One big benefit of not drinking for me is the weight loss aspect of it. Not drinking in itself helps you lose weight but it also makes me conscious of what I eat and how much I eat. Along with that comes NA drinks.
Now obviously water, ice tea, or club soda are healthier options but I think in early recovery it’s important to drink something that you actually enjoy the taste of. And if it’s a mock version of something alcoholic and that helps then all the better.
When I was out the other day, I considered getting club soda because it’s essentially like drinking water but I was also going through a craving and I just wanted something that tasted good. So I got a ginger beer with a few limes in it. Not only was it delicious and actually better than the Moscow mule counterpart (according to my friend), but it helped me deal with my craving.
I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t deprive yourself of everything completely. You can still enjoy things (as long as you’re not substituting one bad addiction for another). Especially in early recovery, I think it’s important.
Not sure if you guys have it in the States but I’ve recently discovered Kombucha. It’s a cold flavoured tea (I know us Brits and our tea) but it’s so refreshing. It’s ‘live’ so it’s really good for the digestive system and comes in glass bottles so feels like having a cold beer.
Ginger beer is super delicious for sure. Just do not look at the stats! Eek! But I do agree 100%, especially in early days…it helped me immensely to self gratify with sweets to counter the alcohol sugars my body and mind were missing.
Sadly, for more than middle aged menopausal women, being AF is not a magic bullet of weight loss (other than a few initial pounds). However, having lived in this body almost 60 years, I do appreciate it much more than I used to and am not as focused on what it weighs as I am on how I feel in it and being AF feels fantastic …even with the aches and pains as it ages.
I definitely replaced some of my alcohol addiction with sugar, so my current step is curbing the sugar. Little by little I am making progress. I am thankful this issue is much more manageable and doesn’t take the emotional and physical toll that alcohol did…it barely registers compared to my issues with the drink.
Team Tea over here lol. I love the way coffee smells but absolutely hate the taste, even with all the fancy stuff they can put in. But I love hot tea! My mom fought me a really cute tea pot set for Christmas this past year and I love it!
