My sponsor was telling her story last week and she was saying that she actually changed her sobriety date to the last day she had NA wine. It was mimicking the real thing and while it had VERY low alcohol content in it, it did still have alcohol in it and that was enough to make her reset her date. She said there was a reason she chose that wine vs another sober drink. It was her old patterns, habits and thought processes popping up and creeping back in, which she realized would soon be her demise if she didnāt recommit to her sobriety. She was romanticising having a drink and acting on it. Thatās her story and itās hers alone but it sure did make me think.
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Me personally, I never liked the idea of drinking NA beverages. I stopped drinking for a plethora of reasons and to drink some imitation beer or wine does no justice to my sobriety. I never get these urges everyone keeps talking about and Iām not going to put myself in that situation willingly. So, Iāll pass on the NA beer and or wine.
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Itās awesome to see we have such different perspective on this for sure. I for one Def will still call myself sober if I occasionally have a couple n.a beers. Iām not drinking a 18 pack of it a day I have maybe 2 every 3 weeks or so. Itās not mimicking really beer for me any differently then if I were to make a lil mixed moctail. Itās not altering my mind or ruining my life. So Iām still gonna drink them occasionally and be proud of my sobriety and if anyone thinks different to bad for them lol. I mean shit if ppl want to reset there counter over a n.a beer, I put vannila extract in my French toast which has alcohol so I may as well reset my counter for that too lol. Anyone awesome perspectives from everyone and itās good to see what every one has to do to stay sober. If the n.as end up fucking my life up well then lesson learned
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Some handle it just fine and some do not. Itās like anything else we do in recovery first hand experience is the only way to know for sure if youāre willing to chance it. I doubt anybody is questioning your sobriety from drinking NA beers. We all gotta do what works for us and if something doesnāt work we just gotta learn and move on. Good to see youāre doing so well, back to work so less time on here. Take care buddy
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I bought some na red wine last week put it in my bolonaise. I had one glass of it and it was actually nice without the alcohol kick.
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Totally agree. Thereās no one ārightā answer.
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Such a good point.
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Yes, I use Madagascar bourbon vanilla paste for my cream cheese frosting. I also had zero alcohol beers a few times, not bad. My choice is tea and lately coffee, loved plain water all my life. Sometimes sparkling water with lime and ice is nice too.
I drink NA wine and itās not a trigger for me. While I used to drink a bottle or two of regular wine in one sitting, I only drink a glass of NA and Iām good. The NA wine I get has to be consumed within 5 days of opening because it will turn sour and I struggle to drink a whole bottle in 5 days. Crazy!!! Lol. But for me personally I dont have a problem with it. It doesnāt cause me to want the real thing at all. I love the sober life I have. I have too much to lose to start drinking again. And honestly, not drinking has just become a regular part of my life. Iām not interested in it nor do I feel tempted at all. But if you are having any doubts, listen to them and be careful. Itās not worth the risk.
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It reminds of the real thing without the ābuzzā though. And I want that buzz when I start drinking, so for me it a no go because iām pretty sure it will lead me to drinking again. Besides I do believe having the taste but not the high and intoxication will frustrate me. Frustration leads to anger, anger makes me vulnerable and that might lead toā¦
I loose myself again because in the past I have proven myself I just canāt stop drinking. Canāt stop with any substance for that matter.
Itās not the ābody cravingsā Iām afraid of. The mental cravings, longings and thoughts scare me more and were harder to get rid of.
I donāt want to back to that hellā¦ I just donāt want to go there anymore. So I stay clear from all of that substitutes.
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Thatās funny, @CapriciousCapricorn. Youāre the first person I remember saying fancy glasses might be a trigger too, but itās something I always figured must get to somebody. Such an obvious, ritual thing. It surprises me that some still love their favorite old glass.
I never really had one. At my bottom Iād drink out of a shoe if the right thing was in it. 
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Caffeinated OJ?! Tell me moreā¦
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I use the caffeine water flavor packets and put them in my oj. I mix it with the juice instead of water 
I really like the strawberry or the peach mango ones in it.
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Hey Mike, just FYI, there is vanilla extract with no alcohol available. I put it on my plain yogurt.
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I tried this and omg the tart cherry juice does have a pinot noir taste! I mixed it with lime flavored seltzer.
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