Alcohol free gin
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 322
Alcohol free gin
I'm almost 17 months sober and have never had 'fake' alcohol or 0% anything like that. But tonight I popped to the pub with my husband and friend for an hour, and enjoyed an alcohol free 'gin' and tonic, which was really lovely.
I felt really warm and buzzy, and realised that alcohol gets a lot of credit for things. Sitting in a pub with your friends, enjoying company and conversation is the enjoyable thing! That gave me the buzzy warm feeling!
I enjoyed my drink, and then I didnt immediately want another. I came home and had tea. It was lovely.
I dont think I will make a habit of drinking alcohol free beers and spirits, but certainly was enjoyable in a pub with friends.
I felt really warm and buzzy, and realised that alcohol gets a lot of credit for things. Sitting in a pub with your friends, enjoying company and conversation is the enjoyable thing! That gave me the buzzy warm feeling!
I enjoyed my drink, and then I didnt immediately want another. I came home and had tea. It was lovely.
I dont think I will make a habit of drinking alcohol free beers and spirits, but certainly was enjoyable in a pub with friends.
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
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I had no idea and frankly not sure I would want to even try it. Part of me wants to say that I'm happy you had a good time, and the other half sees a giant red flag sticking up so I guess I'll just leave it at that. While I have successfully entered bars and hung around without drinking alcohol, it was not an enjoyable experience at all.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,320
I'm glad you had a good evening AK, and you're right - I wouldn't call it a buzz myself but there's a real and genuine warmth that comes from being with friends.
I'm also personally glad you've decided afterwards not to make a habit of drinking NA drinks in bars.
To really stick it to your Inner Addict you can have those warm close moments of friendship and togetherness in other places too
D
I'm also personally glad you've decided afterwards not to make a habit of drinking NA drinks in bars.
To really stick it to your Inner Addict you can have those warm close moments of friendship and togetherness in other places too
D
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 524
Glad you had a lovely time. I've seen NA Gin advertised on TV recently. I was curious and might try it but I have to say I don't find NA drinks appealing. Too close to the real version.
I am happy to have mocktails and virgin Mojitos etc as essentially they are just fruit drinks. But when you start getting NA wine, beers and spirits, for me it's too close for comfort.
I am happy to have mocktails and virgin Mojitos etc as essentially they are just fruit drinks. But when you start getting NA wine, beers and spirits, for me it's too close for comfort.
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 322
Originally Posted by Primativo 
Glad you had a lovely time. I've seen NA Gin advertised on TV recently. I was curious and might try it but I have to say I don't find NA drinks appealing. Too close to the real version.
I am happy to have mocktails and virgin Mojitos etc as essentially they are just fruit drinks. But when you start getting NA wine, beers and spirits, for me it's too close for comfort.
I am happy to have mocktails and virgin Mojitos etc as essentially they are just fruit drinks. But when you start getting NA wine, beers and spirits, for me it's too close for comfort.
I personally was never too interested in alcohol free drinks either, I never drank because I enjoyed the taste, I only ever drank to get drunk so it never made sense to drink fake versions of drinks i didnt really like.
However I really enjoyed an hour without my child, outside of the house after so long in lockdown and drinking something tasty (I only ever drink water and hot drinks these days so it was a treat to have something different).
I rarely drank at bars anyway, I drank at home. I liked to drink without people watching so i could drink in the destructive way i wanted. I always needed a few beers prior if going out to cope with the anxiety, so it was a real lovely feeling to want to be there.
I understand why some people dont find being in a bar enjoyable but I did today, and I dont know that means it's a red flag. I have done, and continue to do, incredibly well with my sobriety.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,320
I'll explain my misgivings
I'm a big believer in being a proud non drinker.
I think trying to fit in with drinkers brings a lot of us undone....if we're in the place where people are drinking (especially when we used to drink there with those people) and we're drinking something that might remind us of what we used to drink....we could be knee deep in old behaviours and not even realise it.
