Non-alcoholic beer.
 

Okay to drink?

I've been having a craving for the taste of beer for a couple weeks now. I understand that non-alcoholic beer actually has a small percentage of alcohol in it (go figure), but I was wondering if a 6 pack of Miller Sharp's would do me any harm?

Thanks in advance,

Nick

PS, Even a wine cooler would do me justice. Please keep in mind, I was an avid drinker before the injury. It took a lot out of me to quit drinking after and I'm trying to avoid a relapse. Please do not judge me.

Do you need to drink the whole six pack?

A near beer Sharp's should be OK. Keep in mind that some of the other chemicals in beer can be a strain. Just take it easy.

I most likely won't drink the whole pack in one sitting. Maybe just a couple...

Thanks for your input. I'll probably pick some up this weekend.

Nick

Personally, I don't like the taste of the non-alcoholic stuff. :tongue: Good luck with it!

I miss drinking the occasional glass of wine. Luckily, I can wait until I'm doing significantly better than I am now to have a glass. But early on after the injury, even though I wasn't much of a drinker before the accident, I would get so tense from worrying about what was going on with my cognitive functioning that I just craved a half glass of ANYTHING to take the edge off.... but I was too scared to try it.

I am soo with you on this one ED - Many a night I have craved a glass of wine, but have held off... and we never have wine or any kind of alcohol.... One day my aunt brought over a bottle, and I put in 1/5 a glass and then aded carbonated water... it was delish!

OH! There's non alcoholic wine/fruity champagne type stuff that we love... it's just at the supermarket here.

I have been drinking carbonated fruit water too !

sometimes I add pomegranate juice to it as well; I pretend its an alcoholic beverage...not the same ,but no toxic stuff and it helps take the edge off! (well the craving edge,lol) I too want to drink , but know it will not be good, even in tiny amounts. (i tried and failed at 4 oz of beer)

Okay, so I chickened out. I purchased a 6 pack of O'doul's (spelling?)...and after staring at it for 10 minutes, I started doing research. According to this website, http://4therapy.com/conditions/subst...y-bad-mix-3012 , there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink if you have a brain injury.

Can it really be that bad? I think O'doul's has 0.4% alcohol. Why am I so scared to drink one? Geez. I'm such a chicken.

Nick

I had a some really bad reactions to alcohol early in my recovery so I know it affects me, but non-alcoholic beer has caused me no problems that I can identify brain-wise.

In England the best ones I can find are the German white beers, which seem to have some really good and realistic non-alcoholic versions.

It helped ween me off the stuff since I too was an 'avid drinker' before my injury. I've stopped drinking it now because I've decided that since I can't drink alcohol but I should be exercising a lot then I might as well try and get myself six-pack abs for the first time in my life! So that is now one of my missions. So far it's progressing very slowly.....

I like that way of thinking! I might have to make that a goal of mine as well...(once I can resume more strenuous exercise of course)! That way when people ask why I am not drinking, I don't have to tell them its because of the PCS but because I am working on a different six-pack than they are!

Thanks, Klaus! :)

Klaus,

I don't think non-alcoholic German beer is readily found here in the states. But it doesn't surprise me to hear that it tastes quite good at all. Alcoholic beer is practically an art form in Germany, and much better than any beer I've found here in the states, so I imagine the same is true for non-alcoholic beer too. Ahhhh... memories....! :D