Is drinking so called non alcohol beer ( even 0.05%) ok, or is it just another excuse to lead back to the booze?
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IMO, it will lead you back to the real thing my friend.
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Iām sure for some people it will work, depending on the reasons why you drink it (wether it is because it is the closest you can get to an alcoholic drink without giving up sobriety or because you really enjoy the taste and every once in a while you want one for example), but for me it doesnāt work at all. I drank it sometimes past times when I tried to get sober, very quickly had some every night and in the end it was really easy to start drinking alcoholic beverages again. To me, the taste reminds me too much of the ārealā thing so I know it is best for me to stay away from it and just order soda or something else.
Edit: Giving it a bit more thought, I really doubt there are a lot of alcoholics for which it is a good replacement that doesnāt bring them back to booze. For non-alcoholics who like the taste but donāt always want alcohol or are designated driver for example, sure, but for alcoholicsā¦ it is just too close to regular beer I think.
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Youāre playing with fire my friend. I was 6 months sober. Started drinking OāDouls, then it went to bud 32 (the super super light beer), then light beerā¦ before I knew it I was back to smashing 12 corona extras every single night. Could you be an exception? Maybe. But this is my personal experience. Somebody else told me the same thing, but I didnāt listen.
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I agree with all the other kind folks who repliedā¦slippery slope. I had the same issue when I was trying to quit smoking/nicotineā¦I would use lozenges to quit and that just got me addicted to nicotine in lozenge form (and messed up my teeth for awhile). The only way is to eliminate it 100%. As oliverjava says, a little bit of poison is still poison.
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I think you ansered your question 
. It will lead you back.
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Im gonna share a little tmiā¦ for me, if Iām craving beer on a hot day they help, BUT, they nearly always give me a very VERY upset stomach and i spend a few hours um, indisposed. SO, my mind has associated beer in general as having this affect, and i donāt want it. Which is a good thing. Lol
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Iām going to be the devils advocate here. They (well, non-alcoholic wine) work for meā¦WHEN a bad craving hits. I think if I drank it every day as a substitute then I wouldnāt really be working through WHY I drink and how to not drink, Iām just substituting the drink with something else. Eventually I will go back to the real stuff. But when Iām having a particularily bad time and Iām worried that Iāll run out and buy a bottle (or three!!) instead I get the non-alcoholic stuff. It gives me the ability to go through the actions without the consequences. Then once the feelings have passed I get back to the real work.
I did this about 2 or 3 weeks ago and it really helped me.
BUT it wonāt work for everyone. And there are a LOT of people here (most, actually) who say donāt do it.
I think the answer is inside you. Deep down youāll know what will or wonāt work for you.
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Thanks guys, i think deep down I new the answer but needed conformation from others.
No alcohol=No alcohol
Have a great alcohol free weekend 
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Cheers, mine is in the fridge chiling 
love the taste!
Iāve never had a problem with it. I wanted one last night actually, but we out. Drinking N/A beer for me has never got me craving the real thing. I think the consensus is the opposite and Iām totally fine with that. For me, itās the carbonation and I MISS the taste. There are ALSO N/A beers out there with 0.0%, you just have to search a little harder. Still get that taste, but no percentage.
If you doubt yourself and how you might react, then donāt do it. When I was first newly sober, it really saved me. lol, when I was in the craves, deep down in them, I drank one of those and it gave me relief. Probably mental relief, like a placebo, but it stopped me from getting the real stuff. I also like it, because alcohol is still prevalent in my household and when we host events. I like to feel included and Iāll have one of those while everyone is drinking.
Iāve also gotten N/A wine before. Saying all that, after a few months I stopped drinking any of that stuff. It was a crutch when I needed it, but with time, I noticed I didnāt want those either.
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Is it the bottle in hand that you want?I know I had a hard time not having something in my hand.If so there are lots of substitutes.
I donāt claim to be a knowledge person.
But my understanding of what we deal with is a physical compulsion coupled with a mental obsession.
