Can Recovering Alcoholics Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Here's what you should consider before making that decision.
The road to recovery is different for everyone. Some people decide to avoid certain social situations that can trigger cravings; others continue attending them. You may change your entire life to fit in your sobriety or you can shape your sobriety to fit your old life.
I had a bit of both. I completely abandoned a few groups whose only purpose was to get together to drink, but I still continued going out with other friends to bars and concerts. There's no right or wrong path. You have to choose what is best for you and your recovery.
During your recovery, you will have to make many decisions—some harder than others—that will pave the way for the rest of your sober life. Who will you hang out with? What will you do on weekends? How will you deal with big events like weddings and birthdays?
What will you drink when everyone else is drinking alcohol?
That question is one that will pop up several times in your life.
A lot of people ask me why I don't drink non-alcoholic beer. For me, I never really liked the taste of beer. I don't drink mocktails because they're just different syrups mixed together—I prefer juice or sparkling water. This was a choice I made a long time ago and I still get that question.
So, can you drink non-alcoholic beer?
Let's see what non-alcoholic really means, what drinking it entails, and the choices you'll have to make.
What exactly is non-alcoholic beer?
Non-alcoholic beer is a beverage that contains trace amounts of alcohol. Usually, less than 0,5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV). This is an amount that is usually found naturally in juice or in bread. This ABV amount doesn't cause the toxic effects that regular beers usually cause and can even be sold to people under the age of 21 in some states of the USA.
There is also the alcohol-free beer, which contains 0,0% ABV. In other words, it doesn't contain any alcohol and is safe for consumption.
A lot of people assume that "non-alcoholic” literally means zero alcohol—and honestly, it should—but it's important to understand these nuances so you know exactly what you're getting. When buying non-alcoholic beers, be sure to read the label and see if they are 0% alcohol or if they contain trace amounts. Depending on what your recovery looks like, this small difference may actually matter.
Why people enjoy non-alcoholic beers
You have started your sobriety journey. You are undergoing some kind of treatment. You are now ready to venture back out into the world. There are birthday parties to go to, bars to meet up with friends after work and weddings you will attend. How will you deal with your sobriety in these situations?
A lot of people who quit drinking often wonder if they can still have non-alcoholic beers. But why would you want to have them if you won't get the intoxicating symptoms that are usually desired?
There are many reasons why people would like to continue drinking non-alcoholic beers.
Many say they actually enjoy the taste of beer and would like to continue drinking it even without the side effects of alcohol.
Humans love rituals. Beers are part of many social rituals of which we are a part. Being able to participate with non-alcoholic beers in situations that would otherwise call for alcohol is a way to feel like you belong. After-office drinks don't feel the same when one member of the team is drinking water.
Recovery means that you will be sober when others are drinking. This can be noticed and commented upon. One way to avoid the awkward conversation of "why you're not drinking” is to show up with a beer like everyone else. No one needs to know it's non-alcoholic.
Belonging. People want to belong. They want to be a part of the community. When everyone around drinks and you are sober, you feel left out. You feel different. Disconnected. By having a beer in your hand, you are part of the crowd once again. And as a plus—at the end of the night there won't be any unpleasant consequences.
Why some recovering alcoholics avoid them
Alcoholism cannot be cured. It is a disease for which you need treatment every single day. The treatment is simple, though not easy—to not drink. That's it. All you need to do to treat your Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is avoid drinking alcohol.
It's a simple enough task. Technically, you don't really need to think about it and mostly this is a passive action. However, there will be situations in which you will proactively have to avoid drinking. You will have to proactively practice your sobriety. This can happen in situations in which alcohol is usually involved, such as parties, weddings, and bars. It can also happen when situations arise in your life with which you don't know how to deal. Alcohol used to be the remedy, but now you can't use it anymore. So what do you substitute for alcohol?
This is where non-alcoholic beer can become an option. Some recovering alcoholics make it a custom to have these drinks. Others prefer to avoid them completely. But why would they avoid them?
