Raeven58

I didn't know there was such but just found it. Any thoughts on advisability? Wondering if it would be a good way to enjoy the ritual without the risk or if that's dangerous. I always liked the flavor of the first glass, then....too much, so I can't go back.
thank you

phoebe64

It would definitely trigger me. I tried it during my first pregnancy many years ago. It wasn’t very good. It’s not like I’ve got sobriety to really give great advice. I do have enough experience with alcohol abuse to know it would just leave me wanting the real thing.

EllyB

It doesn’t really taste the same, though. I haven’t had any since quitting drinking, but didn’t like the ones I have tried in the past. I find other drinks like non- alcoholic cider or blood orange soda taste better.

nez

Drinking non-alcoholic beverages never worked out well for me. Doing so was me basically saying "I'm done with it...but not really". In my experience, I am either done...or I am not.

RAL

Never worked for me. Tastes vile too. but it looks like wine, tastes like wine(a bit), smells like wine. the ritual of wine. The thing is I only drank for the effect so if I drink something that looks/tastes/feels the same but hasn't got the same effect then it's only a matter of time before I get the rel thing.

So many many more delicious non alco drinks out there. For me, I need to remove myself from the titual/habit of wine and anything associated with it.

scottynz

It’s pretty vile stuff kind of like sweet vinegar. The zero alcohol industry is taking off as there has been a drop in drinking in some demographics. I steered completely away from everything at the start of my sober journey, it felt like too much of a slippery slope and almost teasing myself and tempting fate. I personally found I needed to be done with the ritual in order to be free of it, I enjoy having non alcoholic options to socialise with, but I was a private secret home drinker so needed to break my ‘wine o’clock’ habit completely.

I don’t really enjoy juices or soft drinks, but found I enjoyed the Seedlip range of non alcoholic botanticals, they can be used like a spirit, but don’t taste the same as them and there are some great refreshing drinks that can be made with them. I’ve also tried the Lyre brand, they are great non alcoholic options that again can be used with mixers. I often premix those and take them along socially.

I have had zero alcohol beer this Summer, I was never a beer drinker and it has no alcohol associations for me, but even so I am steering clear, something that mimics the poison I have fought hard to avoid seems a big risk.

MissPerfumado

I wasn't interested in non-alcoholic alternatives when I initially got sober, because I did need to break the psychological hold it had on me, which means the ritual needed to go.

Recently, like Scotty, I too tried Seedlip, and took a bottle of it to my sister's for NYE. It was fun and with tonic water it was a nice beverage, but it's something I plan to do only on special occasions.

Personally, I think it's healthier to replace the drinking ritual with other pastimes altogether and become more mindful of what we are putting into our bodies.

TheAten

During previous attempts at sobriety, I tried non-alcoholic beer. I found it tasted pretty much the same, including giving me the phantom hangover! This time around I’m going completely non-alcohol associated. If it works for you, that’s great! But not for me. As for wine, I haven’t tried any myself but everyone I’ve spoken to who has tried it has said it tastes neither like wine nor particularly pleasant.

Dee74

It was the behaviors that got me when I tried NA drinks early on. They had a similar taste.I would drink them like the real thing out of glasses like the real thing in situations like the real things - to unwind, to socialise, to not feel left out...

I even fancied I got a little buzz off them...but when that wore off I got hungry for the real thing.

There's a lot of other things you can drink that won't remind you of your favourite tipple.

D

Billymacintosh

I tried the NA wine route once and soon realised they tasted like **** and psychologically I really couldn't see the point as ultimately I knew I was trying to replace something.
Nowadays in situations where before I would have ordered an alcoholic drink I ask myself, am I actually thirsty? If not I order nothing or a really lush soft drink that I want because I love the taste rather than trying to find a substitute.
I think I thought for a while I enjoyed the ritual, all that I really enjoyed was the alcohol.
Love Billy x
​​​

FlyAgain

Something that I read.... non alcoholic drinks are for non alcoholics

Haris2014

I tried the NA wine, the one I tried was disgusting and sweet... as a rule at home I drink sparkling water with a fresh lime in it. When I go and meet friends and go to the pub for quiz night (Lockdown permitting) I do have a NA beer Or NA cider.
My wife drinks at home (not a lot) and have always had Normal wine in the house. since NYD she has decided that she wants to join me and not drink for the foreseeable and has actually gone and got herself a bottle of (yet unopened) zero red wine... I will not be joining her on drinking that sweet mess but really Appreciative of her support.

boreas

The “ritual” was a big part of my addiction, and one of the hardest things to break. I think my new evening routine helped immensely in the early days.

