So I just drank some “alcohol free” beer while out with a friend and then I had the feeling as if I was a bit thirsty and even tipsy. I thought it was the placebo effect but I wanted to be sure so I went in to ask the bartender whether my drink had alcohol in it. We went over the label and it said that it had less than .5 percent in it. Apparently he didn’t know this information either and he’s also been giving this non alcoholic beer to Muslims who come to the bar as well.
I’m currently on my way home right now and I’m not tipsy but I am worried about whether I have to reset my counter.
No your ok.
I just started enjoying the NA beers. Like just one with dinner. After 3 years under my belt just one NA beer is easy for me to do. I think all the NA beers have that, less than .5 of a % alcohol in them. Same with the wine.
Now, how you were feeling I can’t help you there. I always feel like how did I use to drink a case of these fuckers all day long with all that gas in my belly. Never again.
Whew! I had a bit of a panic there. Maybe it was the placebo effect because I’ve been having mocktails while out and remarking to my friends that I feel tipsy
No, don’t reset your counter. It’s honestly so, so, little I wouldn’t worry about it. Wanting to drink alcohol is intentional, you having that -0.5 was not something you intended to do.
On the rare occasion I’m in a pub, I drink 0.0% Heineken. In future I’d just double check the label, as clearly the servers aren’t always clued up with what they are handing you.
I don’t think it requires a reset but I would dig deeper as to why you’re wanting to drink something that taste like alcohol. We stopped drinking because we didn’t like it, I know myself never actually liked the taste. Beer taste like shit it definitely doesn’t taste good. So if I’m wanting n.a I may just be chasing something else. A smoothie or sparkling water can do the trick just as well. Idk just my opinion, I started indulging in n.a beers at around 15 months of sobriety. Which then resulted in a full on relapse bc I eventually wanted the real thing. To me it’s a slippery slope honestly
In Germany alkoholfrei beer means maximum 0.5% alcohol. Strange but true. So you might have ingested some alcohol there. It was an accident though. Up to you if you want to reset or not. I guess I wouldn’t.
The rules are crazy in the EU. In The Netherlands alcohol free means 0.1% max. In Spain alcohol free means a maximum of 1%, in France and Italy 1.2%. While all these so called alcohol free beers are sold throughout the EU. So when I buy an “alcohol free” beer from Italy in a Dutch bar or shop, it can have 1.2% of alcohol.
The only guarantee in the whole EU that beer has no alcohol in it is when it is called “0.0% beer”.
Thanks for sharing! That’s something to keep in mind but I personally enjoy the taste of hops and I like fancy drinks so I don’t think I want the alcohol actually. My friends drink their alcoholic drinks and I even forget that it’s alcohol (and when I remember I immediately think about the hangover).
I drink 0.0% beer on occasions since finding Heineken & Corona 0.0% and they’re not bad, their labels say not more than 0.05%. I stay clear of anything ‘stronger’ , Guinness have a alcohol free on the market I’m not sure whether it’s 0.0%, I didn’t check when I saw it as I don’t like the stuff &
I’ll have to ask around to see if I can find the 0.0 percent. I didn’t like the fact that I got a bit thirstier when I was drinking the nonalcoholic beer. Thanks for the input everyone!
I do know more companies are now providing 0% alcohol for the NA beers/ wines ect… I personally do enjoy drinking these from time to time (more so in the beginning). I got super excited when Guinness came out with a 0% beer that imo tasted very close to the original without the nasty aftereffects.
I think drinking the 0.5% alcohol depends on the person (like are you downing 10+ of these just to get a buzz or you just enjoying something to enjoy it). I believe cough syrup also has 0.5% - kombucha also has small amounts of alcohol due to the fermentation process but not enough to be classified as an alcoholic drink.
Alot of food products , juices medicines bread etc naturally or contain alcohol , uk wise alcohol free beer has a maximum of 0.05 % …its so small an less than what ive said above
It’s good that you can review this concern with others. For myself, i don’t even get close to the near beer.
Anything could become a trigger. The best bet is do your best to stay away from the near stuff. A little here, a little there is going to add up to more then before we know it, comes a relapse
No one person can tell you to reset your time. Sobriety is a personal journey. If it’s not an issue now, then forget about it. If it’s tempting, then pass it up
You’re safe.
As above, many foods etc are about 0.4-0.5% but your body will metabolise it so quickly that it won’t affect you (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong).
The tipsy feeling may have been a psychological thing with your brain thinking it’s doing the “night out” or drinking you were once doing.
Keep up the good work, I love this community and everyones individual stories
I also don’t think you should have to reset your counter! Not only did you not know, but the amount of alcohol is so low that your body would metabolize it out pretty much right away, i have felt that placebo effect from a non-alcoholic beer before, not at home strangely, only when I’ve been out at a bar, and i think that the setting caused the effect just as much as the beer did
0.5% is pretty much the norm for “non” alcoholic beers, at least in Canada, and while i maybe wouldn’t recommend it for a Muslim, because they’re abstaining from all alcohol for a religious reason, i wouldn’t recommend kombucha either.
I guess the only thing to ask yourself is could that .5% become a trigger for you? If it could, you could choose to avoid it from now on, for me, i could always have one non alcoholic and not only not want a second, but it wouldn’t make me want to turn to actual booze either.
If it wouldn’t trigger you, and sounds like it didn’t, and you’re on the lookout, corona makes a 0.0 beer that’s actually pretty good! It comes in a glass bottle too, so if you pop a lime in there it really scratches my patio beer itch in the summer!
, Guinness have a alcohol free on the market I’m not sure whether it’s 0.0%, I didn’t check when I saw it as I don’t like the stuff 
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