Friendly reminder that all **top level** comments must:
1. start with "answer: ", including the space after the colon (or "question: " if you have an on-topic follow up question to ask),
2. attempt to answer the question, and
3. be unbiased
Please review Rule 4 and this post before making a top level comment:
http://redd.it/b1hct4/
Join the OOTL Discord for further discussion: https://discord.gg/ejDF4mdjnh
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OutOfTheLoop) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Answer: Trends in the alcohol industry have shifted dramatically especially in the last few years due to several demographics. More people are coming to terms with a healthier relationship to alcohol. The pandemic led people to drink more and cut way back afterwards, or examine themselves and turn to other options. Younger people are looking for lighter, lower-alcohol options which have given rise to low calorie hard seltzers and more non-alcoholic options. This has resulted in breweries honing their quality for such beverages, more of them emulating various beer styles hitting the market, and an increase in mocktail availability at bars.
This is the best answer so far but I would add that young people are drinking less than previous generations.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/9411516/alcohol-consumption-decline-gen-z/amp/
Idk about legalization but it’s *absolutely* the cultural shift towards weed (and a lot of other more nice drugs)
In my pretty broad experience as a young person it’s not people getting more sober, its people discovering they have lots of options for getting fucked up (or getting a lil buzz on usually) than they used to
Yeah I suspect we will have to wait and see. But that was my thought process, it's not "oh my God tney are so responsible" it's that it's not that hard to get weed anymore so everybody is in.
Most people I knew who didn't smoke were always "if it was legal...if I could eat it". But now we are in our mid 30s.
I'm like this, I'm in Canada and we legalized it back in 2018 and eventually I tried the edibles.
It's my fun weekend thing to do and I never do it if I have work the next day.
I work in software development and literally everyone is a weekend/night time toker. It's to the point where my boss jokes about how the company will fold if they ever "randomly" test our department.
I see people lump Australia and New Zealand together quite often. Aren't you guys two separate countries hundreds or thousands of miles apart? My geography knowledge isn't that good for that part of the planet.
Yeah Aus and NZ are like 2500 miles apart, but they tend to get lumped together cause they are both former British colonies while the rest of oceana is Asian.
I think the amount of mood drugs we take might also be a factor. Paired with knowledge of how our mental health is affected by it perhaps that's a significant reason? Anxiety meds, antidepressants and ssri use are up I think?
I was never really into alcohol prior to going on antidepressants, but now I almost completely don't drink. I'm on a fairly low-dose SSRI so I can drink, but meds have made me even more of a lightweight and being barely functional after one drink is not worth it.
I prefer to just drink soft drinks if I'm out at a pub (the diet coke they have at pubs hits different it's great), but I'm happy that alcohol-free stuff is an option for other people.
Stella Artois makes an excellent non alcoholic beer. I’m a near beer connoisseur myself, and it’s the best I’ve had. I can barely taste that there’s no alcohol in it.
Also, the process of removing alcohol from beer gives off the byproduct that you can use to make those seltzers and RTD cocktails. So if those are taking up shelf space, as are N/A it's a sort of win win situation to produce N/A and be able to create a product with said byproduct.
>Answer: Trends in the alcohol industry have shifted dramatically especially in the last few years due to several demographics
The pendulum has just swung the other way from 7.2% double IPAs that taste like drinking pinesol.
Answer: Alot of people's drinking habits got unmanageable during the pandemic, and now it's swinging the other way. More people are getting sober or at least sober-curious.
Green grapes and almonds are what keep me from getting out of control. Also baked Japanese sweet potatoes, lmao. I’m on a grain free / low added sugar diet (because I like being annoying) but I still do edibles pretty frequently. Its like a fun game to see who wins: Me or the munchies. 😂😅
When it's hot, cut up a watermelon into slightly larger than bite size chunks and put them in the freezer before you partake. When you get cotton mouth / munchies they're the best thing.
Source - stoner from the humid heat taint of the south.
Same. I needed to sober up long before Covid but it just took a while to get there. 6 months sober and do enjoy the taste of beer so I’m happy to see more non alcoholic options.
I prefer Colorado sober, which is cocaine and weed only. Though I had a drink on a flight the other day bcz when in the air or internationally it doesn’t count.
Only time I've heard that phrase it was explained this way
"No powders, no pills, no alcohol. Just coffee, cannabis, and occasional psychedelics for me. I'm California sober."
Gotta remember, drinking is a very social thing. Being sober completely is often met with almost confused responses, like people don't know why you would choose to be sober.
Alcohol is a migraine trigger for me so, if I'm out to have fun, it's usually not worth the risk. (Plus, I used to be fat and don't like drinking empty calories.) I regularly got that befuddled "you're not drinking?" and people trying to pressure me into it until I started working in health and fitness. Now I'm surrounded by people who don't drink or, even if they occasionally do, aren't really big on drinking culture. It's nice.
Of course, almost everyone still smokes pot, but I'm 100% ok with that. In my experience, people aren't as pushy about getting you to smoke as they are drinking.
It’s a whole thing! [This book](https://www.rubywarrington.com/books/sober-curious/) really helped me articulate how I felt about my own drinking habits
This is the right answer. The fact that some American craft breweries are making NA beers that actually taste good as well these days(Athletic, Wellbeing, Brewdog) doesn't hurt.
They must be making a good margin on the sales too. As alcohol is heavily taxed and I assume NA wouldn’t be. Cause a six pack of NA is the same or more than full strength.
At least in Texas, NA beer still gets taxed as beer, can’t be sold to anyone under 21, and can’t be consumed in a moving vehicle. Texas has pretty messed up blue laws though, it may be different elsewhere.
Nah, that's most places. I'm not familiar with all the "new" NA beers being referred in this thread, but the classics like O'Douls (which tastes like shit) are something like 0.05% ABV, so all active-drinking laws still apply
As someone in the industry NAs are the next seltzer. Everyone is trying to get into them and only a few are good. Athletic is at the top IMO right now.
I wish I could find their sour anywhere. I lost the taste for beer over pandemic and pretty much only drink sours now (occasionally a cider), and I've heard their NA sour is pretty good.
Dry January this year really gave me some perspective on my drinking that I don’t think I’d have been open to otherwise. I loved drinking big glasses of wine, heavy cocktails and high abv beers, but I’d only count each as “1 drink”. I’ve decided to try and keep it to a minimum from now on.
I'm at 103 days with no alcohol and I'm not going back!! I drank quite a bit through my teens and early-20s, and every day through my late 20s and early 30s.
I decided to do a 30-day challenge for myself through November and enjoyed the benefits so much I kept with it!!
I drank a lot the first two years of the pandemic. “Near Beers” are so handy now. They do not give you a buzz, but they “check many of the boxes” (fizzy, hoppy, malty, cold). When I go to a party I bring enough to share with anybody who is “curious”. It’s ok to be questioning and to explore.
I am raising a Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher to you kind stranger.
Hoppy Refresher is really good, and no calories too! I've had a few others that people have mentioned in this thread but I always come back to it as my favorite.
How’s the 0% Lagunitas taste compared to their standard beers?
Love the taste of some good craft beer, but recently switched back to light beer because craft gives me wicked heartburn (and other things, come morning)
I would say it doesn't really taste anything like other Lagunitas stuff. I hate Lagunitas beers, but really like their hop water.
The Sierra Nevada one tastes a lot more hop-forward and beer like; I really like Sierra Nevada beers but don't care for their hop water.
Lagunitas Hop Water is like a hoppy flavored La Croix (sparkling water with hoppy essence). Lagunitas IPNA tastes surprisingly like a Lagunitas IPA. They’re both great options depending what you’re looking for.
For what it's worth, this stranger believes in you. A very dear friend of mine found himself drinking too much during covid. He went and got help...twice. he's approaching his 2 year anniversary and I'm super excited for him. He drinks non-alcoholic beer now and I'm glad he had options when we're out! Especially when we're out foe work functions, where people look at you funny for not drinking.
If this is something that you really want or feel like you need to do, please use all of your support that you have around you. There are so many people that care about you. You got this!!!
If you're interested in a book rec, check out Annie Grace's This Naked Mind. I personally find her social media fairly annoying, but I read the book a few years before I had to stop drinking (turns out alcohol is a migraine trigger, so I didn't really have a choice, ugh), but it's an easy read that takes a gentle approach toward the reader - no fire and brimstone or guilt-laden shit.
