Giving up alcohol can be a big step in anyone’s life and it’s a journey that will have its challenges but ultimately be incredibly fulfilling for most, helping get their life back on track and living a healthier and happier life.
For those who are navigating alcohol addiction especially there are lots of considerations available to you. One is often what you can drink as an alternative and the environments you surround yourself.
Deciding whether to drink non-alcoholic beer or not is often a question people ask, providing an alternative to the hard stuff but still getting the same flavor. But is it a wise option? Here are five reasons it may not be…
It Can Trigger Cravings
One of the key reasons you might not want to drink 0% beer as an alternative is because it could trigger cravings. For recovering alcoholics, the sensory cues of picking up a pint, tand he smell of the hops can all act as powerful triggers and lead to cravings for alcohol.
It’s sort of a reminder of past drinking habits and that can quickly escalate to a huge risk of relapse. Anyone in recovery ultimately needs to minimize the risk of triggers and boost their chances of sobriety. Non-alcoholic beer can blur those lines.
Non-Alcoholic Beer Is Not Entirely Alcohol-Free
You’ll find that while some non-alcoholic beers are completely free of alcohol, a large portion of non-alcoholic beers are 0.5% ABV, so there is still alcohol in them. While it’s significantly lower and not really a problem for those not in recovery, it can reawaken the physical and psychological dependence on the substance for those that are living with addiction.
It Undermines the Recovery Mindset
Mindset is a really important mindset in resetting your life and moving into recovery from alcohol addiction. You need to adjust your lifestyle to prioritise health, self-awareness and accoutnability. By shifting your drinking to non-alcoholic drinks it can slightly conflict with such a change as it could be perceived as clinging on to old habits rather than embracing the new.
It can send mixed messages not only to yourself, but others in the recovery community and for clarity it can often be a better option to reduce the risks and avoid 0% beer. Most people find it much better for themselves to completely leave their old life behind and focus on the new them. It might not seem it, but it really can make all the difference.
Social Perception and Pressure
When drinking non-alcoholic beer in social settings, others may not realise it’s alcohol-free. This can lead to assumptions that you’ve resumed drinking, potentially weakening the support you receive from friends, family, or recovery groups. It may also open the door to questions and pressure that could be uncomfortable or triggering.
Furthermore, consuming a non-alcoholic beer in a social context might make it easier to justify drinking an alcoholic beverage later on, especially if you’re feeling stressed or tempted.
It Can Be a Slippery Slope
For many recovering alcoholics, non-alcoholic beer represents a slippery slope back to regular drinking. What starts as an occasional indulgence could evolve into more frequent consumption, eventually leading to rationalisations for drinking alcoholic beverages again.
Recovery is about building resilience and avoiding situations that could compromise progress. Non-alcoholic beer, despite its low alcohol content, can be a gateway to old behaviours and thought patterns that are difficult to break.
Of course, some people in recovery find that non-alcoholic beer really does work for them, but it’s important to understand the risks and make a more informed decision as even though there’s no alcohol involved, it can trigger old habits and increase the risk of relapse significantly.