Many of us have been undone by the thought that 'oh, one [real drink] can't hurt'.
I appreciate that you did most of your drinking at home and weren't really a gin drinker and so I understand you might feel these red flags we speak of don't apply to you AK, but I reckon it is still a good thing to talk about in the Newcomers forum
D
I'm a big believer in being a proud non drinker.
I think trying to fit in with drinkers brings a lot of us undone....if we're in the place where people are drinking (especially when we used to drink there with those people) and we're drinking something that might remind us of what we used to drink....we could be knee deep in old behaviours and not even realise it.
Many of us have been undone by the thought that 'oh, one [real drink] can't hurt'.
I appreciate that you did most of your drinking at home and weren't really a gin drinker and so I understand you might feel these red flags we speak of don't apply to you AK, but I reckon it is still a good thing to talk about in the Newcomers forum
D
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Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 277
Just my two cents, and I don’t wish to rain on your parade! I’m glad you really enjoyed your time and you do deserve to have nice times.
I find that once I put the idea in my head to have a non alcoholic beer, it’s a bit like a gateway drug to real beer. It never takes long before I move on to a few beers, and before I know it I’m back to binge drinking for sometimes months on end.
Again, you’re not me, and it’s not my business what you want to do. You may have another in a few months and then a few months again after that and that’s how you’ll keep it. I just think we would do you a disservice to not offer words of caution. Too many have fallen into a trap, and I think we don’t want that to happen to you.
I find that once I put the idea in my head to have a non alcoholic beer, it’s a bit like a gateway drug to real beer. It never takes long before I move on to a few beers, and before I know it I’m back to binge drinking for sometimes months on end.
Again, you’re not me, and it’s not my business what you want to do. You may have another in a few months and then a few months again after that and that’s how you’ll keep it. I just think we would do you a disservice to not offer words of caution. Too many have fallen into a trap, and I think we don’t want that to happen to you.
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: NSW - Australia
Posts: 14,508
I wouldn't make a habit of it, but can't see anything 'wrong' with it either.
It's just a fruity drink labelled as n/a as far as I'm concerned. Never led me to drinking real McCoy.
I have bought stuff like that a couple of times, but too expensive. I do like a fancy glass when dining on water tho.
Everyones different. Thank goodness.
It's just a fruity drink labelled as n/a as far as I'm concerned. Never led me to drinking real McCoy.
I have bought stuff like that a couple of times, but too expensive. I do like a fancy glass when dining on water tho.
Everyones different. Thank goodness.
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sonoran Desert & Southeast Asia
Posts: 6,561
Love my plain tonic water and lime, it's my regular drink when I'm at a restaurant with bar. I just love the bitter quinine taste, though most of the tonic water is pretty lame nowadays but you can get some good ones.
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Join Date: May 2019
Location: UK
Posts: 3,918
I won’t give the company’s name and I havent tried the product because thankfully I was never into gin or any spirit, but the person who developed this particular brand of alcohol free gin has always been teetotal.
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 524
Originally Posted by AwkwardKitty
This was essentially like a mocktail, it's a concoction brewed with botanicals.
I personally was never too interested in alcohol free drinks either, I never drank because I enjoyed the taste, I only ever drank to get drunk so it never made sense to drink fake versions of drinks i didnt really like.
However I really enjoyed an hour without my child, outside of the house after so long in lockdown and drinking something tasty (I only ever drink water and hot drinks these days so it was a treat to have something different).
I rarely drank at bars anyway, I drank at home. I liked to drink without people watching so i could drink in the destructive way i wanted. I always needed a few beers prior if going out to cope with the anxiety, so it was a real lovely feeling to want to be there.
I understand why some people dont find being in a bar enjoyable but I did today, and I dont know that means it's a red flag. I have done, and continue to do, incredibly well with my sobriety.