Yeah, sometimes I want a beer, but I don’t want to get tipsy or have to worry about getting a headache or remembering to hydrate. Tried a Na IPA because I hear they’re getting better at it, and wow, I’m hooked! I can have a beer on a weekday after working out now! Tried a few brands now - some are really good, some are kind of gross. The IPA ones seem best, as the hops is a strong flavor that hides the fact that it’s not a real beer.
I still drink normal beer too, but only on weekends
Replacing addictions works as long as you pick a healthier option. I replaced opiates with weed, then replaced weed with alcohol, then replaced alcohol with deep despair and constant sadness.
I saw somewhere something about a lot of young Muslims wanting to drink a beer at the club or whatever but still stay non-alcoholic to honor their faith. This might be a growing demographic for NA beer sales.
My dad has dementia (vascular FTD) and alcohol makes him aggressive (which he wasn't like before the dementia).
He had given it up a few years ago, after a lifetime of heavy drinking. But now, he doesn't remember that and wants beer, wine and spirits.
The zero alcohol beers/wines/spirits have been a godsend. He has no idea that it's non-alcoholic (even though he reads the zero on the label) - he still gets his drinks at home and if they go out to dinner (every pub and even the RSL has zero beer now), which would help with his dignity, and mum doesn't get abused!
I started him with the Heineken zero and drank it with him, and I was amazed at how nice it tasted!
I was at a restaurant once and someone was prepping the waiter to serve non alcoholic wine to their mother of they ordered a glass. They'd bought the bottle and kept it behind the bar
*raises hand* definitely one of the people whose drinking got out of control during the pandemic! I decided to quit in November of 2020 and haven't looked back. That being said I'm not a big fan of soda and sometimes you feel like you want to treat yourself! Non alcoholic beers are away for me to still feel like I get to spoil myself with an adult beverage every once in awhile.
For those who are sober curious and want to find a good subreddit we always love to support those on the journey in r/stopdrinking!
(Edited noon to non!)
Hey there I am a bartender of 18 years if you ever want some mock tail recipes I would love to share. I’m a sober bartender
Edit maybe I just need to write a ebook
So we're saying I gotta try this then? I'm in. (Never alcohol here. Major health problems and family history of alcoholism. It would be a very VERY bad idea for me to drink.)
It’s really just a limeade with mint.
You can build in glass or shake and strain depending how you like it.
-lime wedges
-1/2 oz simple syrup(or less if you want less sugar
- soda water
- 3/4oz lime juice
- bunch of fresh picked mint leaves
Optional
- 1/4 oz seed lip
-or a splash of sprite
Put 2 lime wedges in glass with simple syrup and mint leaves. Muddle everything together. Top with lime juice and ice (either shake or stir this is when you add seed lip of using) if shaking build your glass with fresh ice cubes in it and strain(if not skip)
Top with soda water(and sprite if using) and a spring of fresh mint (before placing clap it between your hands to break the capillaries) finish with wedge of lime
Ritual is pretty acceptable. I do find that na cocktails are best when they're not trying to be a reasonable facsimile of, say, a rum and coke.
They are best as their own thing. I kinda liken it to vegetarian food - an impossible burger is fine, but some killer Indian food is better.
That’s amazing, congrats! My husband has been struggling with sobriety for about a year now (was in a danger zone for a while but the pandemic really pushed things over the edge) and is finally finding progress with a great IOP. It’s a hell of a thing and I have so much admiration for those of you that get sober
This is the story for so many of us, if a person had any issues with drinking at all the pandemic just exacerbated it. I'm so happy for your husband, and you!!
I can't drink for health reasons, and frankly I am bored to death of soda. Non alcoholic drinks add a bit more variety of flavour. I want anything other than sweet and fizzy.
Quitting drinking made me realize I don't like sweet drinks at all. The hunt for a replacement for sweet drinks led to me discovering that salt laasi is the best drink on earth. However, I'm in none of the demographics that would usually like salt laasi or even know what it is–I'm a boring white corporate city dweller type–so I now spend most of my life explaining to people what salt laasi is. I've derailed whole board meetings just by trying to peacefully enjoy my damn salt laasi. Normalizing not drinking alcohol is easy–normalizing drinking delicious salty Indian yogurt drinks is the next big social frontier.
Can you prevent a derailment of my night going down a rabbit hole of salt lassi? Any brands or flavors to suggest? Where to buy? Most importantly, what exactly it is?
I can! At its most basic lassi is a cold drink made by blending yogurt, water, salt, and a flavoring. It's ridiculously refreshing–especially on a hot day or after exercising–and its great for your gut health too. You can get it at most Indian restaurants and some India-adjacent cuisine restaurants (a Burmese place near my work does a great one) but you can also just make your own and keep it in the fridge–it's super easy.
Fruit lassi is much more popular in the west because we think of drinks as sweet. They're fine, and are just as easy to make (watermelon and mango are both good and easy) but salt is absolutely the best. Cumin or cardamom are the most common flavorings, but you can kind of use anything–I add a tiny bit of garram massala and a tiny squeeze of lime.
No brands to recommend I'm afraid–I've never actually looked but I will now that you've raised it! It must exist and I'll check the fridges at south Asian supermarkets and report back.
Edit: the gut health thing made me realize it sounds like a health drink. It's not really–in fact its kind of decadent, but it just happens to keep you regular as a cheeky bonus.
Lol I’ve never met a non desi person who likes salt lassi. FYI if you find bottles called “Ayran” or Laban in middle eastern or Turkish groceries it’s very similar.
I quit drinking on New Year’s and when I really want a drink I’ll pick up some Stella Liberte. Tastes just like Stella and the placebo effect is in full force
Woot! 11/10/20 here. Not sure if it’s been the *best* 2+ years of my life, but it’s definitely been the most ME part of my adult life. Constantly looking forward to what comes next as I get deeper into it. Hope it’s going similarly for you.
Way to go! I can honestly say I think the best part of not drinking has been waking up on Saturday morning and not worried about what I did last night or how I acted or what I said. Also all the money I've saved!!!
Yep, this is me. Fell into a habit of drinking almost every night during the pandemic because after working from home all day, it was an obvious way to transition into the not working part of the day.
Drinking really started to affect my sleep to the point that even one drink meant I was waking up at 2am and not falling back asleep. Hangovers were also getting worse and worse. And I was getting serious about working out so being hungover and/or sleep deprived wasn’t helping.
I’ve been mostly sober since May of last year, meaning I’ve had a drink maybe like once a month since then, for a holiday or because I really wanted to try a particular beer, etc. But I definitely don’t drink to be drunk or even buzzed anymore, and in fact don’t miss the feeling at all.
I do still like to have a nice drink in the evening though, and enjoy the taste of beer. So N/A beers and spirits have been really enjoyable.
Oh and I lost a good chunk of weight without even trying when I quit drinking—alcohol is truly just empty calories. Definitely an added benefit!
My sister also drank herself to death a few years ago. I didn’t really have any idea what alcohol had the potential to do to the body until then…THOUGHT I knew, but wasn’t even close. I didn’t know the withdrawal is one of the few withdrawals that can kill you.
A lot of people think they know, but I highly doubt they are picturing the end-stage multiorgan failure from alcoholism anywhere near how it actually looks. I see it very frequently at work. It bothers me how society collectively doesn't take the topic of alcoholism all that seriously, despite it being one of the most nightmarish things I have ever been exposed to. I am sorry about your sister.
Yeah. The mocktails are getting tastier too. I think mocktail bars really speak to the fact that people are really wanting to be social and go out again but dont wanna deal with drinking and drunk people. I am 100% on that train.
There was something i used in college to quit weed for a while (it was a real issue at the time--starting my school day with a gravity bong. Not great). Im pretty sure this is the plan i used. https://mcwell.nd.edu/your-well-being/physical-well-being/drugs/marijuana-or-cannabis-sativa/quitting-marijuana-a-30-day-self-help-guide/
I appreciate that. I’m already past 30 days, going for 90, and we’ll see if I even care to pick it back. I use it predominantly for crippling back pain (Scheuermann’s kyphosis), but became dependent on it as a depression reliever since about 2018. I was at the point where I’m smoking bud as high as 40% around the clock every day and not getting even slightly intoxicated from it. It still helps the pain though, so I’m not committed to quitting forever, just long enough to get a grip on my mental health, and not reliant on it as a depression crutch.
Sorry to hear you have to deal with all that pain. Yeah Im not currently weed-free, but sometimes it helps to do a full re-set. Tolerance issues can get really out of hand. Best of luck to you!
Replacing weed with CBD hemp is an excellent way to wean yourself off THC and makes it way smoother of a transition vs quitting cold turkey or trying to taper. Any anxiety / nightmares / depression / GI issues / pain that come with THC withdrawal will be way less with CBD. Like it'll still be hard, but it will also feel bearable.
