Can You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer While In Recovery?

Non-Alcoholic beer is something that alcoholics tend to gravitate to, especially when newly sober. In this episode we discuss why we think that this is a terrible idea. We share from our own experiences with others and explain some of the brain chemistry behind drinking non alcoholic beer.

[ajaytarate]

Well i was an alcoholic for about 20 years. Non alcoholic beers actually helped me a lot to quit alcohol. I tried almost every non alcoholic beer from every part of the world. I spent lots of money in non alcoholic beverages but i never regret it. 2 years clean and sober.

[cypruslivinghaven]

Drinking heineken 0.0 helped me quit drinking alcohol (along with really wanting to quit alcohol) and have been 4 months sober, I found it to be a very helpful and effective substitute, it worked for me....

[st.george]

This is why i left recovery, opinions can be very dangerous making you live in constant fear and anxiety that your going to go back to your old ways. Its so sad i used to love recovery and fellowship but my life now socialising playing golf hanging around with friends who drink and being able to enjoy a non alcholic beer and just live a normal life free from watching and analysing every single thing i do is far more rewarding then chasing the approval of people in recovery. I must note i done the first 5 years in my recovery never going near non alcholic beer and working a very strong program but now living everyday life i feel no desire to have an alcholic beer or do drugs. Shame i cant go to meetings anymore because of people like yourself judging peoples decision's we are all different some people are stronger then others and some people need to avoid everyone who isnt in recovery both are fine you got to find your on way, just a shame people like you look down and judge other people in recovery not doing it like yourself. Not everything is a problem be happy and no1 rule dont pick up and enjoy your life.

[JB-jzib]

Was a heavy beer drinker for close to 40 years. Stopped cold turkey 1 year ago, non alcoholic beer saved me. Athletic is by far the best American brew and I love Guinness 0.0 . It might not be the best thing to do but it beats the alternative .

[REB]

Honestly I haven't had anything besides non alcoholic beer for over a year now and had my last drink January 1st 2020 (what a year to give up the sauce) but I have had great success because of it and I honestly dont view alcohol the same as I use to. It's worked for me, and maybe won't work for everyone but i still enjoy the taste of a beer but not so much the side effects of being intoxicated. NA beer is a win win and they make NA's that are 0% so do what works for you.

[C-Rhodes]

5:25 Fail a drug test for alcohol by consuming non alcoholic beer?
Where the hell did you hear that? Gossip from your friends?

It's so funny to hear those kinda talks sometimes. Talking nonsense, thinking they're right. And simply being to ignorant to do proper research.

Normally I wouldn't bother. Just go about ignoring things like that. But this topic is touchy. Lots of people I know told me how NA beers helped them stay clean.
So to everyone reading this and struggling with their addiction, non-alcoholc beverages are good to slowly ease out of it. Or for anyone who doesn't want to give up on beer entirely. As long as you stay with the non-alcoholic there's nothing to worry about.

And here's why:

What happens first to any liquid you drink? It gets cleansed in your liver. All harmful substances (like alcohol) get broken down and flushed out. To get drunk you'll need to consume enough alcohol where your liver can't keep up and the alcoholic blood reaches the brain.

And THAT is just not possible with any 0.5% beverages. Your liver gets rid of it to quickly. You'd need to drink more than 12 large cans in under an hour just to get tipys. And truthfully, you'll get sick before you get drunk if you drink that much.

Fun fact: Lots of softdrink have small amouts of alcohol in them. 0.3% in coke. But you dont get drunk on coke now do you?

[nardpard]

Would you tell a meth addict that coffee is a no-no? Caffeine can be a powerful stimulant as is nicotine; no shortage of coffee and cigarettes in AA even though AA says to swear off all drugs and alcohol. Anyway that seems analogous to Vodka vs. O'Douls. Anyway if it works for you go for it imo. And if you relapse alternatively then it was a bad idea. Case by case basis I say.

