For those with an alcohol problem, are non-alcoholic beverages a wise choice?
Q&A with a Stanford addiction specialist on whether non-alcoholic beverages are helpful or harmful for those with alcohol use disorders
In the most literal sense absolutely not, because water is a necessary non-alcoholic drink.
But in the context of alcohol, and alcohol substitutes: Depends what your alcohol problem is.
If a virgin drink is a trigger, you should avoid it
If being in a bar is a trigger, you should avoid it
Etc
i have never found them compelling. i switch to straight flavored seltzer water. which has tripled in price for no reason.
I mean, everything has tripled in price and the reason is corporate greed.
We got a drinkmate for that reason (also reducing waste) and really enjoyed it. It has kinda gone by the wayside for me and my partner, though. We are home brewers so we have a kegerator and use that to carbonate kegs of water, so the drinkmate is more work for us. I do highly recommend the drinkmate still. Not everyone has easy access to 5 gallon kegs and a carbonation system.
Dunno if I qualify as a problem drinker, but was a daily drinker for decades. I've cut back a lot lately, but there's some things that just go better, as a whole experience, with beer. Spicy noodles. Pizza. Whether through actual aesthetics or years of training, it's hard to imagine a nice slice of pizza without a beer. NA beer is a legit substitute, for me, and I can have one NA beer without immediately wanting a second.
NA beer has also been going up in quality, especially recently. Stuff from Athletic is pretty good, and I have heard Deschutes out some tasty stuff too
Isn't every beverage without alcohol a non-alcoholic beverage, by definition?