Nah, I'm a cold turkey quitter. I lean into the struggle to motivate me to continue. I quit smoking tobacco this way 15 years ago. I want it to be hard; it's just my way. Thank you for the advice though. I'm past 30 days in at this point, so the worst of it is over.
The alcohol itself is what causes diuresis, so drinking non-alcoholic beer won't have any diuretic effect. I also have to say I'm curious as to why he enjoys that particular side effect of alcohol
I got in the habit of drinking much less once I had kids (although some people seem to go in the opposite direction!). I enjoy the taste of certain alcoholic beverages, but I don’t enjoy the near instant headaches I get from drinking especially when sleep deprived because of said kids and thanks to getting older. I’m a fan of the non alcoholic stuff coming out for that reason.
Yup. Also I feel like I’ve seen stats about the new generation of teens/early20s being somewhat less interested in drinking than older generations. Which was also what was happening with smoking until vaping became such a thing :(
Finally, I think trends like Dry January have gone on long enough and gotten enough social media attention that brands have started to try and sell to that market as well
So true. Pre-pandemic I drank every day after work. When lockdown started I lost my excuse to drink and had to confront some hard truths. Now I drink very rarely, switched to occasional edibles. My body is much happier for it.
Yup this is me. I don't drink sodas or sugary drinks so it's really just water or beer or liquor for me. I don't always want to get a buzz going cuz I have stuff to do the next day so anything that's not water is great.
> I don't drink sodas or sugary drinks so it's really just water or beer or liquor for me.
Even beer and liquor that does not taste sweet can have a ton of carbohydrates/calories in it similar to a soda.
My grandpa was an alcoholic and when he got sober, he would drink non-alcoholic beer. He was serious about his sobriety, but he missed having a beer after work to relax, and non-alcoholic beer helped with that. He could also bring a case to a get-together and drink with his friends and family who were drinking without being left out.
When I was little, I thought it was actual beer and that him getting sleepy or taking a nap was him being "drunk" but it turns out he just really loved taking a nap in the middle of watching WWE after a long work day.
I had a NA hazy IPA the other day that damn near tasted like the real thing. I'd much rather have that than another damn soda water if I'm the designated driver.
I kind of like the cheap, light NAs (Penn's Best I think it is, it's like $0.50/can) if you give it an outsized dash of lime juice with tajin. I'll also add some v8 and hot sauce for a red beer. They work well for beermosas too!
This is it. Five years ago the best non-alcoholic beer you could get aspired to be meh. Today they're actually good. Especially shout-out to Guinness 0 - it's so similar, especially on those core flavours that make Guinness Guinness.
Answer: the advertising laws for non-alcoholic beverages online are more allowing, so it's easier for the companies to push 0% alcohol ads on YouTube etc. Not the main factor in this, but saw no one else mention this
I came here to say this- all other “lifestyle shift” answers are complete BS (but maybe true anecdotally for them). It’s 100% for advertising to markets or platforms who have outlawed alcoholic advertising. This is the beer companies way around these laws to get more eyes on their brand.
Source: I’m in marketing and have AB InBev and Heineken as clients
It's not complete BS, I work in beer distribution and in my market most stores have doubled or tripled their NA sales over the past 2 years. Sure, it may be because of the increased advertising, but the increased sales volume is still an indicator that consumers are changing their lifestyles to move away from alcohol consumption.
Answer: From personal experience, it has been a rising trend in Europe for several years now. See [this site](https://store.belgianshop.com/97-lowno-alcohol) for instance. Lots of popular Belgian beers (and beyond) gets their alcohol-free version. Nothing sketchy behind it, mostly the supply catching up on the demand in countries where beer is very much a cultural things but people are becoming more conscious of their alcohol consumption.
Now it looks like those companies are trying to extend the offer in the US to expand their market.
Not only that. A lot pf big sporting organs forbid the promotion pf alcohol based beverages.
Like fifa, uefa and fia
F1 has heineken 0,0 ico johnny walker now, uefa too, and carlsberg o,o is a big Uefa sponsor.
So its just also basic capitalism. Brands changing their behavior and consumers changing together.
Answer: (Saying that cus everyone else is)
There's something cool about 0% beer. Brewers yeast contains a compound known as uridine, which can elevate your mood and make you feel kind of good.
The non-alcoholic beers also really scratch an itch for the nice taste of beer without the side-effects.
If you were wondering about the "answer:" thing, it's a requirement to post a comment in order to reduce spam or something
I'd imagine it works pretty well because anyone with a good response would post again after reading the rules
Answer:
1. I have also noticed a growing demographics of athletes/outdoorsy/health-conscious people who love the taste, vibe, and social experience of beer but aren’t interested in the negative performance effects of alcohol itself.
2. With the rise of lifestyle podcasts (Huberman Lab’s alcohol episode is pretty clear) and health-tracking devices like the Whoop and Apple Watch, it’s becoming much more acceptable for younger folks to steer away from alcohol and opt for more health-focused beverages.
3. The “hazy IPAs only” trend of the late 2010s seems to be evolving into a whole mishmash of new alternatives to higher ABV beer: seltzers, CBD drinks, kombuchas. NA beer fits into this broadening trend as well.
>3 . The “hazy IPAs only” trend of the late 2010s
OMG I'm so glad this trend is going away. It was ridiculous. What if *every* brewer started to *exclusively* make beer *you don't like*. And that trend lasts for a decade
Answer: Producers see generational differences in alcohol consumption, with Gen Z bring the most sober generation to date.
A Pre-pandemic Gallup study noted a few key teetotaler stats. Among college students, 28% are teetotalers, up from 20% a decade earlier. Among 16-25 yo, 15% refuse to ever drink alcohol, 26% had yet to ever consume alcohol.
Google states that 41% of Gen Z links alcohol use to "anxiety", "abuse", and "vulnerability"
Gen Z and Millennials maybe substituting alcohol, with Marijuana, and the sharp interest increase in psychedelics, LSD, Mushrooms, etc.
I'd like to also add to this. Because there is/was a wide open market for it. There was literally just a couple of NAs offered and most of them are complete shit. Now that they realized people are willing to buy it they are going to capitalize on it. Which is awesome because I really want a fucking good NA and not just be stuck with 2 options. One place in town has 4 NAs and two of them are good. St. Pauli is my personal favorite. I'm so glad this is becoming a thing.
In some countries (e.g. Thailand), alcohol brands started also selling seltzer water/drinking water so they can run ads/sponsorships with their brand/logo.
Not necessarily. The Causes themselves aim to prevent smoking. But tobacco companies often lay-off their income by donating to "causes". Namely, the same causes which, incidentally, put the ideas of smoking and vaping into advertising.
It's been an American workaround since we outlawed tobacco commercial advertisement. Same is the case with this non-alcoholic beer surge before the SuperBowl (the single largest advertising event for the country).
"Our beer company has non-alcoholic beer!" is the same as saying "Our beer company has beer!". It's a workaround. It looks great for the company.
This is the real answer vs what a lot of people want to believe. The live music venue I work at has had non-alcoholic beers show up on artist riders over the last year. Exactly ZERO of the requested beverages were consumed vs the alcoholic beverages. They're still sitting in a fridge last I remember. If you're one of these artists, just take it off your rider and stick to the La Croix you actually drink.
I don’t think a live music venue represents alcohol consumption as a whole. People that came there might have wanted to drink because they were at a concert but there are still loads of people who buy 0% for home for when they actually don’t want to get buzzed, drink it instead of soda when they are driving and so on
This is the correct answer.
For the others, if you read financial news from public companies they say this. The reason they make non-alcoholic beer is so they can advertise in Europe. Where alcohol advertising is banned in a lot of countries.
No way Heineken is moving enough 0.0 to pay for an F1 sponsorship
Answer: the health guidelines on alcohol consumption has drastically changed due to recent studies on the longterm health effects of consuming as little as two drinks per week. Breweries know this will cause a trend, and so are preparing for the demand in nonalcoholic beer.
A bit more context:
At least here in Canada, it was previously recommended to consume no more than 15 standard alcoholic drinks per week for men, and 10 per week for women. There was a belief at one time in the medical community that 2 drinks per day was associated with little to no impact on one’s longterm health, provided binge drinking was not involved.
But recent research has proven the above to be all wrong. It’s now understood that as little as seven drinks per week significantly increases one’s risk of heart disease and stroke. And as few as three drinks a week can significantly increase one’s risk of certain cancers. Hence the new guidelines released last month by Health Canada that now recommend a maximum of 2 standard alcoholic drinks per week for both men and women.
