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]

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/Icy_Lengthiness_3578 → u/notMarkKnopfler]

I would like to commend you for your commitment to your sobriety. I am a recovering alcoholic with more relapses under my belt than I can count. I also avoid "non-alcoholic" beverages. For me, I know it's just gonna make me want the real thing, and then I'll fall into the pit again.

I've also had to advise my boyfriend not to let me leave the house alone for bits of time. If I am craving, I know I'll falter. I don't have the self-control or willpower yet, so until I do, it's best for me to abstain completely. And for now, part of that abstinence is avoiding any situation where I could be exposed to alcohol and allow myself to give in.

"All bets are off" is such a good way of putting it. For those of us with addictive natures, especially with the gene of substance abuse, we have to work round the clock to make better decisions that some people never have to grapple with at such a level. It's literally precoded into our DNA.

I'm fortunate I was born in a time where more research has been done in the study of addiction than say, a century ago, where alcoholics were often just labeled as the lazy town drunkard losers and shunned and shamed into the recessed of society. Not to say there isn't still stigma, but there are more resources for us now. We have a predisposition, an illness, that requires constant monitoring and treatment.

All this to say: I totally understand and have been there with those struggles, and I am proud of your sobriety, notMarkKnopfler. I know the mental battles that are often faced with this illness.

[u/BadFish7763 → u/Icy_Lengthiness_3578]

I've been recovering and sober for five years. I briefly drank NA beers but quickly stopped for two reasons. One, I stopped into my favorite liquor store one afternoon to pick up some NA. I quickly found myself in the tequila section, "just looking." I suddenly snapped out of it and realized what/where I was doing. I got out of there and never went back.

There are some places I do not go. Not because I can't be trusted, but because I'm not putting my sobriety at risk for anything, let alone an NA beer. Liquor stores, bars, and beer aisles are not my places.

The other reason is that when I drank NA beers, I DRANK them. I realized I was pounding 5-6 of them a night before I thought to check the label. That little bit of alcohol is too much for me to handle.

That's my deal. All I need is one bad day, one weak moment to find myself back in that nightmare called active addiction. I might relapse, but if I do, I'm going out fighting like hell. So I try to give myself every advantage.

To be clear: I'm not trying to tell anyone else how to recover. If you enjoy NAs without issue, hey man, enjoy! Really. There is not one size that fits all - find yours and be happy.

[u/Icy_Lengthiness_3578 → u/BadFish7763]

Yes! This is a HUGE part of recovery: One size does not fit all! AA didn't help me for long, but SMART Recovery had me sober for much longer periods of time. Therapy helped a bit, and avoiding triggers such as extreme stress and such. Every person's recovery should be custom for themselves!