[andwhy]

This is so disappointing to hear and to be honest with you I don't believe a word you say. 0% alcohol drinks are a Lifeline so you don't Relapse into that dark world again you can still go out and enjoy company in a pub still see your friends in the social environment of a pub without feeling the urge to have an alcoholic drink your friends appreciate your issue and let you get on with it.

[stevealt]

Non alcoholic beers are great id rather take a non alcoholic beer instead of plain alcohol. The majority who take non beers pretty much never touch alcoholic beers ever again.

[daviddenny]

Some people just like the taste of beer and don't want the effects of alcohol. It's that simple. Talkin about a 0.5% of alcohol oh no!!

[majorzpezx]

I'm 2 years sober and I feel it's individually, you feel that you can handal a non alcoholic beer cause you got your emotions and stuff togheter then that is all up to you, your the one making your disisions
Temptations are always gonna be there everyday that's life you chose

[fluke]

Me personally being an alcoholic for 10 years and admittedly only recently in recovery (now 100 days sober) I find that having a non alcoholic drink around friends and family who do drink makes me feel like I’m not left out. I know that’s maybe not the best thing but it really has helped me in those harder moments when I’ve wanted to just have a beer. Mind I wasn’t ever a heavy beer drinker I was a vodka drinker.

[berenedain]

Put it this way if you think about drinking non alcoholic beer to get the euphoric recall and you start thinking maybe I should just get the real thing then that should be alarm bells for you right there. I only started drinking non alcoholic beer 2 years into recovery because I was sick of drinking coke all the time. I don't get the craving to drink an actual beer and I don't feel the need to drink all of them at once either. I could have a 6 pack of zero beers in my house and forget that I had them. That would never happen with the real thing in addiction! So all the things people said maybe was a big problem for them, i knew one guy in rehab who said the sound of cracking open a can made him want a beer. Then again that's early recovery for ya, I think it's important that you reached the state of neutrality towards alcohol and you assess beforehand and check your motivation for drinking non zero beers. I think in early recovery I wouldn't advise it but once you've done some work on yourself you will know what your conscience deems right or wrong.

[noahking]

I love the taste feeling of beer like a soda more than anything. Of course I drank to get drunk and drank hard lq but there was nothing like coming home to a cold beer after a long day was everything to me. So for me I can definately see non alcoholic beverages being beneficial for me in that since. I am fairly new into sobriety

[ferpego]

Under that logic, even cigarettes are a trigger and you are in a slippery slope...

[matthewhowell]

How is you recapture that lifestyle through drinking non-alcoholic beers. I don't think anybody throws up in their bathtub and calls their ex-girlfriend at 2 a.m. after three non-alcoholic beers. Is that a thing?

[FrankZen]

I'm not in recovery but alcohol has negative effects on me even for one drink. I do miss the taste of alcohol so I do NA. Some taste great others so much but what I don't miss is the buzz or the effects on my body. Might be different for people in recovery but that's my perspective.

[SixShooter]

It used to be that non alcoholic beers still had some alcohol in them. But that has changed. Heineken 0.0 and Budweiser zero both contain 0.0% alcohol and are completely alcohol free. although im pretty sure that some that have been around for a long time like odouls and busch na still have that small amount. You just gotta do your homework and figure out what to buy.

[walkernick]

I think if you are a truly recovered alcoholic by using a Method such as The Sinclair Method and you are at the point where you genuinely no longer like or desire alcohol then you will be fine with alcohol free beer.
However.... if you are a “recovering alcoholic” and are abstinent but still crave beer and you believe that you will be forever “broken”, then yes, it’s a slippery slope!

[PgPn]

Well if your in recovery now don’t do it but then if you have fun without it 7 years later and try Heineken‘s 0.0 alcohol you are good to go you’re gonna remember your high school years and you’re going to feel like a kid again and you’re gonna party harder with no alcohol affect no hangovers it’s amazing but you have to have that 100% courage to tell people fuck you if it has alcohol in it.