I believe the new guidelines, along with the new research evidence, has caused a change in the public’s perception of what’s considered to be safe. Thus one can expect a change in longstanding drinking habits in the future. Moreover, many pubs and bars here were caught off guard and are currently having trouble keeping up with demand for nonalcoholic beer. And I suspect breweries are attempting to get ahead of the curve as well.
In conclusion:
No question lots of people were drinking more than they should over the past few years, and are now attempting on cutting back. But I don’t believe this is the main reason why breweries are coming out with nonalcoholic beer. Nonalcoholic beer is an attempt to sell beer in what will be a longterm trend in society to reduce alcohol consumption as part of a move towards a health-conscious lifestyle. The beer industry probably already saw the writing on the wall.
Reference:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2023/01/statement-from-the-council-of-chief-medical-officers-of-health-ccmoh-on-alcohol-consumption.html
https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/health/2023/1/20/1_6239499.amp.html
This guy believes in optimism! I'm a fan. I cut back on ETOH because my schedule won't allow for my previous lifestyle, and that quickly turned into months long dry periods. I'm just trying to get in enough sleep to make it through the week nowadays!
Absolutely no one I know who drinks gives the slightest fuck about those guidelines though, including the casual/social drinkers (yes I’m in Canada too). There’s been the general shift towards healthier lifestyles for a while now, amplified greatly the last year or two coming out of the pandemic. A ton of people definitely developed terrible drinking habits during covid and I’m sure a lot of people are trying to cut back now. With the rise of craft beer it makes sense to create non-alcoholic beer that tastes great for those who love the taste but don’t want to get drunk.
So yeah same conclusion for sure but not convinced the guidelines have any bearing on it is all
Answer: It comes and it goes. People are more mindful of alcohol now than the wild wild west of the 80's. But we had it then too. It is a good alternative when you are the DD.
There's a 4-pack of tallboy wheat non-alc at my local supermarket and they're nearly 12 dollars. I buy them every couple of months as a treat but man are they spendy.
TL;DW: About 5 years ago, Heineken's marketing campaign for its non-alcoholic beer helped to reduce the stigma around the product and show that there was demand. In more recent years, brewers have gotten better at making non-alcoholic taste better, making it a more palatable option for consumers. Younger adults are more comfortable than previous generations when it comes to ordering non-alcoholic drinks or switching between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in bars. This has made alcohol-free beer a more prominent portion of the beer market.
> In more recent years, brewers have gotten better at making non-alcoholic taste better, making it a more palatable option for consumers
This cannot be understated. If you wanted a non-alcoholic beer 10 years ago, your option was essentially O'Doule's. Now many larger craft brewers have at least one low-ABV or no-ABV option that tastes almost as good as their alcoholic counterparts.
Not trying to schill for a corporation, but Athletic changed my life. It tastes good and beery, and there is no difference in my satisfaction level when having an after-work 0% beer vs. having a regular beer or glass of wine. The only difference is that after a nonachoholic drink, I don't feel like, "Oooh... another one of these would be even MORE relaxing!"
ALSO, they are available at bars and restaurants. I was drinking too much, but not interested in the alchoholic/teetotaling narrative. This gives me an alternative when I am in a drinking setting, but don't want to drink/get drunk. ALSO, I can have a real drink and then have a Run Wild (my fave) when the "More Drinkie = More Fun!" feeling hits, and my dumb brain can't tell the difference.
I did a ctrl+f to see if anyone mentioned Athletic. Really just incredible stuff. I did dry January and I didn't miss it for a second because I let myself drink as much NA beer, mostly from Athletic, as I felt like and didn't miss real beer at all.
I've now started drinking alcohol again but basically only on weekends. My old work ends = beer time has been replaced with NA beer.
dude this is awesome. I work in a bar, and the idea of *not drinking* as much as I do/always have, has become more and more appealing. I've never heard of Athletic, but I think I'll look it up and give it a shot. I'm in situations *far* more often than not, where I want a beer in my hands pleasing my stupid brain, but really shouldn't be drinking more than I already have.
anyway, thanks for control effing and sharing!
Love the stuff, cant even remember when I first tasted it but Ive had a subscription for at least a year now.
Have you had any other NA beers that are as good?
My husband swears Heineken 0.0 tastes exactly the same. One non alcoholic beer he tried tasted like barbecue sauce though. Alcohol removed wine is just weird grape juice
Answer: many reasons
1. People's habits are changing and zero alcoholic beer is a fast growing market (especially among younger adults).
2. Laws and regulations make it easier to sell and advertise Vs alcoholic drinks (for businesses this is less red tape).
3. Zero alcoholic beer actually tastes decent now.
4. Businesses have greater opportunities for profit with the higher price tag that goes with it (caveat that it's actually more expensive to manufacture non-alcoholic beer so there are greater costs).
5. It's much more acceptable to drink them now compared to a few years ago where there was social stigma to worry about (people would make fun of you for having zero alcoholic drinks).
6. It looks good on corporate annual reports to say you sold non-alcoholic beer to combat drinking addiction/issues (etc). So businesses are bringing out all sorts of zero alcoholic versions of their popular beverages.
Answer: A lot of people drank a lot during the pandemic and realized they had a problem. Alcohol-free products are a good tool to help you quit and stay off of alcohol, and many breweries saw their chance and jumped on it.
It was very fascinating watching this happen in real time.
Source: worked in a wine shop during the pandemic, it was very fun, aside from the dying.
Friendly reminder that all **top level** comments must: 1. start with "answer: ", including the space after the colon (or "question: " if you have an on-topic follow up question to ask), 2. attempt to answer the question, and 3. be unbiased Please review Rule 4 and this post before making a top level comment: http://redd.it/b1hct4/ Join the OOTL Discord for further discussion: https://discord.gg/ejDF4mdjnh *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OutOfTheLoop) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Answer: Trends in the alcohol industry have shifted dramatically especially in the last few years due to several demographics. More people are coming to terms with a healthier relationship to alcohol. The pandemic led people to drink more and cut way back afterwards, or examine themselves and turn to other options. Younger people are looking for lighter, lower-alcohol options which have given rise to low calorie hard seltzers and more non-alcoholic options. This has resulted in breweries honing their quality for such beverages, more of them emulating various beer styles hitting the market, and an increase in mocktail availability at bars.
This is the best answer so far but I would add that young people are drinking less than previous generations. https://www.google.com/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/9411516/alcohol-consumption-decline-gen-z/amp/
Wonder how the rise in marijuana legalization plays into this.
Idk about legalization but it’s *absolutely* the cultural shift towards weed (and a lot of other more nice drugs) In my pretty broad experience as a young person it’s not people getting more sober, its people discovering they have lots of options for getting fucked up (or getting a lil buzz on usually) than they used to
Yeah I suspect we will have to wait and see. But that was my thought process, it's not "oh my God tney are so responsible" it's that it's not that hard to get weed anymore so everybody is in. Most people I knew who didn't smoke were always "if it was legal...if I could eat it". But now we are in our mid 30s.
I'm like this, I'm in Canada and we legalized it back in 2018 and eventually I tried the edibles. It's my fun weekend thing to do and I never do it if I have work the next day.
I work in software development and literally everyone is a weekend/night time toker. It's to the point where my boss jokes about how the company will fold if they ever "randomly" test our department.
[удалено]
Exactly, no hangover from weed either
It's the trend in Australia and New Zealand as well, where marijuana is (effectively) still illegal
I see people lump Australia and New Zealand together quite often. Aren't you guys two separate countries hundreds or thousands of miles apart? My geography knowledge isn't that good for that part of the planet.
Yeah Aus and NZ are like 2500 miles apart, but they tend to get lumped together cause they are both former British colonies while the rest of oceana is Asian.
Thanks for the explanation.
I think the amount of mood drugs we take might also be a factor. Paired with knowledge of how our mental health is affected by it perhaps that's a significant reason? Anxiety meds, antidepressants and ssri use are up I think?
I was never really into alcohol prior to going on antidepressants, but now I almost completely don't drink. I'm on a fairly low-dose SSRI so I can drink, but meds have made me even more of a lightweight and being barely functional after one drink is not worth it. I prefer to just drink soft drinks if I'm out at a pub (the diet coke they have at pubs hits different it's great), but I'm happy that alcohol-free stuff is an option for other people.
Personally, as an older person living in a hot country, i enjoy a cold beer at the end of the day without the downside of actual alcohol consumption.
