I’m sober now 2 years and have grown to enjoy NA beer and wine products when we go out to restaurants and bars. I also use them at home along with water , club soda, coffee, and tea.
They don’t creat any type of trigger for me to drink again.
Thoughts?
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There are a lot of posts on this topic but I don’t recall any from someone who had a fair amount of sobriety before
they tried NA beer/wine. I think in the beginning of sobriety it’s very dangerous at least it was for me (I relapsed). I think if a person is drinking them in abundance it should be a warning sign, if a person is having 1 every now and then it’s probably okay maybe (If they have a decent amount of sobriety time)… I think b the key is to be careful and be honest with yourself about your how and why.
Congrats on 2 years 
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If it works for you then it works! Everyone has different opinions because everything works differently depending on the person. I have one NA if I’m at a concert or in certain social settings, so just one every couple months. I don’t find it to be a trigger and I actually like the taste of one. But it’s very triggering for some.
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Congratulations on your 2 years! I myself do drink the na drinks and dont find then to be a trigger or a substitute for the real thing. Its more for something nice to drink (thats not water /juice or la croix).
Many do find na drinks to be a trigger so i think its best to know yourself and be true to yourself on why you are drinking na drinks. The greatest trigger i feel comes from the actual purchase as these drinks are right alongside the alcoholic beverages. It really is differenent for everyone.
Find other alternatives if your urges for real alcohol are strong or persistent. Its safer to just not drink na drinks than end up relapsing
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2 years fantastic 
NA beer to me is almost like cheating on the program 
Personally I tell my sponcees to stay well clear of all NA stuff, as you don’t what it will do to you, or where it will take you.
In early sobriety it’s definitely a big red flag, it’s a mental thing like saying to yourself 1 drink won’t hurt, you can never tell what an alcoholics mind will conjure up to justify taking a drink.
Also bear in mind not all NA drinks are totally AF some can contain upto 0.5% ABV. So if your going to drink anything check the bottle very carefully, it would be a shame to jeopardise 2 years of sobriety.
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2 years is amazing well done! for me i dont want to drink alcohol so i dont see the point of things that look and taste similar, i dont want to be reminded, ever. Im fully respectful of anyone elses choices though its each to their own and whatever works for them
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Different approaches work for different people and if this works for you then great!
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I never drank for the taste of alcohol so NA stuff isn’t for me, but I’m glad it works for you! Like Dan said I think it’s dangerous in early sobriety but you’re clearly a more experienced sobrerian 
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Welcome and congrats on your 2 years of sobriety!!! I wasn’t a beer drinker anymore at the end of my drinking career, but I definitely was a wino and also the bubbly and martinis and cocktails…it was a long list.
Around year 4 of sobriety I was missing something festive and bubbly when we had summer get togethers. I was tired of water and La Croix, I don’t drink any juices, mocktails and was off sugar. I happened upon some yummy Keto Kombuchas that had a nice fizz and taste and they were delicious ice cold. I also found a Faux Rose (sadly that is now discontinued). It was unbelievably sweet to me, but fizzy and festive and mixed well with more sparkling. It didn’t trigger me, but I didn’t like all the sugar. I never tried another brand.
I still drink the keto kombuchas in warmer weather.
My thought is do what works for you. If it starts triggering you, then you know to stop (hopefully).
There are so many new zero alcohol wines and such now due to the popularity of the sober curious and all of us. Normalizing non alcohol fizzy festive drinks is a positive for me. Your mileage may vary.
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I do drink NA beer. No trigger to me, but everybody is different. What works for one person might not work for someone else. For most people it seems to be triggering, so i would never recommend it to someone else.
I wont forget where i am coming from - so no chance for an alcoholic beer
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A quote from a fellow AA member I met…
“Non alcoholic beer is for non alcoholics”
I steer clear but if you are ok with it, go for it. It may not be a trigger but it could be a trick. It’s a small step to real beer. Small step, monumental consequences.
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Well sir I do appreciate your support and advice but I’m not on a “program”. I put that information in my profile but I’m guessing it’s not publicly displayed. I’ve done a great deal of research and did attend a few AA meetings but they are not the path that I’ve chosen in my sobriety. I know many others like myself as well who have successfully managed to stay sober without AA.
However if it works for you or anyone else then I’m all for it.
In regards to your comment “early in your sobriety”… do you believe someone is at a higher risk of drinking again after 2 years vs 10 years?
I only reply with this question because I feel your comment my be misleading to others who think there’s an actual difference in how long you’ve been sober to falling off the wagon.
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Works for me when going out
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Thank you but I’m not a AA member so that isn’t relevant to me.
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Love this new term lol
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It’s not an AA saying. Merely a quote.
Glad it’s working out for ya 
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Congrats on 2 years! I’m newly sober (5 months) but I’ve found things like mocktails to be really helpful for me with my sobriety. I don’t like soda but I do like it when I mix it with other stuff like juices and non alcoholic vodka or champagne and stuff like that. I know that’s super controversial but it works for me and brings something fun to the table when I’m with my family or friends. I stay clear of things that say they contain any alcohol because I’m scared of relapse but I look at my mocktails as just a fun thing to do and keep me busy. Instead of being drunk I’m making new recipes and memories. I’m also not someone who had mixed drinks very much when I was a drinker, I drank beer and wine so I steer clear of non alcoholic wine and beer.
I think what works for you works. You know your triggers and everyone’s is different. These non alcoholic drinks can be tools but you have to have an honest conversation with yourself on when a tool becomes dangerous.
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David, I believe you asked people their thoughts and they obliged. Whether you are in a program or not is if little consequence based on the question asked. Just as you chose to do things alone , many of us have found success in programs. People are sharing their personal beliefs, it in no way is meant to diminish you excellent 2 years of sobriety. Congrats. Program or not we are all in the platform for the same reason.
Risk of relapse can happen in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. Complacency in sobriety leads to bad things. I’m 2 years sober and in no way to I think “I’m in the clear”.
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I use these products as well! I think it’s wonderful that bars and restaurants have embraced sobriety and having options for people who can’t or don’t want to drink. I actually convinced the bar I go to after work or for lunch to carry better options for people than Odoul’s. I don’t use them often but like tonight my in-laws came over and had some drinks and I pulled a couple NA IPAs out of the fridge and had a couple. It kept me from having to explain in front of everyone why I’m not drinking after a long day at the baseball field because I didn’t feel like having to talk about sobriety at dinner lol. I also love the hop flavored seltzer waters which don’t have any calories at all for an even healthier option. I know some people argue that NA products do have a slight amount of alcohol in them less that 0.5% which could be a trigger for some people. This is why I’m glad they’re making zero content products for those folks. The world is starting to realize that alcohol has always been a deadly drug just as much as other harder drugs can be!
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