Ok, so I need to ask what may be a stupid question, one that my husband and I have tossed around a little lately without a great deal of clarity…we are at a stalemate.
Can an alcoholic drink Lemon, Lime and Bitters? Angostura Bitters is the beverage in question…Now to read the description online you would say ‘No’ because it is an alcohol. But if you are familiar with the drink you would know that you put 2 drops of it into your glass along with a dash of lime and filled up with lemonade, its more a floral/herbal flavouring for your softdrink. A drink that they sell to children if requested.
So let me have your thoughts, Im curious to know what your position is on this one.
I would say Its fine. The alcohol content is soooooo low I wouldn’t think it counts as anything really.
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I had a convo about this quite recently.
The ABV of Angostura Bitters is 44.7%
It all depends on your own view. For me, having anything like that in a drink is a no, BUT that is a personal view.
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For me personally, I’d avoid anything and everything with alcohol in it no matter the content. But that’s just my personal opinion.
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Just my view, lemon and lime is fine. Angostura Bitters I’d avoid.
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This was my Hubby’s opinion also, Ive also asked many people I know what theirs is and its a 50/50 lol.
@NewPerspective @CaptAZ @ChefJD thanks for your views. As @Beechasebee rightly pointed out ‘the amount is sooo low’ the possibility of one going overboard is probably low.
Im an alcoholic, and always will be. Its best I not ‘poke the bear’
I will jump firmly into the ‘no go zone’ and avoid it totally.
Thank you everyone, your opinions are appreciated 
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I’m not sure I would spend that much thought on trying to rationalize whether it’s ok to drink this particular concoction. Now, admittedly, I’ve never had bitters, so I could have missed out on something quite tastey, but in the end, it’s just a drink. I spent too many years obsessing about red wine, or beer, or whatever my taste was for a time.
I don’t drink anything reminiscent of alcohol. No NA beers or wines either, but as always, your mileage may vary.
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My view… and what i heard in aa and i do that for past 284 days no! alc. At all .
Ontes my buddy feels a drup of alc . Im done 
tested that to many times .
One small drup and then 1000 not enough
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Well said! You are so right, We (hubby and I) have been spending far to much time agonising over this tasty little snippet.
My energy is better placed in strengthening my sobriety and giving the very idea the kibosh.
Cheers 
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So true, The questioning alone should have made me realise something wasnt right
@Shazzles For me i always think about my head space.
Am i just using the slight alcohol content of it to justify a relapse?
Like most things in recovery each to there own.
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There are those of us that believe that we have something akin to an allergy to alcohol. That if we put even the smallest amount of alcohol in our bodies that it will spark a craving of the body.
That’s a chance I’m not willing to take. I won’t cook with alcohol and I won’t use mouthwash with alcohol. It’s that serious for me.
So I say no😉
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FYI - bitters were used during prohibition as a substitute for alcohol.
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I skip and would skip everything with even a drop of alcohol.
I am to scared to wake up the monster inside 
I love this question…only an alcoholic would ask the exact specifications of allowable alcohol… down to the drop. I love this, because I understand the thinking pattern, Because I am an alcoholic. We share the same brain… heaven help us both! My best advice is that if the action requires multiple discussions, a lil’ justification & a public opinion poll… I’d advise against it.
You’re eyes are on the line. Back away from the line. Nothing good ever happens for me when I try to approach the line. For me, it’s not good to flirt with anything, i.e.; alcohol, people, danger, a behavior, a way of thinking, an attitude… anything that makes me comfortable getting closer to that doggone line. If I get it in my head that I can kinda, sorta, maybe, ever so slightly, microscopically even come close to flirting with the line or bending the rules… I’ll take it further every time. So I steer clear.
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My friend made meatballs for a picnic the other day and the recipe called for Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. I have no idea if there is alcohol in it, and I still told him that I would not be eating any (it was for an NA picnic). He ended up using a different BBQ sauce.
As to the bitters, I don’t pretend to know what you should do. All I know is I would not have it in my house or in my drinks. I have the allergy. Knowing it was there would fuck with my head. If I want lemon/lime I will drink Sprite. Or Mellow Yellow. I love Mellow Yellow.
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So, I am a black sheep of the AA program for a lot of reasons. But mainly because I believe that alcoholics are first a human. As a human I have developed an allergy to alcohol…that is what defines me as an alcoholic. Period. Now, if I drink bitters or non-alcoholic beer I do not experience that allergic reaction. That is just me. I eat mustard with white-wine in it. I will eat something sautéed with alcohol. I will NOT eat Tiramisu or any dessert where the alcohol is not cooked off. How can I do this? Well, the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous specifically tells me I can. Bill W says I can. He/it says that I can go anywhere and do anything without fear as long as I take my God with me as long and as my motives are clear. Fear is the recovery killer. For me…just for me, if I am afraid of going to a bar, afraid of having a soda water with bitters, if I am afraid to eat shrimp scampi, then I have already lost my recovery. I am not flirting with disaster, I am filled with hope and success. Just my take on it all.
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I agree. Healthy fear is awesome because it’s not the fear that paralyzes you. Healthy fear motivates you to walk through it. I almost drowned in the ocean with a friend so have a healthy fear of waves…but I still swim there, I just keep track of my limits.
Is this a short person problem? We dont get but a 3-4 foot wave around here… lol