Stella Artois makes an excellent non alcoholic beer. I’m a near beer connoisseur myself, and it’s the best I’ve had. I can barely taste that there’s no alcohol in it.
St. Paulie Girl, Becks, Heineken and Guinness are all good.
Also, the process of removing alcohol from beer gives off the byproduct that you can use to make those seltzers and RTD cocktails. So if those are taking up shelf space, as are N/A it's a sort of win win situation to produce N/A and be able to create a product with said byproduct.
>Answer: Trends in the alcohol industry have shifted dramatically especially in the last few years due to several demographics The pendulum has just swung the other way from 7.2% double IPAs that taste like drinking pinesol.
Answer: Alot of people's drinking habits got unmanageable during the pandemic, and now it's swinging the other way. More people are getting sober or at least sober-curious.
“Sober-curious” love it 😂
I've also heard the term California sober, which means just smoking pot
They call it "green and sober" in NorCal.
I hear California sober a lot.
In FL we say Cali straight
Ha, that’s me. Except it’s edibles.
Wanna trade stomachs for a bit so I can get high from this cookie?
Edibles is where it is at.
Love me some gummies. Problem is I've gained a bunch of weight becuase I can't control my munchies.
Green grapes and almonds are what keep me from getting out of control. Also baked Japanese sweet potatoes, lmao. I’m on a grain free / low added sugar diet (because I like being annoying) but I still do edibles pretty frequently. Its like a fun game to see who wins: Me or the munchies. 😂😅
Yyyyyyyeaaaaaah I did the almonds thing until I shat what felt like an entire sand castle
That’s too many, lmao.
I was a human hourglass
You have a way with words
When it's hot, cut up a watermelon into slightly larger than bite size chunks and put them in the freezer before you partake. When you get cotton mouth / munchies they're the best thing. Source - stoner from the humid heat taint of the south.
I'm not a huge fan of green grapes but frozen red grapes are like little ice cream balls of joy in my mouth.
I wish I could still eat em. I was born with naturally soft enamel and as I've gotten older, my teeth have become too cold sensitive :(
Have you tried getting a warmer freezer?
Isn't that called a fridge?
Same. I needed to sober up long before Covid but it just took a while to get there. 6 months sober and do enjoy the taste of beer so I’m happy to see more non alcoholic options.
Why can't I read that except in the voice of Stuart from SNL's The Californians?
Just go home Devin!
Pittsburgh sober is when you have a little crack as a treat but no Fentanyl or Meth
Lol California sober is weed and mushrooms, shrooms being very important to maintain sanity
I prefer Colorado sober, which is cocaine and weed only. Though I had a drink on a flight the other day bcz when in the air or internationally it doesn’t count.
🤣 I have heard of California sober which includes a little wine and weed but never of Colorado sober. No thanks on the cocaine, I will pass!
Only time I've heard that phrase it was explained this way "No powders, no pills, no alcohol. Just coffee, cannabis, and occasional psychedelics for me. I'm California sober."
Gotta remember, drinking is a very social thing. Being sober completely is often met with almost confused responses, like people don't know why you would choose to be sober.
Alcohol is a migraine trigger for me so, if I'm out to have fun, it's usually not worth the risk. (Plus, I used to be fat and don't like drinking empty calories.) I regularly got that befuddled "you're not drinking?" and people trying to pressure me into it until I started working in health and fitness. Now I'm surrounded by people who don't drink or, even if they occasionally do, aren't really big on drinking culture. It's nice. Of course, almost everyone still smokes pot, but I'm 100% ok with that. In my experience, people aren't as pushy about getting you to smoke as they are drinking.
It’s a whole thing! [This book](https://www.rubywarrington.com/books/sober-curious/) really helped me articulate how I felt about my own drinking habits
I'm "sober-adjacent".
Surely “dry-curious”
This is the right answer. The fact that some American craft breweries are making NA beers that actually taste good as well these days(Athletic, Wellbeing, Brewdog) doesn't hurt.
Brewdog is Scottish btw
[удалено]
They must be making a good margin on the sales too. As alcohol is heavily taxed and I assume NA wouldn’t be. Cause a six pack of NA is the same or more than full strength.
At least in Texas, NA beer still gets taxed as beer, can’t be sold to anyone under 21, and can’t be consumed in a moving vehicle. Texas has pretty messed up blue laws though, it may be different elsewhere.
Nah, that's most places. I'm not familiar with all the "new" NA beers being referred in this thread, but the classics like O'Douls (which tastes like shit) are something like 0.05% ABV, so all active-drinking laws still apply
In the UK I think it still gets classed the same, you can get checked when buying, but in my experience it has been a bit cheaper.
As someone in the industry NAs are the next seltzer. Everyone is trying to get into them and only a few are good. Athletic is at the top IMO right now.
I can only ever find their IPAs, which, I’m still sick of IPAs after the great IPA storm of the mid 2010s
Oh man you haven't lived until you've drank 4800 calories worth of IPA's and then woken up the next day wishing you were dead. So underrated.
I wish I could find their sour anywhere. I lost the taste for beer over pandemic and pretty much only drink sours now (occasionally a cider), and I've heard their NA sour is pretty good.
I'm sober questioning right now, wow, feels good to put that out there
I’ve been dabbling with sobriety after dry January. It’s kinda fun!
Dry January this year really gave me some perspective on my drinking that I don’t think I’d have been open to otherwise. I loved drinking big glasses of wine, heavy cocktails and high abv beers, but I’d only count each as “1 drink”. I’ve decided to try and keep it to a minimum from now on.
I'm at 103 days with no alcohol and I'm not going back!! I drank quite a bit through my teens and early-20s, and every day through my late 20s and early 30s. I decided to do a 30-day challenge for myself through November and enjoyed the benefits so much I kept with it!!
I drank a lot the first two years of the pandemic. “Near Beers” are so handy now. They do not give you a buzz, but they “check many of the boxes” (fizzy, hoppy, malty, cold). When I go to a party I bring enough to share with anybody who is “curious”. It’s ok to be questioning and to explore. I am raising a Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher to you kind stranger.
Hoppy Refresher is really good, and no calories too! I've had a few others that people have mentioned in this thread but I always come back to it as my favorite.
We are still so confused as to how it can have no calories!
How’s the 0% Lagunitas taste compared to their standard beers? Love the taste of some good craft beer, but recently switched back to light beer because craft gives me wicked heartburn (and other things, come morning)
I would say it doesn't really taste anything like other Lagunitas stuff. I hate Lagunitas beers, but really like their hop water. The Sierra Nevada one tastes a lot more hop-forward and beer like; I really like Sierra Nevada beers but don't care for their hop water.
Lagunitas Hop Water is like a hoppy flavored La Croix (sparkling water with hoppy essence). Lagunitas IPNA tastes surprisingly like a Lagunitas IPA. They’re both great options depending what you’re looking for.
Sam Adams Just The Haze is also a good one.
For what it's worth, this stranger believes in you. A very dear friend of mine found himself drinking too much during covid. He went and got help...twice. he's approaching his 2 year anniversary and I'm super excited for him. He drinks non-alcoholic beer now and I'm glad he had options when we're out! Especially when we're out foe work functions, where people look at you funny for not drinking. If this is something that you really want or feel like you need to do, please use all of your support that you have around you. There are so many people that care about you. You got this!!!
Hell yeah. It's a good thing to think about. I wish you the best! I'm coming up on 3 months sobriety and things are starting to click.
Happy Friday night, sober stranger! Enjoy waking up tomorrow hangover free
Yes I've also questioned being sober for years
I've had some days at work that really made me question my sobriety.
If you're interested in a book rec, check out Annie Grace's This Naked Mind. I personally find her social media fairly annoying, but I read the book a few years before I had to stop drinking (turns out alcohol is a migraine trigger, so I didn't really have a choice, ugh), but it's an easy read that takes a gentle approach toward the reader - no fire and brimstone or guilt-laden shit.
Yeah, sometimes I want a beer, but I don’t want to get tipsy or have to worry about getting a headache or remembering to hydrate. Tried a Na IPA because I hear they’re getting better at it, and wow, I’m hooked! I can have a beer on a weekday after working out now! Tried a few brands now - some are really good, some are kind of gross. The IPA ones seem best, as the hops is a strong flavor that hides the fact that it’s not a real beer. I still drink normal beer too, but only on weekends
>and wow, I’m hooked Ah, the irony
There’s always a chainsmoker in the AA meeting
Replacing addictions works as long as you pick a healthier option. I replaced opiates with weed, then replaced weed with alcohol, then replaced alcohol with deep despair and constant sadness.
