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Home > Learning > Alcoholism > Should You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer in Recovery?

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Should You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer in Recovery?

Drinking ODouls Good or Bad for Recovery

Recovering from alcoholism is difficult for a variety of reasons: It can feel like a lonely road, it takes away a coping mechanism the individual relies on, and it requires changing habits. To cope with the stress that accompanies the early stages of addiction treatment, many recovering from alcoholism wonder if switching to a zero-alcohol beer can make it easier to stay on track.

While a nonalcoholic beer may seem like an obvious way to continue enjoying the experience of drinking without the harmful aftermath, it’s generally best to avoid the scene entirely. Addiction is complex. Alcoholism goes beyond the simple act of drinking alcohol, and its treatment requires more than a simple swap.

Q&A

Is Nonalcoholic Beer Good for Detox?

During the initial stage of recovery and detox, it’s important to leave all potential triggers behind, which includes NA beers. The taste, the smell and even the packaging of near-beers is too close to regular beer and may trigger an episode of euphoric recall, compromising your future recovery efforts. Smell is particularly important since it can act as a subconscious craving trigger for many people in recovery. What do alcoholics smell like, and what does an O’Douls nonalcoholic beer smell like? When the answer for both is alcohol, it can be a real problem.
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Is Nonalcoholic Beer OK for Recovering Alcoholics?

Nonalcoholic beer like O’Douls won’t get someone drunk. It’s virtually impossible to consume enough of it in a short enough span of time to cause intoxication. O’Douls’ alcohol content is only 0.4% ABV, which is about one-tenth what you’d find in a light beer. However, that doesn’t make drinking it a good choice for those recovering and attempting to change their habits. Can alcoholics drink nonalcoholic beer? Yes, but risking increased cravings and compromising your recovery is likely not a good idea.
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Is NA Beer Good for Recovery?

Most mental health professionals and recovered alcoholics recommend skipping NA beers. In the later stages of recovery, the goal is to develop new habits, hobbies, friendships and social cues that don’t revolve around drinking. This makes NA beers a beverage that should be off the menu during recovery.
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Does O’Douls Have Alcohol?

O’Douls does not have alcohol, so they are a great alternative for those trying to stay sober. Those who enjoy a cold beer at the end of the day but want to cut their alcohol consumption can crack one open, and it’s the pregnant beer drinker’s alternative to something that could harm their soon-to-be newborn.
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Can I Replace Beer With Nonalcoholic Beer?

Of course! If you’re worried about the amount of beer you drink, switching to a nonalcoholic version is a great way to start cutting back. Near-beer isn’t the best option for those already in a recovery program, but it can be a great option to start the process at home as you make the decision to seek help. There’s never anything wrong with switching from an alcoholic version of a beverage to an equally tasty virgin option.
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What to Drink as a Recovering Alcoholic

Most mental health professionals agree it’s best for recovering alcoholics to stick to soda, tea, water, sports drinks or pretty much anything you won’t associate with drinking. If you routinely served up Bloody Marys, maybe knock tomato juice off your list of beverage selections. If you enjoyed Cape Cods, keep your cranberry juice purchases to a minimum.
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What Is Nonalcoholic Beer or Near-Beer?

As its name suggests, nonalcoholic beer, or “near-beer,” is beer that has little or no alcoholic content.

To understand whether there’s a place for nonalcoholic beer in recovery, a primer on the entry of this beverage option into the market is helpful. One of the more popular alternatives to alcoholic drinks, nonalcoholic beers trace their roots to the era of Prohibition, initiated by the Volstead Act in 1919, which effectively rendered alcohol illegal in the United States. During this time, any beverage with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of more than 0.5% was prohibited. This legal restriction prompted large breweries to craft “near-beer,” a pale, flavorless concoction sitting right at the 0.5% ABV limit.

Despite the end of Prohibition in 1933, nonalcoholic beer persisted due to consumer preference. Some drinkers still craved the taste of a nonalcoholic option, leading American brands to create milder, light beers that eventually evolved into full-alcohol brands.

How Is NA Beer Made?

Nonalcoholic beer starts its life as a regular alcoholic brew. After the fermentation process, it’s cooked at a low temperature. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, it evaporates relatively quickly, leaving behind the nonalcoholic beer.

While the cooking process doesn’t necessarily change the appearance or consistency of beer, it does change its flavor profile. The more delicate flavors, which mainly come from the hops, are lost during processing. As a result, nonalcoholic beer tends to be maltier and has less flavor overall.

Resurgence and Staying Power: Nonalcoholic Beer

True nonalcoholic beers experienced a resurgence in demand during the craft and home-brewing revival of the 1990s. Driven by changing consumer habits and innovative brewing processes, craft breweries dedicated to nonalcoholic suds emerged nationwide, with industry giants investing millions to launch alcohol-free products.

Nonalcoholic Beer: Is It Really Alcohol-Free?

Despite the growing popularity of nonalcoholic beers, there are crucial considerations for recovery for those battling alcoholism. As in nonalcoholic beer’s inception, malt beverages and w

Can You Drink O’Douls in Recovery?

If recovering from alcoholism were easy, there would be far fewer individuals with alcohol addiction. The truth is that myriad factors come into play, from genetics and the home environment to an individual’s personal history with alcohol and even society’s cavalier attitude regarding excessive drinking.

