What about low alcohol beer and wine?

[jaxx]

I have been trying and failing for many years to quit or even cut back on my drinking. For the past 3 days or so I have been drinking only low alcohol content beer (3.3% instead of the normal 5.2%) and I must say, it tastes exactly like the real thing. I will drink around 5to 7 of these beers in one day - about the same amount as I normally would drink of the regular alcohol content beer. I do not get buzzed and feel as though I am doing good. My question then is - does anyone know if I am doing more harm than good? Is the low alcohol content beer also bad for me?

[rebirth]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

Hi Jaxx,
Funny you should write this post as i wrote a similar one in the monthly abstinence section. I look forward to some of your replys cause i am also unsure whether it's a good thing or not.

[Guest]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

There is a section in the AA Big Book that covers this very well - basically it says as alcoholics we tried all sorts of different types of drinks, and drinking. One of which was lite or low alcohol beers - but always returned to the same problem.

Long before I read any AA literature I experienced just this. One Christmas after some particularly bad binges I decided it might be ok to drink cheap, low AL(2%) supermarket beer or shandy. It felt really good doing so. There was one problem - after a certain period of time I found myself forcing the stuff down my neck obsessively. Then I started on a slightly stronger beer and not diluting the shandy as much. Soon(within a few weeks) I was back drinking problematically.

Early this year I believe I did something similar - this time I went for alcoholic Ginger Beer. At only 4% I thought I was doing good as I couldn't get drunk on it. Once again it wasn't long before I was forcing the stuff down in large quantities ending up bloated, as I wasn't feeling the effects. After a week or two I was back on stronger drinks again.

I've also tried wine with AL removed, can't stand it and beer of the same. This time which is my most succesful sober period EVER I've opted not to touch the stuff. I figure the 0.5 or 0.05% content is too risky compared to how drinking effects my life.

So it's up to you in the end but I would say if you can't moderate all AL has to be avoided. You can always have a go like I did, then you will know for sure.

[mollyka]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

Have to say (yet AGAIN!!) I agree with UKB. I suppose everyone is different so I am only speaking of myself,but any amount of alcohol, no matter how small, I reckon could set me off. I would liken it to the time I had given up cigarettes for 5 yrs, took one pull of someones smoke when I was out drinking and followed on with another 5 years smoking!! Most alkies have addictive personalities, I do, and therefore I take no risks with anything - as I say you may be different!
Molly

[rebirth]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

ukb you have convinced me. x

[jaxx]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

please let me refrase my question. Is it just as harmful to the body, drinking low alcohol content as normal alcohol - at the same amount always drunk (5-7 beers)? is what i am doing in vein i suppose? am i killing myself anyway, when i think i am doing better because i am not getting drunk?

[Guest]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

No dude, it's not too harmful. Just makes you fart more.

[Guest]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

Alcohol is a poison to the body however if you reduce your AL intake then of course you are going to do less physical damage.

Only thing to watch out for is drinking more volume in order to compensate and ending up with the same absolute intake.

[IAD]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

Jaxx....Kind of funny, the name.....their use to be a beer called Jazz Beer when I lived in Texas. But back to the subject; alcohol is alcohol ! If you drink lower alcohol content beer....you just drink more beer than you normally do to get the same buzz. It's like smokes (Cigg.) You smoke the the low tar and nicotine ones....you end up somking more to get the same fix. About non-alcohol type beers........in the states you can have as much as 1.7 % alcohol in a beer and it can still be considered non-alcoholic. Theirs no escaping it...you either learn to moderate or stop drinking all together........Good Luck..IAD

[Johnny]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

I'm better of abstaining altogether, if I have one low alcohol or even non alcoholic beer I will be opening the gates to a binge to kill all binges. I was thinking about the psychological and ritualistic attachment that go with drinking, it's like when I used to smoke cannabis, when I quit, I missed building a joint. With drink, the ritual of sitting at a bar and taking that first sip was a fix, but as soon as I took it, it wasn't fun any more.

[IAD]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

Way to go Johnny ! Love your Soul Comfort Thread....come n back let's hit it some ! Ha! ( I'm the music man ! ha! ) IAD

[jaxx]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

thanks for your responses. i will be thinking on all your input.

[TRUCKER123]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

Hi jaxx I tend to agree with the previous people here .I tried every way to drink, cutting back, to light beer ,only drinking on weekend's,switching to other drinks etc,etc,etc.I always lost this battle with the bottle.I execpt finally that i can't drink anymore this is good for me.Only you no if you want to mod or total abstience good luck.Trucker

[Doggygirl]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

jaxx, I can't tell you what will happen to you, or what would happen to me with beer (as I am not going to try it!) However, I CAN tell you what happened to me with vodka. When I tried to cut back by making my drinks with less alcohol, I fooled myself for short periods of time. But the second I thought it was "working" I just drank more drinks.

The problem for me was not that about limiting myself to 5 - 7 drinks, and just having less alcohol per drink. The problem was that I could just never get enough, regardless of how much alcohol was in any particular drink.

I'm guessing in the long run it would work the same with beer.

DG

[jaxx]

What about low alcohol beer and wine?

it sounds as though everyone has had pretty much the same experiences with the low alcohol drinks. i guess i was just hoping. -and you're right, i do need to decide and except what is good for me too. i already know, i'm just having a hard time excepting it.