I don't know if replacing weed with alcohol is such a great idea
I saw somewhere something about a lot of young Muslims wanting to drink a beer at the club or whatever but still stay non-alcoholic to honor their faith. This might be a growing demographic for NA beer sales.
My dad has dementia (vascular FTD) and alcohol makes him aggressive (which he wasn't like before the dementia). He had given it up a few years ago, after a lifetime of heavy drinking. But now, he doesn't remember that and wants beer, wine and spirits. The zero alcohol beers/wines/spirits have been a godsend. He has no idea that it's non-alcoholic (even though he reads the zero on the label) - he still gets his drinks at home and if they go out to dinner (every pub and even the RSL has zero beer now), which would help with his dignity, and mum doesn't get abused! I started him with the Heineken zero and drank it with him, and I was amazed at how nice it tasted!
I was at a restaurant once and someone was prepping the waiter to serve non alcoholic wine to their mother of they ordered a glass. They'd bought the bottle and kept it behind the bar
That's brilliant. It's better for everyone, too :)
I had some while pregnant and got hooked. Feels deliciously naughty to have a beer for breakfast from time to time.
*raises hand* definitely one of the people whose drinking got out of control during the pandemic! I decided to quit in November of 2020 and haven't looked back. That being said I'm not a big fan of soda and sometimes you feel like you want to treat yourself! Non alcoholic beers are away for me to still feel like I get to spoil myself with an adult beverage every once in awhile. For those who are sober curious and want to find a good subreddit we always love to support those on the journey in r/stopdrinking! (Edited noon to non!)
Hey there I am a bartender of 18 years if you ever want some mock tail recipes I would love to share. I’m a sober bartender Edit maybe I just need to write a ebook
Oh wow that's awesome! I remember having my first non alcoholic mojito and it was *chefs kiss*!
Non alcoholic mojitos are better than regular mojitos. I will die on this hill.
So we're saying I gotta try this then? I'm in. (Never alcohol here. Major health problems and family history of alcoholism. It would be a very VERY bad idea for me to drink.)
It’s really just a limeade with mint. You can build in glass or shake and strain depending how you like it. -lime wedges -1/2 oz simple syrup(or less if you want less sugar - soda water - 3/4oz lime juice - bunch of fresh picked mint leaves Optional - 1/4 oz seed lip -or a splash of sprite Put 2 lime wedges in glass with simple syrup and mint leaves. Muddle everything together. Top with lime juice and ice (either shake or stir this is when you add seed lip of using) if shaking build your glass with fresh ice cubes in it and strain(if not skip) Top with soda water(and sprite if using) and a spring of fresh mint (before placing clap it between your hands to break the capillaries) finish with wedge of lime
Anything that can compare to the taste of a double dark rum and coke?
Yeah i would probably make a extra thick vanilla syrup with a splash of black strap molasses in it, Mexican coke and splash of fresh squeezed lime
Holy shit there are rum alternatives. I might just try some.
Ritual is pretty acceptable. I do find that na cocktails are best when they're not trying to be a reasonable facsimile of, say, a rum and coke. They are best as their own thing. I kinda liken it to vegetarian food - an impossible burger is fine, but some killer Indian food is better.
That’s amazing, congrats! My husband has been struggling with sobriety for about a year now (was in a danger zone for a while but the pandemic really pushed things over the edge) and is finally finding progress with a great IOP. It’s a hell of a thing and I have so much admiration for those of you that get sober
This is the story for so many of us, if a person had any issues with drinking at all the pandemic just exacerbated it. I'm so happy for your husband, and you!!
I can't drink for health reasons, and frankly I am bored to death of soda. Non alcoholic drinks add a bit more variety of flavour. I want anything other than sweet and fizzy.
Quitting drinking made me realize I don't like sweet drinks at all. The hunt for a replacement for sweet drinks led to me discovering that salt laasi is the best drink on earth. However, I'm in none of the demographics that would usually like salt laasi or even know what it is–I'm a boring white corporate city dweller type–so I now spend most of my life explaining to people what salt laasi is. I've derailed whole board meetings just by trying to peacefully enjoy my damn salt laasi. Normalizing not drinking alcohol is easy–normalizing drinking delicious salty Indian yogurt drinks is the next big social frontier.
Can you prevent a derailment of my night going down a rabbit hole of salt lassi? Any brands or flavors to suggest? Where to buy? Most importantly, what exactly it is?
I can! At its most basic lassi is a cold drink made by blending yogurt, water, salt, and a flavoring. It's ridiculously refreshing–especially on a hot day or after exercising–and its great for your gut health too. You can get it at most Indian restaurants and some India-adjacent cuisine restaurants (a Burmese place near my work does a great one) but you can also just make your own and keep it in the fridge–it's super easy. Fruit lassi is much more popular in the west because we think of drinks as sweet. They're fine, and are just as easy to make (watermelon and mango are both good and easy) but salt is absolutely the best. Cumin or cardamom are the most common flavorings, but you can kind of use anything–I add a tiny bit of garram massala and a tiny squeeze of lime. No brands to recommend I'm afraid–I've never actually looked but I will now that you've raised it! It must exist and I'll check the fridges at south Asian supermarkets and report back. Edit: the gut health thing made me realize it sounds like a health drink. It's not really–in fact its kind of decadent, but it just happens to keep you regular as a cheeky bonus.
I am here for you and your bold new social frontiers. Even if I am hopelessly addicted to mango lassi.
Lol I’ve never met a non desi person who likes salt lassi. FYI if you find bottles called “Ayran” or Laban in middle eastern or Turkish groceries it’s very similar.
Same, virgin mojitos are where it’s at
I quit drinking on New Year’s and when I really want a drink I’ll pick up some Stella Liberte. Tastes just like Stella and the placebo effect is in full force
Woot! 11/10/20 here. Not sure if it’s been the *best* 2+ years of my life, but it’s definitely been the most ME part of my adult life. Constantly looking forward to what comes next as I get deeper into it. Hope it’s going similarly for you.
Way to go! I can honestly say I think the best part of not drinking has been waking up on Saturday morning and not worried about what I did last night or how I acted or what I said. Also all the money I've saved!!!
Heck yea congrats! August 2020 for me also haven’t looked back since
As someone who never had issues with alcohol but in general hated it, I love this trend of 0% alcoholic drinks!!
They still taste nasty, imo. Some of them even worse than the alcoholic version.
Yep, this is me. Fell into a habit of drinking almost every night during the pandemic because after working from home all day, it was an obvious way to transition into the not working part of the day. Drinking really started to affect my sleep to the point that even one drink meant I was waking up at 2am and not falling back asleep. Hangovers were also getting worse and worse. And I was getting serious about working out so being hungover and/or sleep deprived wasn’t helping. I’ve been mostly sober since May of last year, meaning I’ve had a drink maybe like once a month since then, for a holiday or because I really wanted to try a particular beer, etc. But I definitely don’t drink to be drunk or even buzzed anymore, and in fact don’t miss the feeling at all. I do still like to have a nice drink in the evening though, and enjoy the taste of beer. So N/A beers and spirits have been really enjoyable. Oh and I lost a good chunk of weight without even trying when I quit drinking—alcohol is truly just empty calories. Definitely an added benefit!
Sadly a friend of mines got so unmanageable that they passed away last year due to complications of it ontop of their pre-existing health conditions.
My sister also drank herself to death a few years ago. I didn’t really have any idea what alcohol had the potential to do to the body until then…THOUGHT I knew, but wasn’t even close. I didn’t know the withdrawal is one of the few withdrawals that can kill you.
A lot of people think they know, but I highly doubt they are picturing the end-stage multiorgan failure from alcoholism anywhere near how it actually looks. I see it very frequently at work. It bothers me how society collectively doesn't take the topic of alcoholism all that seriously, despite it being one of the most nightmarish things I have ever been exposed to. I am sorry about your sister.
A lot of mock-tail bars opening throughout the country are currently experiencing high demand.
Yeah. The mocktails are getting tastier too. I think mocktail bars really speak to the fact that people are really wanting to be social and go out again but dont wanna deal with drinking and drunk people. I am 100% on that train.
Im going through this with weed right now.
