Where’s my Mocktail? What about alcohol-free options?
You're not going to find two people who agree on everything and this is certainly the case among people who don't drink. After a while, you realize most nondrinkers typically have their own set of rules they follow. There isn't much of a gray area on alcohol-free (AF) and or non-alcoholic (NA) drinks. Most sober people are either fine with them, or not. Some choose a "you do you" position.
Coming up in AA I was subject to much propaganda about nonalcoholic drinks. I was told it was wrong to drink them. People said it was too close to the real thing and consuming them was to be asking for a relapse. Side note, I loathe the word relapse. More on that in another post. The culture of AA frowns upon NA beverages. For years, I did too. But that had everything to do with the environment I was in at the time, AA.
Sober for several years now, and my mind has changed. My wife stopped drinking and began her sobriety journey in 2019. Seeing her come up and getting support from an online sobriety support community was amazing. She leaned into the science of it all, especially what happens to your body and brain when you drink. She was fascinated and I became fascinated, too. She was on the non-alcoholic train right from the start. She sought out quality NA sparkling wines, and alcohol-free spirits to use to make refreshing drinks to enjoy on the back patio.
Once I realized I had been conditioned to believe certain things about NA drinks, I started to question them. I saw how I had gone years with some logic that wasn't necessarily wrong, but it was wrong for me. For some, non-alcoholic drinks may be a trigger. The six-pack of NA beer might look and taste too similar to the real thing and perhaps a person will be tempted to drink after having some NA beer. But also, maybe not. I'm officially "you do you."
Another part of NA drinks is that the people consuming them are not necessarily sober. Many enjoy craft alcohol-free cocktails because they like to have a sophisticated-tasting drink rather than a Diet Coke - no offense to our friends at Coke, but sober people get really sick of Diet Coke and soda water all the time. AF beverages give the alcohol-free person another option, and a nice drink to have in their hand at the party, or to enjoy after dinner.
"But the beer says it's 0.5% alcohol." If that makes you uncomfortable, don't drink it. We're all on our own journey. What's right for them might not be right for you - and that's OK. Differing opinions are what make us who we are. No one is superior to another on this or any other matter of personal choice because that's what this life is all about; personal choice. And whether you choose to drink NA products or not, we can still be happy about living a better life. We can still learn things from one another.
We don't sit around drinking NA beers or NA spirits all night. Quite the opposite. They can be quite expensive, often with a higher retail ticket than their alcoholic counterparts. But if it's a Super Bowl party or a nice dinner with friends and we want a sophisticated, adult, and nonalcoholic drink, we have it on hand!
Please enjoy responsibly.