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Are Non Alcoholic Beers a gateway drug?

Old 08-19-2014, 06:43 PM
  # 21 (permalink)  
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I never drank beer for the taste so NA beers are pointless to me. Now, I know many people actually do drink beer and NA beer for the craft involved, but I just wanted a buzz simply put.
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Old 08-19-2014, 07:37 PM
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Uff. This is always a hot debate. I personally do not drink them. What would my motive to drink one be other than to feel and look like I'm drinking alcohol? I can't think of one, and what it really comes down to at the end of the day is your motives.

Recently though, I ordered a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary at brunch with some sober friends. Someone else ordered one, so I figured it was an OK/safe thing to do. Took two sips and it immediately felt too much like drinking alcohol for me to handle. So, I put it down and don't see myself drinking a virgin Bloody Mary anywhere in the near future.

But that's my own plan/experience. Also, just a last thought-- NA beer does have a slight bit of alcohol in it. So keep that in mind.
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Old 08-19-2014, 07:45 PM
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Our alcoholic mind is a subtle, powerful thing...and it's always working overtime. N A beers are a way of that mind setting one up for a relapse...maybe not right away, but it shows sobriety, a new way of life, a new way of thinking and acting is not the priority....it is a very small win for the AV, and will open the door for more subtle sabotage....IMO, if sobriety is your priority, stay away from it. Why mess around with this?
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Old 08-19-2014, 07:52 PM
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In my own personal experience, YES - it did lead me straight to relapse. I was warned ahead of time, but like many other pieces of advice, I knew better - NOT !
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Old 08-19-2014, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by MelindaFlowers View Post

One more thought/question about N/A beer: Does it make you as fat and bloated as regular beer? I've never tried one and don't plan on it.
Yep. The bloating was worse for me.

D
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Old 08-19-2014, 08:30 PM
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I was a wine drinker not a beer drinker. I ordered NA wine a few times in restaurants when I first got sober. It didn't trigger me. At this point I'd just rather have sparkling water.
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Old 08-19-2014, 08:33 PM
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I stay away from the NA beer and wine. Doesn't put my head in a good place. Plus it just tastes crappy and the stuff I drank near the end tasted that way too.
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Old 08-19-2014, 09:03 PM
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confession time

I was actully going to start a new thread about this. After spending a day working in the yard I told the wife a beer would taste good right now. She suggested I try na beer
why not? I got me a case. Found out it's more expensive than regular beer. Unless beer prices shot up since Decembr. I felt like one of the guys roofing in Shaw Shank Redemption. Then I found myself pounding them down.
I'm done with that experiment. It was like old days, one in hand and one on deck. Kept drinking them till they were gone. Went back to just water today.

It was like picking up where I left off. Way too risky. Never again.
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Old 08-19-2014, 10:03 PM
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Beer actually looks and tastes bad to me now; when I drank beer after 1 or 2 they all tasted the same and got worse. Some say they like the taste of beer. Ok, I will accept that, but for me it smells, looks like something that came out of a toilet or horse, and most have a chemical after taste. It makes you fart and gives you diarreha. To kill the bad taste many serve it extra cold and with salty food like pizza, peanuts, or chips. If you let it stand around at room temperature it really starts to stink. I just don't get craft beers and trying to make it taste better by adding citrus (lime, lemon, orange). If you want to try NA beer as an alcoholic you MUST REALLY LIKE THE TASTE huh?
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Old 08-19-2014, 10:24 PM
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Probably a more accurate name would be reduced alcohol beer. If you read the label there is still alcohol in it.
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Old 08-19-2014, 10:46 PM
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The non alcoholic beer and wine are too expensive for one thing. I always bought Natural Ice Light that tasted awful but was cheap and did the trick. Also $2 wine at Walmart. I didn't drink because of taste..just the high. After awhile I didn't even get that. That's why I recently quit.
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Old 08-19-2014, 10:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Tonymblue View Post
Isnt an issue for me. Its a lot like beer. Especially the price. Ouch. Ive switched to craft sodas. Expensive but very tasty.
Personally, I think early sobriety is not the time to assess whether it's an issue or not. I toyed with the idea, and thought it would be helpful in social situations. Now a year later, I think it's just not necessary.

I've never had it, and enjoy things not associated to alcohol in any way, shape or form. Why bring back the memories of something that brought so much havoc? I listened to what people had to say who had much more sober experience than I. I had to trust a lot of things....but I'm glad I did.
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Old 08-19-2014, 11:13 PM
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I always preferred wine so the NA beers don't have much appeal to me. I've tried them on occasion but they instantly give me a raging headache. I'm not sure what that is about, but it is awful. I stick to water. I also once heard something great from a fellow alcoholic, he said "look, it says right on the label that it is for non-alcoholics!"
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Old 08-19-2014, 11:17 PM
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Day 8

I turned down a mini can of non alcoholic beer yesterday. Just seemed like temptation.
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Old 08-20-2014, 01:46 AM
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Originally Posted by anattaboy View Post
No-- I drink them once in awhile and have no problem with craving. I prefer the taste of beer over soft drinks. Cigarettes are the gateway drug. I traded those for the e-cig-still a slave.
I think we all preferred the taste at some point but there has to be a line drawn its called beer makes me feel uncomfortable just knowing that its the cousin of something that nearly killed me read dees posts even with the strength I have dee posts make me stronger
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Old 08-20-2014, 06:06 AM
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I am reminded of an AA member that loved this sparkling non-alcoholic drink as it was a substitute for her favourite sparkling wine. She relapsed after 2 years of sobriety when she decided she needed something harder....
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Old 08-20-2014, 07:48 AM
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Originally Posted by jaynie04 View Post
I dunno..non-alcoholic beer seems like driving by an ex-boyfriend's house….
HA! Love it!

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Old 08-20-2014, 07:50 AM
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I think its a gateway habit....
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Old 08-20-2014, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Jtf7 View Post

Would drinking them just lead to me drinking real alcohol again?
For many it seems that the answer is yes
If I did drink them in sobriety
I would not share that on this site

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Old 08-20-2014, 08:07 AM
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I use to drink some NA Beer. I haven't since I actually got serious about being sober. I did a comparison and a bag of sauerkraut has more alcohol's in it then a NA beer.

My wife is a non drinker, so when we go out to dinner I use to have a NA beer with dinner. I say that because I was / am a closet drunk (I hide my problem.)

On the flip side when I did buy them as a "cure" to drinking real beer I would drink 12 of them. So in essence its a waste of time and money. I stick to water and powerade zero's.
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