannot be around I must accept that the relationship will not be the same anymore.

Anyways, not sure if you'll this or not, I hope it reaches you and I hope you are well. Take care.

Gilmer

I remember your original post, and it really struck a chord with me, because I was quitting amidst a huge craft beer "cult" in my own household. Now, not only have I quit and stopped offering beer in my home (with my husband's support), but my connoisseur son has stopped drinking altogether and gotten fit and healthy, and my fanatical son-in-law has also cut down consumption because of his waistline! If they couldn't curb themselves for my sake, they did it because of their own vanity!

Now it doesn't even tempt me anymore.

Good to see you back, and glad you're doing so well on the outside! Take care!

0percentABV

Thanks! I like to think of this post as special because of it being only one of the very few that address craft beer and alcoholism, and not only here but on the web in general. Craft beer for the most part is new to the world and is gaining in popularity. Here in Minnesota new breweries are popping up all over. I've completely lost track. We even have political movements trying to change our laws regarding alcohol. I see on my Facebook page people becoming enthralled by the cult all the time. All super excited that they've discovered that their appetite for beer is now a hobby and not something to be look at as a gluttonous consumption of inebriation but instead an appreciation for quality, handcrafted, locally made ales that get you even more messed up but it's OK because they're not swilling cheap lagers anymore, they're now connoisseurs. The craft beer world is full of alcoholics, many more than people want to admit. I mean how could it not? It's so similar to wine except wine has been around for a lot longer (craft beer has too but you know what I mean). I see so many "mothers who drink and swear" people out there that are completely under the same spell. Of course not all craft beer and wine drinkers are alcoholics but when drinking is a hobby and you use it to relax or to get away then I wonder if there is something going on that you are either not aware of yet or are currently struggling to deal with. I know after my first year of sobriety I posted about it on Facebook and I had a number of people reach out to me about their past problems or current ones. One has now been sober for a few months but that was because she almost died. Another told me how she struggles but from what I see these days she's still using the wine to "enjoy herself."

But I'm waiting for the Today Show or Oprah to bring it to light. Until then people just need to Google and hopefully find this thread and come to SR or AA or whatever and and find that craft beer is still alcohol and it doesn't matter that it's free of adjuncts and you drink it out of a tulip glass, it still holds the same power as BMC and Karkov Vodka. There is life after alcohol. It is cool and you will manage without booze. Trust me on this.