Whats the consensus here do you think its ok to drink alcohol free stuff when sober ?!?
I don’t think there is a consensus. NA beer (depending on brand) still has alcohol in it; so it depends on you. Some think of it as a temptation for the real thing which can lead to relapse. Some feel it’s just fine. It’s your choice.
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Thanks for your input i managed 100 days sober before however i had some n/a ciders and beers along the way it seemed to help
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I mean, if it helped; that’s great! But again, depending on the brand, you could have just been taking the edge off with alcohol…
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That sounds like something to try too … i think having an alcohol free beer when out is ok each to their own i suppose thanks for your input
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When im in a social situation or travelling somewhere hot I will order a Heineken 0.0 or Corona 0.0. Pour it in a glass. Ive actually done this out partying sober in different countries. Scooped up some chicks and they had no idea I was sober. To me its funny when no one knows and no one asks questions.
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Nothing wrong with alcohol free beer! Delicious!
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I drink non alcoholic wine and non alcoholic gin. It doesn’t tempt me in the least. I enjoy the taste and I can have just one glass and be done. I don’t drink it all time, just in “special occasions” sometimes. I think it’s perfectly fine - technically is has less than 0.5% alcohol in it which is the same amount in kombucha, listerine, and other things. Lol. But it’s up to you
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To each their own! I have really great control of my addictions now. Not to sound cocky. Good luck!
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There is no form of gin that tastes good lol
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Haha! I always liked gin. People thought it was weird. It’s definitely an acquired tasted I guess haha. But the non alcoholic gin is actually really good, I think. It’s called GinSin.
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Yeah i noticed that aswell people just assume you are drinking … no harm there i suppose
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Well i drink the becks blue which says it has 0.05% alcohol … i presume this still means im sober ? Lol
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The first time I seriously tried to get sober I drank alcohol free beer regularly, the problem I had was that I was sober but not in recovery, I was simply not drinking with no other support. I found I drank it very quickly just as I did with alcohol and it meant nothing in my routines or habits had changed. I found being sober very difficult and eventually I relapsed. Not just due to na beer obviously but I know it certainly didn’t help.
This time I have had a huge amount of support, a keyworker, antibuse, counselling and of course TS, I also avoided alcohol free beer in an attempt to change my habits.
I am now 9 months sober and have a completely different attitude to alcohol.
On a recent holiday I wanted to drink something other than water, I thought hard about it and decided that alcohol free beer felt comfortable now so I brought a pack of six and made sure it was completely 0.0%. I had one with dinner the first night, I enjoyed it and it filled the gap of wanting something different on holiday. I drank one each evening, had absolutely no urge to drink any more and haven’t thought about having any since returning home.
I wouldn’t waste my money on drinking it regularly but I would drink it again on holiday.
I think it depends on why you want to drink it and if it will lead you back to alcohol. If you haven’t changed any of your habits and are just replacing alcohol with it regularly then it may be too close to old ways for comfort but if it is something you could enjoy every now and then and your mindset towards actual alcohol has changed then I haven’t had a problem.
I’d be very careful in the early months of sobriety though, I wouldn’t have tried it until I was very comfortable with where I am.
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Thank you i will definately keep that in mind going forward
Hah yes. 0.5% is the breaking point!! Hahaha but no. Like I said, I drink NA wine and gin and I’m sober. But not everyone would agree, I guess. It depends on how you feel about it. 
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Odouls is the best tasting beer!! Said no one ever.
Frankly, why spend good money on a drink that only reminds you of all the “good times” and tastes like shit? Not to mention the empty calories. I don’t see the point, even when I drank beer, I never saw that point.
But that’s me.
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With alcoholic cirrhosis, I can’t even have “non-alcoholic” beer because there is still alcohol in it-enough to affect my liver and make it go haywire. That being said, it’s technically cheating even if you don’t get a buzz of of it. The way to go is Heineken 0.0. It’s refreshing and takes the edge off. I like one in a hot summer day and I don’t fiend for more but I wasn’t a beer drinker. Like others have said here, it’s different for everyone.
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Good friend of mine hasn’t drunk in 5 months and swears by alcohol free beer to just get rid of the intensity of the craving from time to time. Personally I think it tastes awful so prefer ginger or root beers.
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I consciously tried a few non-alcoholic beers when I stopped drinking and someone bought me a 6 pack of Heineken zero which sat in the fridge till I threw them away. I didnt get any enjoyment out of them and they were pretty bland. In the end I figured, non-alcoholic beer is just a silk cut to a Marlboro red so what does it really change? So I just dont drink them.
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