Newly recovered alcoholics may think it is safe to switch over to non-alcoholic beers as their drink of choice. They still feel comforted by holding a beer in their hands and don’t feel out of place when everyone else around them is drinking alcohol. Alcoholics may think of drinking the non-alcoholic beer as a loophole into still doing something they once enjoyed. However, drinking even non-alcoholic beer is a slippery slope towards a possible relapse.

Non-alcoholic beer is actually not completely non-alcoholic. It still contains small traces of alcohol. Even though the amount is minute and it would take a very large amount to feel the effects, it is still there. Also, when an alcoholic sees a beer bottle, their brain is anticipating alcohol. It is associating the beer bottle with getting drunk and pleasure, which could trigger the alcoholic into wanting to drink real alcohol. This could lead to a relapse.

So think about this- is drinking a non-alcoholic beer worth possibly relapsing into alcoholism? It’s not. There are a plethora of other non-alcoholic drinks that can be your new go to drink when out with friends. Choose one of those instead.