They can trigger cravings
Having a beer is more than just holding that known bottle or can in your hand during an event. There's more to it—there's the smell, the taste, the coolness of the bottle. The specific way you hold it in your hands, the ritual of taking a sip every once in a while. Maybe you added lime or salt to your beer. Maybe you drank it slightly warm. Maybe you preferred it freezing cold.
These small things are all connected to the actual act of drinking alcohol. They all trigger your brain into remembering what it was like to drink. So, for some people, having NA beers is just a way to fit in and it doesn't really impact their psychological state. For others, it can trigger memories and cravings. It can be enough to awaken the desire to drink once again.
It reinforces old habits
Recovery isn't just about quitting. It's about changing your life and your habits so that you can create a healthier path for yourself. Imagine losing 40 pounds by eating low-calorie junk food. OK, you managed to lose the weight. But you didn't change your habits and your health will still suffer.
You can quit drinking and continue living the same life—hanging out with the same crowds, weekly visits to the neighborhood bar, staying out till 3 am in the morning, waking up late, and so on. This might work for some time, but soon you will find yourself repeating old patterns. At some point, the cravings will come. Alcohol was a big part of staying up till 3 am.
Drinking non-alcoholic beer follows a similar pattern—it is like keeping a habit that was part of your old life. By choosing to drink it, you are reinforcing old habits, not creating new ones.
It can become a slippery slope
You can go from non-alcoholic beer to “I'll just have one beer” in the blink of an eye. People are too confident about their actual ability to self-regulate. You don't always have as much control as you believe. All it takes is one specially wild party where everyone seems to be having more fun than you to get you to take that first sip.
You may find yourself in the middle of the wedding of the century, watching everyone else have a great time while you're just feeling… OK. So, why not have just one drink? Just one. And you're back to square one.
Why some people drink NA beers successfully
Everyone is different and one thing that is true for one person will not always be true for another person. Despite the many arguments I shared against drinking non-alcoholic beers, there is still a large cohort of people who are able to successfully incorporate them into their lives.
I would argue that these are people whose alcoholism was more attached to the intoxication effects of alcohol than to the rituals of drinking. If those two things are separate, it's possible that you may be able to have non-alcoholic beers without it triggering cravings for actual alcohol.
This may also be possible for people who have come such a long way in their recovery that the beer is no longer a totem for alcoholism. In other words, they no longer associate the beer with their old lifestyle. It's just another non-alcoholic beverage, like any other.
For some people, being included is important. The social side of drinking is more relevant than the effects of alcohol. They can drink the beer without needing to feel inebriated. Some even enjoy the taste of beer and just want to continue drinking it without the negative consequences.
Some people will even say that drinking non-alcoholic beer reduces their temptation to drink. Instead of watching their peers drink alcohol while they have a water or soda and feel like they're missing out, they can join them and just be a regular member of the group.
Questions to ask yourself
If you're still not sure if you should drink non-alcoholic beers or not, ask yourself the following questions:
Why do I want this?
Am I craving the taste or the buzz?
Would sparkling water satisfy me?
Does drinking it make me think about alcohol afterward?
Am I trying to fit in?
Would I feel disappointed if someone accidentally gave me the real thing?
Your answers to these questions can tell you much more about your specific situation than I ever will.
In my specific case, I don't drink it. I drink water (sparkling or still), juice or soda. I've even been known to order a coffee or tea at the bar. I once took a bowl of Ben & Jerry's to a pub and had my chocolate fudge ice cream when everyone else was enjoying their drinks.
Non-alcoholic beer is way too tied to my old life as an active alcoholic. I used to drink it when I couldn't have alcohol for some reason—maybe I was the designated driver, or I was sick, or something of the sort. I hated that it didn't have alcohol. I only drank it so I could feel close to the real thing.
Once I felt free from the cravings of alcohol, drinking the non-alcoholic stuff didn't really make sense for me. I actually felt worse being seen with a bottle of beer when everyone around me already knows I'm a recovering alcoholic.
Some people can drink NA beer for decades without any issues. Others find that one bottle awakens cravings they hadn't felt in years. The important thing isn't whether non-alcoholic beer is objectively safe.
It's whether it supports your recovery.