For me sobriety came at a great cost. I am not talking money. Self respect. Trust. Jobs. Drivers licence the list goes on. And could well have been my life and I donāt say that lightly.
In view of the above 2 points. Even 0.5% to me will trigger a compulsion. Then the mental obsession will kick in.
Even if 100 people said we got away with it. I would not risk it. Where it took me, and possibly my life.
No thank you.
Today I have regained what alcohol took and more. I have received all I sought in the bottle and more. Far more.
I will have a soft drink please.
Your Friend John 
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I think it depends on the person, but if youāre in early recovery or skeptical about it then probably dont. My sponsor is 5 years clean and sober and he drank 0% Budweiser over the holidays. He said that he has had no cravings of any sort as a resultā¦hes also super cautious and vigilant with his addiction/alcoholism. If he did notice a change in thought Iām sure he would put the plug in it and stop immediatelyā¦I wouldnāt try it because I know itll lead to a relapse with my sobriety and then lead me directly back into active addiction with my drug of choice.
Be smart. Be safe.
I thought that non alcoholic beer would be a good substitute for trying to stay sober but reading all the post I know better now that for me no alcohol is the only solution. That first drink is all I need to avoid, there is no way that I can limit my use to just a few drinks because I know Iām an alcoholic.
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Same. I donāt even want to stand in the parking lot of the ballpark of alcohol. Zero benefit, so why do it?
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Visiting an āold threadā tha was crossing my mind. I started my sober journy 21days ago and have been drinking 0.0% beer and a ton of tonic water. For me it has been working because i really dont like sweeat drinks (a cola zero from time to timeā¦ but thatās all). Also drink a lot of water and (no sugar, home made, ice tea). This did not (yet) lead me to move from 0 to regular beer but iām still in the starting point aof this pathā¦
Does any one else has a good expirience with 0.0 (not the 0.5 or something like that) beer? Has anyone had a bad expirience?
I tried that stuff in early sobriety twice and it lead me back to the real deal. I was drinking it in an alcoholic type fashion (multiple cans in a sitting). For me this was a terrible idea in early sobriety. I hadnāt worked out my demons yet, and didnāt understand myself at all.
Iām well on my way to 5 years of sobriety nowā¦ I think after 4 years or so I had a 0.00 NA beer. I have 5 left of a six pack that was bought months ago. The reason why this isnāt leading me to trouble now is because I donāt desire escaping my sober mind any longer. I donāt ever want to be under the influence of anything again.
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I agree. When i had that 15 months, towards the end i did start drink n.a beer, and pretty heavily at that. Id slug a 12 pack like it was regular beer, bc literally i was chasing that same sort of escape. When i went out with my friend a few nights ago, i did have one n.a beer, and then was just like yeah im switching to water. Even recently online i see these alcohol free drinks now that are supppsed to give you a euphoric relief, which you know i mean to relax sounds nice. I think one is called like brez and the other joyshot or something. The brez had some lionsmane mushroom and i was intrigued at first. Then realized it had some thc and cbd infused and was like nope im out lol. The joy shot had kratom and other shit in it. I mean they make it sound nice, " no hang over or regrets. But really at the end of the day if im looking for something to make me feeell good i need to look further, bc i can do most of it naturallyā¦ those drinks might be nice for some people, but once i get a sense of that euphoria all hell certainly probably would brake loose lol.
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My sober date is 3/16/84, so 40+ yrs clean & sober. Iāve had NA beers along the way and it has never triggered an urge for alcoholic beer.
Sometimes Iāll 1 because Iām in a social situation where others are drinking, sometimes Iāll have 1 because I want a change from always drinking water (never soda, yuk!) and sometimes Iāll have 1 just for the helluva it.
I donāt have more than one and I donāt have 1 because I want a real beer. I havenāt had an alcoholic urge in over 30 + years, and I donāt drink them for relief as the poster above did.
I also donāt expect anyone to follow my example, Iām not trying to influence anyone, and no one has the right to negatively criticize my choice.
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