Is This A Bad Idea ???

[cindyv22]

I Think I Know The Answer Already But Wanted To Throw It Out There.

If Your A Beer Drinker, And Are In A Quit, Staying Sober, Is It A Bad Idea To Get N/a Beer? Just For The Taste Or Do You Feel This Will Lead To A Slip?

Thanks All In Advance
Xoxo

[BillB]

Hi Cindy, I'm not a beer drinker but I've heard it's not a good idea to drink n/a beer since it could trigger a possible relapse but then again, everyone is different. Perhaps someone who regularly use to drink beer will have a better answer for you. :)

[jujubee]

Hi Cindy,
Personally I think in the begining it is a bad idea. I think it's best to not be substituting things that are like alcoholic beverages..it's better to just break the positve association with alcohol all together. Having said this about 6-7 months in my quit I had a n/a beer. It was weird because I felt like I was drinking alcohol. I almost stopped drinking it because it was a little mentally confusing that I wasn't drinking a real beer. Of course I never got buzzed or anything but really weird because I felt like I had slipped even though I hadn't. I have never been a big beer drinker anyway so I just never drank the rest of them(I had bought a 6 pack)

In the end though Cindy, NOT drinking alcohol is key and you know yourself best. If you think it will help and not make you want a real beer...I say try it but I thought I would share my experience.

[Hilikus]

I've thought about it, and haven't really come to a conclusion. I think my mind would be confused, kind of like a taking a placebo pill. Some patients actually think it helps improve their condition even though nothing is in the pill. I think the same may go for n/a beer. :confused:

[Marcus Gold]

I guess it strikes me as a bad idea, like jujubee said, it seems best to just break all associations with drinking.

[John]

I'll take the contrarian position here.

Since quitting, I've had NA beer occassionally after finding two that taste pretty good to me. A six pack lasts me about 3 weeks. A "regular" six pack used to last 2 days at most.

It's certainly not a trigger to me and I would argue that drinks like "juice/sparkling water/dash of mint" etc. are really substitutes for alcoholic cocktails. They are mocktails if you like. So unless you feel that anything even remotely resembling an alcoholic beverage will trigger the AV - enjoy. This is not about a life of deprivation.

[JT]

where I was craving so badly I had a couple of O'douls. Probably a total of 10 during the entire 29 days. I can only drink about 2 then I don't want any more. I guess I'm not getting a buzz so what's the point? It has helped me beat the AV on several occasions. I would hesitate to advise it for you since we're all different.

I can honestly say, though, that I would probably not be on day 29 without it.

Protein supplement shakes help me also.

[Marcus Gold]

I see John's point, too, and JohnnyTarr's story is clearly positive, so whatever works!

[Norma]

Ive had NA beer on a few occasions since I quit. In the beginning I felt it didnt make me stand out from the crowd and be questioned about what I was drinking. Sometimes when Im out for the night I just get sick of soda and lime or soft drinks and Ill have a Becks NA but like most people say you wont have more than one or two. I would say on balance they were helpfull to me but they are as expensive as alcohol and I dont like paying money across a bar counter these days.

[cindyv22]

yeah i was wondering the feedback I would get from this, sometimes i think it might be a good idea, other times i'm really not sure. Like i would want one but then i say why take in the extra useless calories....Ummm ???? maybe when I feel more comfortable w/ doing it, or maybe never. really not sure on it yet, i'm to soon in the quit. Today is 15 days.

[Jackalope]

Hey Cindy, Have you made a trip to the store yet to see what some of your other choices might be? I was amazed when I visited Wild Oat / Whole Foods because they have a whole aisle of things that are delicious and much more interesting than the regular coke, diet coke, etc. bunch. I personally am very fond of diet Dr. Pepper, mint tea, root beer, various sparkling waters, etc. There's a world of exploration waiting for you.

There's also a couple threads on this topic on the board. One is yea/nay on NA beers and the other (there might be a few similar) on what is your new favorite drink, or what do you drink now besides booze. So, look around and enjoy.

