A sincere question about NA beer (and wine)
 

Ok, I really don't want to start a debate on NA beer but I have a very sincere question. I will tell you that since being sober I have tried Bud's Probibition beer and I don't think it tastes like a**. I think it tastes just like beer. It also has zero percent alcohol...not .05 % but zero percent. It does not seem to trigger me, although perhaps that is because I was a wine drinker. I have just found it a nice go-to drink in restaurants when socializing.

So here is my question: I honestly don't understand the difference between drinking this and finding some other special fun drink to consume when socializing. I have read other threads where people have discussed finding a special drink, such as ginger beer or cranberry, lime and soda, to drink when they go out in a social situation. I am not in any way criticizing those drinks or people' s choices. I am just sincerely asking: Why is drinking NA beer or wine considered a potential trigger when drinking another sparkly, fizzy or sugery beverage is not? Aren't these other drinks just like virgin cocktails? Well. I guess I can understand the wine since it does have a bit of alcohol in it, but the beer has none.

Also, if NA beer and wine is a trigger, is drinking a virgin Piña Colada or - Virgin Bloody Mary also a trigger?

I ask, not to invite sarcastic comments, or heated discussions, but because I really do like the taste of these drinks and I don't understand the harm if there is no alcohol in them. I appreciate someone taking the time to explain the difference to me.
Thank you.

I've shared my experience so much I just quote the post now:

__


to me it's not about the alcohol content or lack thereof - it was all about the behaviours, and the intent - I didn't want to be seen as different, and I didn't want to change too much about my life.

When you add all that up it's no surprise to me now I went back to the hard stuff.

D

You'll get a variety of responses, perhaps, but here is what I can offer.

Recovery is about change, about putting habits that hurt us into the past -- not to be revisited. The problem with drinking faking beer is that it's not about making important changes. It's too much like pretending. Pretending to "enjoy" a glass of wine or a beer or a mocktail. But the associations run deep. It gets people thinking a lot about the real thing.

And for people like us, that's thin ice.

My own two cents is that it's not worth it to engage in fake drinking and creating the ongoing exposure to old feelings and temptations. There is a world of delicious beverages that are new to us. Making them a part of the changes needed to live in recovery is a positive step forward.

I feel as though it is up to each of us individually to decide where to draw the line. So long as the line doesn't cross into drinking alcohol, of any content, then we get a passing grade. I sometimes order virgin margaritas but have decided not to drink NA beer, probably because beer was my drink of choice, but I freely admit that it's a position that is a bit difficult to reconcile. I think as long as we are thoughtful about what we are doing and why, we are probably pretty safe.

It's really up to you tertor. A lot of people claim NA beer is a slippery slope, it was for me. I can't say why but I ended up drinking it a lot like regular beer...chugging it, obsessing about the alcohol content, drinking it in secret, basically all the things I did with regular beer. It wasn't for me I finally decided.

I drank wine to get numb, not for the taste. So there is no point in my drinking NA wine. I like plain old orange juice, myself. :)

If it doesn't have alcohol in it, you're not drinking alcohol.

But gross... the only time I would drink beer is to disguise that I was taking shots on the side or because it's all I could buy because my dad was at the liquor store with me.

I personal enjoy certain "virgin" cocktails. I stopped really enjoying the taste of alcoholic drinks because I drank only to get smashed. I don't miss the booze in a Bloody Mary or mojito because I can actually enjoy the flavor of the drink now. I also really missed pairing food with wine when I started to just binge drink and not care about the food, so I'm going to try some of the alcohol free wines when I get some more sober time down. Like most have said, it really depends on the person and I think the "why" of why you want this particular drink. :)

I drink Cranberry and Ginger-ale, sometimes with a lime twist. I enjoy the taste of it and I order it when I am out as well. In my past, I believe that I was using these as a substitute for the real thing (I used to drink them with a few shots of Vodka). Now, I just like the way they taste, and I can't stand the thought of adding Vodka. I drank to get high, not because I loved the taste of booze.

I think that it can be a dangerous substitution if you are "pretending" that is an actual cocktail. Certainly nobody else in the world cares what were drinking when we go out....that's all in our addictive minds.

Do you find yourself craving it, or does it have a placebo effect on you? (feels like your getting high)

I'm exactly the same as this. Former wine drinker looking for something to drink when socializing. Never liked beer. if the choice was really crappy wine (like a dance bar) or beer, I wouldn't order anything. Or I'd order a beer and nurse it.

A virgin bloody would probably trigger me more than a NA beer.

So I feel it's ok for me to drink NA beer because I don't have any bad thoughts or behaviors with it. I'm not pretending it's a real thing.

However I will abstain due to the collective experience here.

I don't go out that often, so I guess I'll order a diet soda (Yuk) or bottled water.

PS- I started a thread soon after I joined SR about what to drink when you go out. It had some ideas in there.

Hi, I'm drinking a mix of diet cranberry juice ~20% and deerfield park sparkling water 80% at home. I get it at the warehouse clubs. It's less fizzy and less $$ than some of the other brands.
It's a good way to get my daily water intake in.

Beer was what I drank to get drunk, that Budweiser prohibition is pretty good. My non drinking wife bought some, but when I tried it I found myself engaging in euphoric recall. So no, I won't drink it. I'm thinking about getting a soda stream since I now drink a lot of soda water. I like mocktails now.

I think at 40-something days sober, the bigger trigger for me would have been socializing around other drinkers. Let me ask you a question. Why do you feel compelled to socialize with a fake beer or mock drink? To fit in?

"Why is drinking NA beer or wine considered a potential trigger when drinking another sparkly, fizzy or sugery beverage is not?"

ok, lets change it up and YOU give ME your honest answer:

im an ex crackhead. i found some non crack crack i can smoke. it smokes just like crack without the effect.

would it be wise for me? could it be a trigger for me?

I ended up drinking it a lot like regular beer...chugging it

I did the same thing as ScottFormWI. I had to stop drinking it.

I tried na beer the first couple of weeks after quitting. I drank beer all my life. I thought the na beer would help with the cravings. I quickly realized that I wasn't craving beer I was craving alcohol. The na beer did nothing more for me then bottled water and I quickly lost interest. I do think it's important to be comfortable in social situations without anything at all in hand. I'm still learning that concept but for me it's a goal I would like to achieve.

This was me as well.. I like the taste of beer but, I drink to get drunk,plain and simple and I've came to grips with that. I'd rather have a soda with free refills vs a NA beer. Just my opinion. I do know a few guys who've got a few years under their belt that'll have a NA beer after golf but,I never paid much attention to it because I was busy muddying up my liver.

Thanks everyone for the input. It has given me a lot to think about. I thank you!

I tried NA wine at my first attempt at sobriety many years ago. All it did was **** me off. And notice I said "attempt".
This second time around I'm not fooling around with any NA drinks.
Just a little story: my neighbor quit drinking about a month after I did. He started drinking NA beer immediately. The other day I was outside and saw him pulling into the parking lot at 7am. He had a 12 pack of Heiniken (spelling). I'm wondering if the NA beer made it easier to pass his hand to the real beer?
Good luck!

NA beer helped me early on during the after work hours when cravings were tough. For me it was a crutch that helped me wean myself of the association of after work and drink. The alcohol was gone and eventually the cravings went away. I don't see mocktails as being much different personally. They can help situationally, or they can be playing with fire.