Carlotta

I LOVE Orangina

ScottFromWI

I drank only beer when i was drinking and did drink NA beer on and off for a while after I quit because I enjoy the taste. I did find myself drinking the NA beer in ways that I had done with regular beer...drinking it fast, keeping it hidden, etc. It didn't lead me back to the real thing, but I can certainly see how it might for some. I've found several natural sodas that are my drink of choice now, ginger ales and ginger sodas are one of my favorites. I also like the fruit sodas in the Mexican grocery stores that have natural sugars.

Weaver

To each their own I say.

Leadfoot

There's a couple things to know about NA beer. For starters it's not what you're drinking. It's where you're drinking it. Everyone I know that switched to NA beer an a means of staying sober was drinking it in bars. When you go to bars as a rule, you're doomed. Even if you drink water. Secondly. There really isn't .05% alcohol in NA Beer. It's not regulated by the ATF like real beer. It's regulated by the FDA and the FDA rules state that something has to be labeled to contain less than .05% if the claim is "Alcohol Free". Next. It's not even allowed to be called "Beer". Lastly. I drank the stuff by the buckets, cases and kegs when I quit. That squelched the mental obsession that we have with alcohol. Keep in mind that all my drinking was done at home or in the car. I even drank it on the way to my BA and UA and blew 0.00 on a regular basis. Eventually I simply lost interest in the stuff.

Hawkeye13

I guess I'm the exception here. I drink NA rarely, but I do like to keep some in the fridge mostly to have with food I used to drink regular beer with--like chili, hot dogs, and pizza. Just tastes better with a quality NA import to me. That said, I maybe have a couple every month since I don't eat food like that often.

I haven't found it to be a trigger, possibly because I used to be a vodka drinker. But I can see how if you were a beer person it could set you off. I don't have it in public bars but then I don't go out to bars as it is so boring to listen to drunk people talk :-)

deeker

me 2

Ptcapote

Beer was never my thing, although I could certainly get good and drunk on it if that was all that was available. Wine was my thing and I never, ever would be tempted to try NA wine under any circumstances.

That said, I have had an NA beer now and then and it didn't trigger me. I used it once or twice at work event in early sobriety to get through the night without tons of questions (which never came anyway). Was this the wisest idea? Probably not. But thankfully I got through it without craving real beer.

Nowadays it just seems like a waste of money and calories. I do have a few bottles in my fridge that I sometimes use to make chili with but, other than that, I am kind of over it.

But, again, beer wasn't my thing. If that were fake wine? I would probably relapse in no time flat.

If you have a concern, best to avoid it altogether.

foolsgold66

I drank them sometimes during my 8 years sober. I actually got bored with them, and at the time of my relapse I probably hadn't had one in several years. Probably best odds are to avoid altogether.

LadyinBC

I'm going to say no. However, for me, I don't see the point of even bothering with it. I didn't drink to taste it, I drank to get drunk, period.

So I don't know why I would drink this stuff, at the end, it would make me want the real stuff. So I just won't drink it.

You will get various opinions on this.

Skye2

It wouldn't work for me as I never actually liked the taste of anything I drank.

Carlotta

Same here. I can't stand the taste of alcohol. I drank to obliterate myself, not for taste or to be social.

YoungAndClean

I like the idea of NA beer and don't see a threat there. I feel that it's about my motives and why I am desiring that beer, if it's to compliment pizza, hot dogs, etc. then no problem. Or if I'm at a bar after work with friends and want to have a cold one.

As for the .5%. I couldn't care less. I ate a wine chocolate tonight at work on accident and did not continue eating them nor start drinking again. I simply realized I made a mistake, and now I know that wine chocolates are called wine chocolates for a reason. I am working so hard on the 12 steps, and the program of AA so that I don't have to fear .5% alcohol.

Grungehead

99% of the time when I drank, (which was all day every day) I drank beer. I like the taste of beer but I drank it for the affects. In the distant past I was sober and tried drinking N/A beer...all it did was **** me off! It didn't taste good and it didn't get me drunk. LOL I drank 4 of them before I realized that A) I would have to drink a couple of cases of them really fast to catch a buzz, and B) drinking them had triggered my mental obsession for alcohol.

Not worth it IMO. What I have come to realize is that if I am in a social setting and I am uncomfortable without "looking" like I am drinking to fit in, I'm not ready to be in that type of social setting. The first time I ever drank a N/A beer was in a social setting with friends and I wanted to fit in. Then I bought a six pack of them at the grocery store so I could have one every now and then at home. My rationalization was that I liked the taste of beer so this was a good alternative to soda, coffee, etc. But like I said above, IMO they don't taste very good. Then came the night where I started pounding them down and after 4 of them I was like WTH am I doing?

ZeldaFan

Personally, I wouldn't do it. The taste would just act as a trigger for me.

IOAA2

To me with a low IQ, it ain't worth it! JMHO.

BE WELL

jaynie04

Clones...you are newly sober right? I think I would look at the fact that you are already negotiating the terms of not drinking. After a rough time when we first decide to get sober we have pretty firm boundaries. I think one of the dangers of alcoholism is the tricks the mind plays. It's not as much about the alcohol in the NA beer as it is looking for a loophole and attempting to still engage in drinking behavior.

The longer I am sober the more I am realizing that sobriety for me has a lot less to do with not drinking and a lot more to do with how I was living. What was I doing that I needed to alter my reality? How could I get more comfortable in my own skin? The reward system of working hard and the feeling I deserved alcohol was a system that took years to develop in my mind. It's actually a pretty cool trip to have clarity, and it changes from month to month. There have been ebbs and flows, and peaks and valleys, for sure. But I am starting to see what I gave up because I had made drinking so important.

My advice would be to get some serious time under your belt before you start rolling the dice. My guess is with more time you probably won't want to roll the dice. For me embracing sobriety is more powerful and fulfilling than feeling like I seeking scraps of my old drinking days. I think worrying about alcohol contents and n/a beer is nickel diming, I would say ditch that idea and bring out the big guns!

jkb

I think it is up to you and how you react to it. As far as sobriety I know people who consider Nyquil a relapse and others who say you have to "get drunk" for it to be a relapse. Just go with what you feel about it.

I drink NA stuff occasionally.

freshstart57

I think most responders have answered different questions to the one you posed, Clones2.

From my point of view, you can declare yourself sober and drink NA beer all you want simply because it's not possible to drink enough of it to get you buzzed. If you enjoy them, fill yer boots, and shout your sobriety from the rooftops.

For my part, I've tried a few different NA beers and found them unsatisfying as far as taste and body go. Then I remembered I don't drink beer, and went for something I enjoyed drinking. Orangina is pretty darn good, as are the San Pellegrino sodas which are similar.

As for 'rules for sobriety', you make these rules yourself, and then live by them. Best to you.

Elysium

I'm with you there Shoes!