I personally was never too interested in alcohol free drinks either, I never drank because I enjoyed the taste, I only ever drank to get drunk so it never made sense to drink fake versions of drinks i didnt really like.
However I really enjoyed an hour without my child, outside of the house after so long in lockdown and drinking something tasty (I only ever drink water and hot drinks these days so it was a treat to have something different).
I rarely drank at bars anyway, I drank at home. I liked to drink without people watching so i could drink in the destructive way i wanted. I always needed a few beers prior if going out to cope with the anxiety, so it was a real lovely feeling to want to be there.
I understand why some people dont find being in a bar enjoyable but I did today, and I dont know that means it's a red flag. I have done, and continue to do, incredibly well with my sobriety.
Oh totally. Some people won't go to bars or set foot in places that revolve around alcohol. It doesn't bother me, if I'm not drinking I'm not drinking. Being in a pub won't tempt me. I'm the same as you, I was mostly a home drinker. Drink to oblivion. If I was out for drinks, you can bet I had already started drinking beforehand, liek you to cope with anxiety, and then when I got back I'd continue because enough was never enough. I couldn't cope with the journey to the pub knowing I'd be drinking, but with no access to alcohol there and then. I'd have to start at home so I already had alcohol in my system.
It's important to be able to socialise in bars with friends.
Have you tried *******? That is quite interesting. The only thing with these things s they are expensive. They charge you like it's a real alcoholic drink, so I usually pass and drink water or a soft drink as feel it's a waste of money, but just one doesn't hurt.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,320
We have a long standing convention here in Newcomers forum that we don't talk about brands of NA drinks, as that may be seen as promotion.
Please avoid brand names and/or recommendations.
Dee
Administrator
SR
Please avoid brand names and/or recommendations.
Dee
Administrator
SR
Member
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: London
Posts: 333
I was a hardcore alcohol free drinks are a gateway back to drinking kind of person; it took me to move from smoking to vaping to realise what absolute BS that was lol. When I vaped I had no wish to smoke, so yeah i'd happily drink a non alcohol drink when out. I know someone who is 25 years sober who goes through bottles of non alcoholic wine a week, whatever you have to do or indeed want to do, it's all good.
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Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 739
Club soda/seltzer/sparking water.
0 calories, ive always had this in my fridge even in active alcoholism when i wasn't drinking at the moment.
Sometimes i drink this around people drinking and the thought that i am not drinking. The thought of alcohol at all just escapes me. Normal drinkers get a little relaxed and it kinds of rub off. That said I'm not at alcohol related gatherings very often
Vape on the other hand is kind of a miracle. It would be like finding an alcohol that keeps you pleasantly buzzed all night, doesn't make you crave more or give you hangovers, beat up your liver. Im not counting on an alcohol version of vape to be invented. If it did you can bet for sure in America, THEY will come after it hard. The alcohol industry, politicians in a panic over lost tax revenue. They will turn to the media who will convince people that this product is more dangerous then vodka. It must be stopped, think of the children, never mind teen drinking, dwi wrecks, and alcoholism deaths are down. The media would demonize it and many would avoid it.
0 calories, ive always had this in my fridge even in active alcoholism when i wasn't drinking at the moment.
Sometimes i drink this around people drinking and the thought that i am not drinking. The thought of alcohol at all just escapes me. Normal drinkers get a little relaxed and it kinds of rub off. That said I'm not at alcohol related gatherings very often
Vape on the other hand is kind of a miracle. It would be like finding an alcohol that keeps you pleasantly buzzed all night, doesn't make you crave more or give you hangovers, beat up your liver. Im not counting on an alcohol version of vape to be invented. If it did you can bet for sure in America, THEY will come after it hard. The alcohol industry, politicians in a panic over lost tax revenue. They will turn to the media who will convince people that this product is more dangerous then vodka. It must be stopped, think of the children, never mind teen drinking, dwi wrecks, and alcoholism deaths are down. The media would demonize it and many would avoid it.
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