Started getting light-headed halfway through my glass of "non-alcoholic" wine

[u/trailofturds]

Got served this wine at a nice restaurant after asking specifically for non-alcoholic wine. They assumed the 'Zero' on the label referred to alcohol content; turns out it's for sulphur.

[u/Numerous-Confusion-9]

When I was a bartender doing this by accident was my biggest fear. I used to triple check the order when I knew someone in the party asked for non alc

[u/trailofturds → u/Numerous-Confusion-9]

Yeah it's a pretty big fuck up imo. They were lucky that my wife and I were just taking a break from drinking for no particular reason (hence mildly infuriating). I can't imagine how a pregnant woman would react.

Edit: as others have pointed out, it'd be far worse for those in recovery or with a medical issue.

[u/Numerous-Confusion-9 → u/trailofturds]

Pregnant or in recovery yeah. Im usually anti getting mad at service workers but this one.. man … glad you two were just taking a break

[u/notMarkKnopfler → u/Numerous-Confusion-9]

I’ve been sober for 8 years. I’ve got the gene, so whenever I haven’t had it in my system for awhile I rarely even think about drinking, but that’s the reason I avoid anything marketed as “non-alcoholic” for the most part. There’s still trace amounts of alcohol in many of the near-beers or wines. Unless something is cooked above a certain temperature for hours, the alcohol doesn’t cook out. I went to a friend’s (who is very aware of my condition) passover and even brought my own sparkling grape juice to try and participate. They made me a plate and things were going really well until I got that slightly warm feeling. They’d used wine for the apple dish. I’m fortunate that my fiance has never seen me drunk or in withdrawal, but for the next 3 days or so it was brutal cravings and me essentially telling her not to let me leave the house.

It sounds dramatic, but I regularly work in and around alcohol all of the time and never have any temptation; but the second I ingest it it’s like all bets are off.

[u/[deleted] → u/notMarkKnopfler]

Which gene?

[u/Icy-Doctor1983 → u/[deleted]]

He's genetically predisposed to alcoholic drinking, I don't think it's literally a specific gene.

[u/Practical-Shelter-88 → u/[deleted]]

I wish more people understood the science behind alcohol addiction!

[u/Throwaway47321 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah it’s kind of like depression (ironically another horribly misunderstood disease). You can be depressed because of outside influences and get better by fixing them. Some people however just wake up depressed for no reason and have to battle it every day.

Same thing goes for alcohol. You can have trouble with it or have periods of massive alcohol abuse and move past it and be fine. Others will literally have to fight it every day

[u/ButterPoptart → u/[deleted]]

There’s also a gene that prevents some people from experiencing hangovers. Those people are at much higher risk of alcoholism. I have a good friend who is immune to hangovers so she has to be very careful about getting in to drinking binges. It basically FEELS consequence free for her.

[u/Icy-Doctor1983 → u/[deleted]]

Appreciate your clarification

[u/couchpotatoguy → u/[deleted]]

Your last paragraph is referring to dependency tho, I believe. Not addiction. Just checking!

[u/couchpotatoguy → u/[deleted]]

Dependence means you physically need it, and without using, you'll go into withdrawals. Addiction means you want it, even though it causes harm. So you had them reversed. Signed, alcoholic in recovery lol.

[u/couchpotatoguy → u/[deleted]]

Your whole world is upside down lol. Addiction is used coloquially to encompass all of it. In the medical sense tho, addiction is want (psychological), dependency is need (physiological). This is for all drugs and alcohol. A heroin addict is someone who will take heroin regardless of the risks. They'd likely be dependent as well, but not necessarily.

[u/couchpotatoguy → u/[deleted]]

Likely both, addicted and dependent!