And congratulations on 15 days. That is huge!

[bigsister987]

Here is an opinion:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_non-alcoholic_beer_safe_for_alcoholics_to_drink


Muslims allow it apparently:

http://www.islamtoday.net/english/showme2.cfm?cat_id=2&sub_cat_id=561


Hence, there are no grounds to prohibit this drink. And Allah knows best.

[Luke]

Hi cindy, welcome!
I think bigsis has given the definitive answer.
I was going to say, quitting is a state of mind - not the flavour of the drinks.

[bigsister987]

Now THIS is a bad idea:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566111/It-tastes-beef-non-alcoholic-beer-strictly-dogs.html

[Gardengirl]

I've used it in the past during my pregnancies to get through certain situations. When I was pregnant with my first I'd drink them at bars when my husband had gigs. Sometimes I did buy them when I wanted beer, also. Being pregnant is like being locked into sobriety, and I wasn't wanting to quit drinking but I had to, so I drank n/a's.

Now, I don't drink n/a's.

I actually wonder if I'd slip *less* if I started buying them.

[Bridgit]

Hi,

Why bother? I never drank beer for the taste. I shoulda just gotten an IV and done it that way. So I personally would not want Non Alcoholic beer,
cuz you can't even get a buzz off it. Plus if it was me I'd have to tell everyone it was NA beer so they would not think I was drinking beer. That could get old fast.
Stick with shirley temples. Now those are YUM.

[BigMac]

I have an opinion that I would like to share. I love beer.

I got tired of pop, juice, tea, etc. and really wanted that taste. So I went to the store, liquor store, and bought several different N/A beers. It was a very surreal experience. I didn't like that part.

Finally tried my first n/a beer, and wasn't sure how I would react. But I liked it, and it quenched my thirst. Rarely have I had two in a row.

I personally like Becks NA the best. But also sometimes I will make a tomato beer with Bush N/A, and a little tobasco.

Summary: I felt weird at first, but by the end that feeling went away, and I felt better, like I had quenched my thirst without drinking. And most importantly, I did not feel like I had to get a real beer.

BigMac

[Rich]

N/A beer is for woosies!! :D Arf

[markl]

no cindy it is a very bad idea its a beer its got nothing good for you in it it will make you think of beer and taste beer it wont be long and it will turn into a real beer i know juice is better and if you have 15 days you shouldnt be near anywhere that you need to make a choice

[supergirl]

I actually have had positive experiences with them. I'll have one or two to make me feel like I'm part of the crowd if I'm with others who are drinking beer. Or in a restaurant if I'm having spicy food that would go with a cold beer. It seems like a treat to me. I like the taste of beer. But I don't see any point in having more than one or two. They have at least 100 calories each so I'd switch to Diet Coke after a couple. I am/was a wine drinker at heart so I don't really associate beer with my "problem drinking" though.

[BigMac]

One of my n/a beers listed the calories as 70. Since they don't have alcohol, the calorie count is much lower than normal beer.

Also I don't drink n/a beer as a substitute for real beer. I like the taste. To me, it's a different drink. Why should I deny myself a good tasting beverage?

This message isn't a reply to supergirl, just a few thoughts I had planned on posting after thinking about it last night.

It does feel weird at first though. I can see where some people may feel that it might be a trigger. For me though, it didn't, and I still have a few n/a beers in my fridge for those occasions when I want something different, or just like the taste with a meal, like Mexican food.

I am at about 3 and 1/2 months without alcohol.

Mac

[cindyv22]

DAY 16 NOW!!!

And I do like the taste of beer, I tryed an Odouls.... I did feel weird at first, then

2 things came out of my test,

1. I liked it, some thing other then water, and it did quench my thirst,

2. I saw how I drank it ( after the weird feeling wore off of having a so called beer in my hand ) and it made me NOT want a real beer, cuz i could see if I did I would be back to day one. It proved a great point to me. And I was surprised I didnt want a real beer just the opposite....I could have the taste and I didnt want the feeling of the high, I was all set with that. like that I was still SOBER...