Recovery is a lifelong process that, at times, can feel isolating and a little boring. If an individual is accustomed to being in a social environment where drinks flow freely, their friends may not share their personal commitment to sobriety.

At first glance, nonalcoholic beverages such as O’Douls, which has a very similar taste, smell and texture to regular beer, may seem like a good swap for the real deal. For someone who’s given up alcohol but doesn’t want to give up their social life, it can feel like a way to stay connected and continue to enjoy shared experiences with friends without compromising the recovery process.

Unsurprisingly, though, mental health experts have mixed opinions on whether nonalcoholic beer is an effective option. Some believe nonalcoholic beer can be a tool for recovery, while others maintain it can trigger a relapse.

For individuals in recovery, questions arise about whether sobriety and nonalcoholic beverages can coexist. Is drinking nonalcoholic beer in recovery a mistake? Can alcoholics drink nonalcoholic beer? It’s vital to exercise caution, as some seemingly nonalcoholic options may still contain alcohol, potentially posing a risk to those striving to maintain sobriety. Checking product labels and consulting with healthcare professionals can help individuals make informed choices aligned with their recovery goals.

Why Drinking O’Douls May Be a Good Solution

For the casual drinker who wants to cut the habit, swapping out a fully alcoholic beer for O’Douls may be a good option. They can then enjoy the taste of beer and the social aspects of drinking with friends without the harmful side effects of alcohol.

Proponents of nonalcoholic beer even believe it has some benefits, including post-exercise rehydration, improved cardiovascular health, reduced risk of osteoporosis and reduced stress and anxiety. It’s a popular choice among designated drivers, those who are pregnant or nursing and those who simply want to cut down on their alcohol consumption without completely giving up beer.

Some even make the argument that switching to zero-alcohol beer is an easy way to gently wean off regular beer in a way that’s more gradual and perhaps easier than going cold turkey.

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Why Skipping the Nonalcoholic Beer Is the Better Choice

While it’s true that nonalcoholic beer allows the individual to give up alcohol without giving up a favorite habit, at least in theory, changing habits is a crucial aspect of recovering from addiction. For most people, giving up beer entirely is key to avoiding relapse.

Near-Beer Still Has Alcohol

While it’s generally expected that a beverage marketed as “zero-alcohol beer” wouldn’t have any alcohol in it, the truth is that not all the alcohol evaporates during processing. Legally, beer can have an ABV of up to 0.5% and be labeled as nonalcoholic. The alcohol content in O’Douls, for example, is around 0.4%. While this isn’t enough to get the drinker intoxicated, it’s an important consideration for those whose goal is to completely abstain from alcohol.

It’s Too Similar to Regular Beer

Ironically, zero-alcohol beer’s biggest selling point may also be its biggest drawback. Near-beer doesn’t have the alcohol content of regular beer, but it’s very similar in virtually every other way. Popular beverages such as O’Douls look, smell and taste much like their alcoholic counterparts, and even their bottles and labels are nearly indistinguishable. For someone in the early phases of treatment for alcohol addiction, this similarity can be a trigger.

That’s not the only reason drinking nonalcoholic beer can cause a problem, though. A common cause of relapse among those recovering from alcoholism is a condition called “euphoric recall.” With this condition, the individual only remembers positive feelings they associated with drinking. The negative experiences and consequences that prompted them to seek treatment — the broken relationships, job instability, financial hardship and depression — are forgotten, and they only remember the feelings of comfort, relaxation or happiness they had while drinking. Drinking nonalcoholic beer can intensify euphoric recall and related cravings.

Near-Beer Can Be a Slippery Slope

Recovering from alcoholism is a day-by-day process. For those in an inpatient treatment program, compliance is relatively simple. It takes more effort, creativity, and planning to fall off the wagon than simply sticking to the program.

Outside of a residential program, things are different, and the individual has to make a deliberate effort to avoid the people, places and objects that remind them of their drinking habit. Establishing new hobbies, behaviors and friendships that don’t revolve around drinking is critical to success. For someone recovering from alcoholism, near-beer can be a behavioral crutch that prevents them from making the necessary changes to their lifestyle to prevent relapse.

For most people living with alcoholism, the addiction isn’t to the drink itself but to the endorphin release that alcohol triggers. Near-beers don’t prompt that same endorphin release, which can be frustrating for the individual and cause them to seek stronger options.

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AA and Nonalcoholic Beer: What Do People in Recovery Say?

Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous stress the importance of avoiding triggers that may prompt relapse. Rituals, or the specific routines that go along with addictive behaviors, are the first stage of addiction and a common trigger for those recovering from alcoholism. For some, their ritual may involve a certain glass, a specific place at home where they’d sit or a bar they preferred. Once an individual is triggered, the temptation to relapse is strong. By continuing to drink nonalcoholic beer and carrying out the same rituals, the person may sabotage their own success.

In a handful of cases, those recovering from alcohol addiction report that switching to a zero-alcohol beer is instrumental in staying on track. The vast majority of people, however, find the most success when they address their addiction and the people, places and objects associated with it. In this case, near-beer isn’t a tool for success but should be avoided, just like regular alcohol.

Help for Alcohol Addiction

At FHE Health, we specialize in helping those with alcoholism achieve sobriety and come up with a plan that supports our clients’ goals and promotes lasting lifestyle changes. If you or someone you love struggles with alcohol addiction or other substance abuse disorders, start down the road to recovery with the help of FHE Health. Reach out to FHE now.

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