A friend told me a story about her deceased m-i-l who dipped snuff, a socially acceptable alternative to smoking for ladies of that generation. In her later years she had dementia. She would sit, nothing in hand, and repeat the ritual of opening her snuff jar, grabbing the spoon to dip out her pinch, and place the wad of nothing between her cheek and gum. She would then rock happily on the porch for an hour or so.

I retired my wine glass for the same reason. It holds a rock collection these days.
-bora

Hodd

I always wince slightly when alcohol free drinks get a bad rep. Let’s bear in mind, folks, what works for you might not work for others.

Whilst alcohol free drinks are a no no for many, I will say they helped stopped me from drinking. Instead of having a deadly six cans of beer a night, I’d have two cans of alcohol free beer. My body and brain was still detoxing and getting used to a life without alcohol, but the alcohol free beer was satisfying my craving in those early days. Now I rarely drink alcohol free beer. It was clearly not addictive as real beer is.

Let’s be open minded, please, for the sake of others.

Robbie64

I don't know about non-alcoholic wine ( I don't like the real thing) but I do know that I found it very triggering drinking non-alcoholic lager. I found it difficult to sip it rather than drink it like I would if it were the real thing. Plus the chemicals that are used to remove the alcohol can cause a hangover effect. The only non-alcoholic version of an alcoholic drink I can tolerate is Koppaberg cider. It tastes more like pop though is is very sweet. However I've never tried the alcoholic version so I don't have a connection between the two versions.

Haris2014

I agree Hodd, it is down to the individual in the end.. I enjoy a NA beer in the pub, going the pub is rare those during these times. But I also see why people advice against drinking it, we work so hard to stop drinking alcohol why add another ‘coin toss’ into the mix.

Hodd

Hi Haris, I agree, and it’s by far the lesser evil. A drinker will be way better off drinking alcohol free beer than the real stuff. Also, although I didn’t do this often, I could drink real beer all day back in my drinking days, but I couldn’t physically do so with alcohol free beer. It’s just not addictive.

As I say, that’s just my experience. The reason I quit drinking was to avoid destroying my life and liver, and alcohol free beer fits in with this.

I also post on a UK liver forum, and there was outright bullying going on there when anyone raised this topic. Thankfully that’s now stopped, but this forum has always had more sensible posters.

Surrendered19

I do not think the fake booze will ever be for me in any form. Sort of like the new vegan being offered tofu formed into the shape of a chicken wing. It would be a very slippery slope and I'm only speaking for yours truly - a historically weak and dimwitted alcoholic. I will observe that some sober people that I know and respect in real life are having all sorts of fun with the exploding market of non-alcoholic drinks that mimic margehritas, whisky, etc. The industry is obviously onto something because those damn things are as expensive as a real bottle of whisky and people are happily paying that. As the scientific world continues to figure out and publish data showing that alcohol is literally killing us, I think these products will continue to grow in number. Something every person in recovery should think about, strategize on, and remember that our brains are not necessarily good candidates to be tricked.

LateBloominCait

For me, the ritual was a big part of what fed into my alcoholism. Red wine was one of my favorite drinks. I would choose a meal to go with it, shine up my wine glasses, open it and let it breathe, pour it in a decanter. All sounds lovely and dignified, but it was really just an elaborate ritual to make me feel better about needing to get obliterated to enjoy anything. I also will admit now that wine doesn't really taste all that great. If it did, non-alcoholic wines would be in stores all over the way soda or juice is. People drink wine because it is intoxicating. Give a 7 year old a sip of non alcoholic wine and they will spit it back up because it tastes like rotten fruit because that's what it is. But if you had asked me if wine was tasty before my last relapses, I would have said yes. I was already planning my relapse though. Admitting the truth, that it's not that good, would be me admitting to my own insanity of drinking something nasty just so I can get messed up. I know that my saying this will have no effect on anyone else. I wasn't ready to hear it before either.

Also be aware that while alcohol free wines do exist, all non-alcoholic beers contain traces of alcohol. The brain of an alcoholic reacts differently to the presence of alcohol, even in small amounts. For many, the traces in non-alcoholic beer aren't enough, but that is not universally true. If it triggers the addiction, you won't be able to stop it once that process starts. I don't think anyone should be encouraging alcoholics to drink traces of alcohol. It's like encouraging someone with a shellfish allergy to have just one clam. One can be all it takes. I also don't judge anyone who does drink NA drinks if that works for you. But it seems like an awful risky thing to try in early recovery when there are countless tasty beverages that already exist that aren't associated with alcohol at all.

decchemist

My wife bought me a bottle of something called Nosecco for New Year's Eve. 'It's alcohol free', she told me. I checked and it had 0.5% alcohol in it so I said thanks but no thanks. Some will argue that other foods and drinks have alcohol in them maybe to this level so what's the harm? Bottom line is I will not drink any alcohol knowingly now. Why risk it?