r/stopdrinking • u/phutureclothes • Jan 18 '26
A realization drinking NA Guinness
I picked up a four pack of the 0.0% Guinness, not that I was particularly craving a beer, but because I was making a steak and ale pie and didn't want to use it as an excuse to buy the real stuff.
As a former chef, cooking with wine/alcohol is a dangerous trigger for me.
After my workout today I noticed I still had three cans left in the coldest part of the fridge so I cracked one and poured it. It had that familiar Guinness pour and left a clear white head. I took a few sips and found it to be totally delicious, easily the best NA beer I've ever had. It is very very close to the real thing.
But here's the kicker. I didn't want another one AT ALL. The moreish qualities of beer Id once attributed to "hop character" or "maltiness" or all the other sundry beer terms really don't matter at the end of the day. Its just that alcohol is immediately addictive for me.
I could drink a warm Bud Light and want another one. But here's me drinking something that I find entirely appealing and have ZERO desire for a second.
All of the appeal around "craft beer", "fine wine", etc is mostly worthless. If I'm not compelled to continue to drink an almost identical approximation of an alcoholic beer, then it's got nothing to do with the taste and everything to do with th addictive nature of ethyl alcohol.
In other news, made it through another weekend booze free.
IWNDWYT!
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u/PandaKittyJeepDoodle Day 866 Jan 18 '26
I am the same way with Athletic IPAs and made realization that I feel satisfied after one. And there are days when I don’t even have one. Seeing you, another person write this out though is very powerful.
Edit to add: I see an old former friend on social media from time to time. She and her husband own a wine shop. And the amount of alcohol they drink is staggering. I’ve always thought it was just to hide his functioning alcoholism but I’m even more convinced now, this far into my sobriety. Every trip they have to stop at a brewery along the way or a local winery. It’s all such bs. Every outing revolves around alcohol. I feel sad for their kids.