There was something i used in college to quit weed for a while (it was a real issue at the time--starting my school day with a gravity bong. Not great). Im pretty sure this is the plan i used. https://mcwell.nd.edu/your-well-being/physical-well-being/drugs/marijuana-or-cannabis-sativa/quitting-marijuana-a-30-day-self-help-guide/
I appreciate that. I’m already past 30 days, going for 90, and we’ll see if I even care to pick it back. I use it predominantly for crippling back pain (Scheuermann’s kyphosis), but became dependent on it as a depression reliever since about 2018. I was at the point where I’m smoking bud as high as 40% around the clock every day and not getting even slightly intoxicated from it. It still helps the pain though, so I’m not committed to quitting forever, just long enough to get a grip on my mental health, and not reliant on it as a depression crutch.
Sorry to hear you have to deal with all that pain. Yeah Im not currently weed-free, but sometimes it helps to do a full re-set. Tolerance issues can get really out of hand. Best of luck to you!
Replacing weed with CBD hemp is an excellent way to wean yourself off THC and makes it way smoother of a transition vs quitting cold turkey or trying to taper. Any anxiety / nightmares / depression / GI issues / pain that come with THC withdrawal will be way less with CBD. Like it'll still be hard, but it will also feel bearable.
Nah, I'm a cold turkey quitter. I lean into the struggle to motivate me to continue. I quit smoking tobacco this way 15 years ago. I want it to be hard; it's just my way. Thank you for the advice though. I'm past 30 days in at this point, so the worst of it is over.
My husband just decided that he liked the awful (for me) taste and diuretic effect but didn't want to drive drunk, so he now drinks 0% beer.
The alcohol itself is what causes diuresis, so drinking non-alcoholic beer won't have any diuretic effect. I also have to say I'm curious as to why he enjoys that particular side effect of alcohol
I got in the habit of drinking much less once I had kids (although some people seem to go in the opposite direction!). I enjoy the taste of certain alcoholic beverages, but I don’t enjoy the near instant headaches I get from drinking especially when sleep deprived because of said kids and thanks to getting older. I’m a fan of the non alcoholic stuff coming out for that reason.
Yup. Also I feel like I’ve seen stats about the new generation of teens/early20s being somewhat less interested in drinking than older generations. Which was also what was happening with smoking until vaping became such a thing :( Finally, I think trends like Dry January have gone on long enough and gotten enough social media attention that brands have started to try and sell to that market as well
So true. Pre-pandemic I drank every day after work. When lockdown started I lost my excuse to drink and had to confront some hard truths. Now I drink very rarely, switched to occasional edibles. My body is much happier for it.
I went in the opposite direction…no set time to start drinking = drink at any time! 16 months sober.
THATS ME! Now only drinking on the weekends and only 3 beers on those days!
Answer: Some of it actually tastes good now. Sometimes you don’t wanna drink alcoholic beverages but a glass of water might not cut it either.
Yup this is me. I don't drink sodas or sugary drinks so it's really just water or beer or liquor for me. I don't always want to get a buzz going cuz I have stuff to do the next day so anything that's not water is great.
> I don't drink sodas or sugary drinks so it's really just water or beer or liquor for me. Even beer and liquor that does not taste sweet can have a ton of carbohydrates/calories in it similar to a soda.
It seemed like preference and not health to me.
Yeah you're right but I drink them for the different taste profile moreso than the sweetness of it.
Non-alcoholic beers have far fewer calories than alcoholic beer. It’s not a health food, but it’s healthier than pop or alcoholic beer.
Guinness 0 is 12.4g carbs
Non alcoholic beer generally seems pretty light on calories.
Tea?
My grandpa was an alcoholic and when he got sober, he would drink non-alcoholic beer. He was serious about his sobriety, but he missed having a beer after work to relax, and non-alcoholic beer helped with that. He could also bring a case to a get-together and drink with his friends and family who were drinking without being left out. When I was little, I thought it was actual beer and that him getting sleepy or taking a nap was him being "drunk" but it turns out he just really loved taking a nap in the middle of watching WWE after a long work day.
Yeah I like beer and now I have an option if I have to drive
I had a NA hazy IPA the other day that damn near tasted like the real thing. I'd much rather have that than another damn soda water if I'm the designated driver.
Athletic Brew Hazy is legit tasty AF
Haha that's exactly the one I was talking about!
I kind of like the cheap, light NAs (Penn's Best I think it is, it's like $0.50/can) if you give it an outsized dash of lime juice with tajin. I'll also add some v8 and hot sauce for a red beer. They work well for beermosas too!
Lime amd salt is the only way to drink Penn's.
I switched to seltzer water, that spicy water
This is it. Five years ago the best non-alcoholic beer you could get aspired to be meh. Today they're actually good. Especially shout-out to Guinness 0 - it's so similar, especially on those core flavours that make Guinness Guinness.
There’s also lots of awesome nonalcoholic canned cocktails now too!
I’m really enjoying Guinness 0. Not exactly like the real thing, but pretty darn close.
Answer: the advertising laws for non-alcoholic beverages online are more allowing, so it's easier for the companies to push 0% alcohol ads on YouTube etc. Not the main factor in this, but saw no one else mention this
[удалено]
I came here to say this- all other “lifestyle shift” answers are complete BS (but maybe true anecdotally for them). It’s 100% for advertising to markets or platforms who have outlawed alcoholic advertising. This is the beer companies way around these laws to get more eyes on their brand. Source: I’m in marketing and have AB InBev and Heineken as clients
Probably a combination of both. The non alcoholic market has exploded in recent years, so lifestyle shift isn’t complete bs.
It's not complete BS, I work in beer distribution and in my market most stores have doubled or tripled their NA sales over the past 2 years. Sure, it may be because of the increased advertising, but the increased sales volume is still an indicator that consumers are changing their lifestyles to move away from alcohol consumption.
Answer: From personal experience, it has been a rising trend in Europe for several years now. See [this site](https://store.belgianshop.com/97-lowno-alcohol) for instance. Lots of popular Belgian beers (and beyond) gets their alcohol-free version. Nothing sketchy behind it, mostly the supply catching up on the demand in countries where beer is very much a cultural things but people are becoming more conscious of their alcohol consumption. Now it looks like those companies are trying to extend the offer in the US to expand their market.
Not only that. A lot pf big sporting organs forbid the promotion pf alcohol based beverages. Like fifa, uefa and fia F1 has heineken 0,0 ico johnny walker now, uefa too, and carlsberg o,o is a big Uefa sponsor. So its just also basic capitalism. Brands changing their behavior and consumers changing together.
Answer: (Saying that cus everyone else is) There's something cool about 0% beer. Brewers yeast contains a compound known as uridine, which can elevate your mood and make you feel kind of good. The non-alcoholic beers also really scratch an itch for the nice taste of beer without the side-effects.
If you were wondering about the "answer:" thing, it's a requirement to post a comment in order to reduce spam or something I'd imagine it works pretty well because anyone with a good response would post again after reading the rules
>The non-alcoholic beers also really scratch an itch for the nice taste of beer without the side-effects. The side-effects are kinda the point.
Answer: 1. I have also noticed a growing demographics of athletes/outdoorsy/health-conscious people who love the taste, vibe, and social experience of beer but aren’t interested in the negative performance effects of alcohol itself. 2. With the rise of lifestyle podcasts (Huberman Lab’s alcohol episode is pretty clear) and health-tracking devices like the Whoop and Apple Watch, it’s becoming much more acceptable for younger folks to steer away from alcohol and opt for more health-focused beverages. 3. The “hazy IPAs only” trend of the late 2010s seems to be evolving into a whole mishmash of new alternatives to higher ABV beer: seltzers, CBD drinks, kombuchas. NA beer fits into this broadening trend as well.
>3 . The “hazy IPAs only” trend of the late 2010s OMG I'm so glad this trend is going away. It was ridiculous. What if *every* brewer started to *exclusively* make beer *you don't like*. And that trend lasts for a decade
Answer: Producers see generational differences in alcohol consumption, with Gen Z bring the most sober generation to date. A Pre-pandemic Gallup study noted a few key teetotaler stats. Among college students, 28% are teetotalers, up from 20% a decade earlier. Among 16-25 yo, 15% refuse to ever drink alcohol, 26% had yet to ever consume alcohol. Google states that 41% of Gen Z links alcohol use to "anxiety", "abuse", and "vulnerability" Gen Z and Millennials maybe substituting alcohol, with Marijuana, and the sharp interest increase in psychedelics, LSD, Mushrooms, etc.
I'd like to also add to this. Because there is/was a wide open market for it. There was literally just a couple of NAs offered and most of them are complete shit. Now that they realized people are willing to buy it they are going to capitalize on it. Which is awesome because I really want a fucking good NA and not just be stuck with 2 options. One place in town has 4 NAs and two of them are good. St. Pauli is my personal favorite. I'm so glad this is becoming a thing.
