Is non alcoholic beer cheating on your sobriety? Asking for a friend 
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Ask your friend if he/she misses beer?
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Everyone is different. Some can enjoy them. I had one near beer and will never have another one. It was quite strange. After consumption it brought back all of those emotions and the memories associated with drinking and the past. I personally can not handle it. But to each their own. If your friend wants to treat themself to a na beverage then I don’t see a problem if they have the right mindset.
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For me non alcoholic beer is for non-alcoholics. In my opinion the only acceptable reason to drink it is if one likes the taste.
If it is being ordered to “fit in” and give the illusion that a person is drinking, or if its ordered because someone is holding on to past behaviors by simulating a beer then its wrong.
If I need to pretend to drink to be accepted by someone I dont need them in my life. If I’m trying to hold onto the past by simulating drinking a beer then I better take a look at how I’m working my sobriety program because I’m one bad choice away from drinking a real one.
Just my 2 cents.
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Yeah. Search “NA beer” and there’s been lots of threads and takes.
For me it’s a slippery slope not even worth trying cuz I didn’t get sober to drink stuff that tastes horrible. Blech.
I like to rock the flavored seltzer these days. A rainbow of flavors, zero guilt. And pretty much any place with near beer can drum me up a club soda with lime.
YMMV, of course!
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For me I can’t drink the NA beer. Not sure why. I enjoy making mocktails and various combinations with soda water, but the beer is different. Makes me want a real one. But, whatever keeps you sober I suppose. IMHO I wouldnt count having a NA beer as cheating.
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I enjoy a beer after footy, another excuse really, and too early to say that I used to given I’m on on day 5, but I found Erdlinger to be a really nice replacement and it’s also pretty healthy.
It’s classed as an isotonic sports drink with vit B12.
One of those after a game and that saw me right on Monday.
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I didn’t touch NA till further in. Didnt want it to help push me to drink real beer. I have a 6 pack of Heineken 0.0 I had 1 for the packers vs 49ers. And that’s been it. I wont touch it during the week at all. A) that’s my most stressful time. B) when I drank it was during the week. I worked 3rd and came home to an empty house. I work 2nd now and have my kids at home. Just don’t want to risk bring back old habits
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NA beer - Funny one. I used to drink it a lot in the beginning of my sobriety after shift. It was okay for a while but then I realised it was just another habitual thing. Someone bought me a 6 pack of Heineken 0.0 once and I drank I them but it took months.
I stopped drinking them because I found that I was getting triggered by them because they “taste just like beer”. My opinion in it has changed slightly because now when I think about it, they dont taste anything like alcoholic beer - to me they just taste like a carbonated hoppy, malty soft drink. So could I drink one now and not be triggered? Yeah probably because the taste of beer isnt where my triggers lie and even though I drank a lot of beer, it was the bourbon that got me riled up.
Would I test my theory? Yeah, I probably would. Because if it did trigger me, I know how to handle my triggers. So it’s really your call. Depends on just how much you trust your sobriety and your toolbox and how confident you are in drinking it.
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I am new to sobriety and have a strong love for beer. I find ginger ale for me personally helps with the craving. It’s a tall glass of brown liquid, and has that fizziness beer drinkers love. It tricks my brain and ginger is a natural healing aid for the body. It helps with nausea and heart health.
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Hey @Kels, can’t speak as someone struggling with alcohol personally, but I am a coffee lover, and, if you aren’t avoiding the caffeine, a nitro cold brew from Starbucks is a fun option for something with a keg-style head on it!
Again, I’m not speaking from the same perspective, so for all I know maybe indulging in the concept of beer is part of the vice. Just a thought 
Edit: a quick hop online for at-home nitro cold brew turned up the idea of using a whipped cream N2O charger & dispenser to carbonate pretty much any liquid with nitrogen bubbles! Could be a fun way to experiment with healthy alternatives!
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I’m a fan of non alcoholic beer. I like the taste and I like how it is a taste that I don’t really have most of the time.
I was a binge rather than constant drinker though so understand it can be triggering for some but for me it is a pleasant drink. It doesn’t even really taste all thst much like beer it’s just a fun unusual taste that you don’t really find elsewhere.
It doesn’t do anything to my sobriety. I don’t feel any different after drinking it. So do not see it as cheating at all. I drank to get drunk.
That being said it also doesn’t make me want to drink alcoholic beer any more than drinking sparkling water does. If it did, I wouldn’t touch it.
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Not really cause its non alcoholic.
But to not want the taste or flavor at all will make you stronger.
I was going to order some Fajitas the other day an restaurant said they marinated the meat in beer.
I didnt get it cause that ,thinking it would rest my days sober.
I dont wont the stuff in me .
Dont know for how long an hope for long as possible but as of now i stray away from it all
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Thank you all for the great feedback. I was trying to be witty by saying asking for a friend, but I was actually asking for me. I have been struggling with my drinking problem ever since I realized I had one several years ago. I thought NA beer might be a helpful tool to placate me during my early days of sobriety in my current dry streak. I appreciate the thoughtful tips and honest opinions. 
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I am only six months clean, but from where I sit, NA beer is an enjoyable beverage option along all of the other no booze choices.
I like champagne and beer and the non alcoholic kinds are really good. I personally like the taste of these drinks (alcoholic) and having the taste and flavor without the alcohol is really nice.