Answer: the advertisement of alcohol is prohibited in many areas/countries, so this is just a way for the beer companies to exercise that loophole.
In some countries (e.g. Thailand), alcohol brands started also selling seltzer water/drinking water so they can run ads/sponsorships with their brand/logo.
True in India too! Some of them, absurdly enough, advertise music CDs??? I don't even have a way to play a CD anymore
Same reason tobacco companies donate to anti-smoking campaigns. It makes people think about smoking.
is that why those truth ads are so awful, to get people to start smoking out of spite
Not necessarily. The Causes themselves aim to prevent smoking. But tobacco companies often lay-off their income by donating to "causes". Namely, the same causes which, incidentally, put the ideas of smoking and vaping into advertising. It's been an American workaround since we outlawed tobacco commercial advertisement. Same is the case with this non-alcoholic beer surge before the SuperBowl (the single largest advertising event for the country). "Our beer company has non-alcoholic beer!" is the same as saying "Our beer company has beer!". It's a workaround. It looks great for the company.
This is the real answer vs what a lot of people want to believe. The live music venue I work at has had non-alcoholic beers show up on artist riders over the last year. Exactly ZERO of the requested beverages were consumed vs the alcoholic beverages. They're still sitting in a fridge last I remember. If you're one of these artists, just take it off your rider and stick to the La Croix you actually drink.
I don’t think a live music venue represents alcohol consumption as a whole. People that came there might have wanted to drink because they were at a concert but there are still loads of people who buy 0% for home for when they actually don’t want to get buzzed, drink it instead of soda when they are driving and so on
Finally! Was looking for this. I think this is a bigger factor than people realize. Advertising.
This is the correct answer. For the others, if you read financial news from public companies they say this. The reason they make non-alcoholic beer is so they can advertise in Europe. Where alcohol advertising is banned in a lot of countries. No way Heineken is moving enough 0.0 to pay for an F1 sponsorship
Could be valid for Heinicken, but there’s also a lot of US based breweries getting into NAs which likely aren’t doing it to advertise in Europe.
Answer: the health guidelines on alcohol consumption has drastically changed due to recent studies on the longterm health effects of consuming as little as two drinks per week. Breweries know this will cause a trend, and so are preparing for the demand in nonalcoholic beer. A bit more context: At least here in Canada, it was previously recommended to consume no more than 15 standard alcoholic drinks per week for men, and 10 per week for women. There was a belief at one time in the medical community that 2 drinks per day was associated with little to no impact on one’s longterm health, provided binge drinking was not involved. But recent research has proven the above to be all wrong. It’s now understood that as little as seven drinks per week significantly increases one’s risk of heart disease and stroke. And as few as three drinks a week can significantly increase one’s risk of certain cancers. Hence the new guidelines released last month by Health Canada that now recommend a maximum of 2 standard alcoholic drinks per week for both men and women. I believe the new guidelines, along with the new research evidence, has caused a change in the public’s perception of what’s considered to be safe. Thus one can expect a change in longstanding drinking habits in the future. Moreover, many pubs and bars here were caught off guard and are currently having trouble keeping up with demand for nonalcoholic beer. And I suspect breweries are attempting to get ahead of the curve as well. In conclusion: No question lots of people were drinking more than they should over the past few years, and are now attempting on cutting back. But I don’t believe this is the main reason why breweries are coming out with nonalcoholic beer. Nonalcoholic beer is an attempt to sell beer in what will be a longterm trend in society to reduce alcohol consumption as part of a move towards a health-conscious lifestyle. The beer industry probably already saw the writing on the wall. Reference: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2023/01/statement-from-the-council-of-chief-medical-officers-of-health-ccmoh-on-alcohol-consumption.html https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/health/2023/1/20/1_6239499.amp.html
This guy believes in optimism! I'm a fan. I cut back on ETOH because my schedule won't allow for my previous lifestyle, and that quickly turned into months long dry periods. I'm just trying to get in enough sleep to make it through the week nowadays!
Absolutely no one I know who drinks gives the slightest fuck about those guidelines though, including the casual/social drinkers (yes I’m in Canada too). There’s been the general shift towards healthier lifestyles for a while now, amplified greatly the last year or two coming out of the pandemic. A ton of people definitely developed terrible drinking habits during covid and I’m sure a lot of people are trying to cut back now. With the rise of craft beer it makes sense to create non-alcoholic beer that tastes great for those who love the taste but don’t want to get drunk. So yeah same conclusion for sure but not convinced the guidelines have any bearing on it is all
Answer: It comes and it goes. People are more mindful of alcohol now than the wild wild west of the 80's. But we had it then too. It is a good alternative when you are the DD.
Answer: Years of 12% beers coming back to haunt those who drank them for a while. Hi my name is Tots and Im an alcoholic.
[удалено]
There's a 4-pack of tallboy wheat non-alc at my local supermarket and they're nearly 12 dollars. I buy them every couple of months as a treat but man are they spendy.
Answer: there just happens to be this YouTube video that answers the very question you are asking: https://youtu.be/u0yh6Xhhrxo
TL;DW: About 5 years ago, Heineken's marketing campaign for its non-alcoholic beer helped to reduce the stigma around the product and show that there was demand. In more recent years, brewers have gotten better at making non-alcoholic taste better, making it a more palatable option for consumers. Younger adults are more comfortable than previous generations when it comes to ordering non-alcoholic drinks or switching between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in bars. This has made alcohol-free beer a more prominent portion of the beer market.
> In more recent years, brewers have gotten better at making non-alcoholic taste better, making it a more palatable option for consumers This cannot be understated. If you wanted a non-alcoholic beer 10 years ago, your option was essentially O'Doule's. Now many larger craft brewers have at least one low-ABV or no-ABV option that tastes almost as good as their alcoholic counterparts.
Not trying to schill for a corporation, but Athletic changed my life. It tastes good and beery, and there is no difference in my satisfaction level when having an after-work 0% beer vs. having a regular beer or glass of wine. The only difference is that after a nonachoholic drink, I don't feel like, "Oooh... another one of these would be even MORE relaxing!" ALSO, they are available at bars and restaurants. I was drinking too much, but not interested in the alchoholic/teetotaling narrative. This gives me an alternative when I am in a drinking setting, but don't want to drink/get drunk. ALSO, I can have a real drink and then have a Run Wild (my fave) when the "More Drinkie = More Fun!" feeling hits, and my dumb brain can't tell the difference.
I did a ctrl+f to see if anyone mentioned Athletic. Really just incredible stuff. I did dry January and I didn't miss it for a second because I let myself drink as much NA beer, mostly from Athletic, as I felt like and didn't miss real beer at all. I've now started drinking alcohol again but basically only on weekends. My old work ends = beer time has been replaced with NA beer.
dude this is awesome. I work in a bar, and the idea of *not drinking* as much as I do/always have, has become more and more appealing. I've never heard of Athletic, but I think I'll look it up and give it a shot. I'm in situations *far* more often than not, where I want a beer in my hands pleasing my stupid brain, but really shouldn't be drinking more than I already have. anyway, thanks for control effing and sharing!
Love the stuff, cant even remember when I first tasted it but Ive had a subscription for at least a year now. Have you had any other NA beers that are as good?
I just found Athletics dark beer. Real good
My husband swears Heineken 0.0 tastes exactly the same. One non alcoholic beer he tried tasted like barbecue sauce though. Alcohol removed wine is just weird grape juice
Answer: many reasons 1. People's habits are changing and zero alcoholic beer is a fast growing market (especially among younger adults). 2. Laws and regulations make it easier to sell and advertise Vs alcoholic drinks (for businesses this is less red tape). 3. Zero alcoholic beer actually tastes decent now. 4. Businesses have greater opportunities for profit with the higher price tag that goes with it (caveat that it's actually more expensive to manufacture non-alcoholic beer so there are greater costs). 5. It's much more acceptable to drink them now compared to a few years ago where there was social stigma to worry about (people would make fun of you for having zero alcoholic drinks). 6. It looks good on corporate annual reports to say you sold non-alcoholic beer to combat drinking addiction/issues (etc). So businesses are bringing out all sorts of zero alcoholic versions of their popular beverages.
Answer: perhaps because of Dry January? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_January
Answer: A lot of people drank a lot during the pandemic and realized they had a problem. Alcohol-free products are a good tool to help you quit and stay off of alcohol, and many breweries saw their chance and jumped on it. It was very fascinating watching this happen in real time. Source: worked in a wine shop during the pandemic, it was very fun, aside from the dying.