To ask about alcohol free wine/gin/ect

[Stampy84]

So I’m laying off the alcohol, it’s making my anxiety awful and since lockdown it’s really creeping up on me that I’ve been drinking more and more! The next day I’m riddled with anxiety and I’m fed of of it.
I’m going through a shit break up and realise I have to start helping myself in order to feel better.
Anyway, today is day 5 and was my biggest test for 2 reasons. First being that I went to a friends house that always wants a drink, second being my toddler is with her dad for the night so normally I would always have a bottle of wine or Prosecco out of Boredom and loneliness. So I arrived at friends house and I turned down the drink, explaining my reasons why, and she offered my alcohol free gin! I thought why not? I’ll give it a go.. anyway it was lovely, and I really enjoyed it like I would normal gin. I don’t know if it physiologically in my head, but I felt the nice feeling but without getting drunk.
Does anyone have any experience with alcohol free wine, gin ect? Do you feel absolutely normal after and without anxiety the next day? If you recommend to switch, which drinks would you say are good?
Or am I kidding myself?

[Stampy84]

FYI was only the 2 of us in her garden

[Lordamighty]

I have an alcohol free G&T quite often, it’s made by Gordon’s. Alcohol free/low alcohol cider is usually ok but I have never had a decent alcohol free wine.

[DontTouchTheMoustache]

Hi op I am in basically exactly the same place as you (I'm on day 7), I've downloaded a great app called 'easy quit drinking' which shows me how much money I'm saving and the daily health impacts of not drinking and I'm finding that really helpful

My only experience of alcohol free drinks is wine and all the ones I've tried have been terrible unfortunately. I have treated myself to some of the bottle green elderflower cordial, usually I wouldn't as it's too pricey but obviously much cheaper than wine.

Have you tried some of the fever tree tonics on their own? They are quite good and still tastes like a treat.

Good luck with it all

[Stampy84]

@lordamighty
It has no effect on you? You feel good the next day?
I did find I only had 2, then I went off to sort out other bits and I’m now in the bath! Normally when I start, everything else goes out the window!

[mrsmalcolmreynolds]

Seedlip non-alc "spirit" is nice, and second PP's mention of Gordon's. Kopparberg do non-alc fruit ciders which are yummy although they're pretty sweet - I don't think I could have more than 1.

[Stampy84]

@DontTouchTheMoustache
Thanks for your response!
I’m feeling better already even on only day 5.. normally I’d be pretty pissed by now with a toddler free day and night! I’m just sick to death of feeling so anxious when it can be avoided!!
I actually really enjoyed the gin, so I’ll get some of that- I just wanted to make sure I’m not fighting a losing battle, and if subconsciously I’ll end up feeling ‘drunk’ or associate the alcohol free gin with normal and feel anxiety the next day..

[OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow]

Never had a good non alcoholic wine. I like beer and non alcoholic beers are readily available.
Shops selling halal often have fruity bubbly "champagne" and Barbican drink which is lovely in a summer especially

[Stampy84]

@mrsmalcolmreynolds
Thank you for those recommendations 🙃

[BoomBoomsCousin]

I drank alcohol free wine and beer when I was pregnant.

I found the wine a bit dopey, but I’m a bit of a wine snob so that’s my own fault! The beer was good once I found ones I liked (Becks and another, dark, one that I don’t recall the name of and was harder to find).

I don’t get anxiety from drinking but I did appreciate feeling less tired the next day. I still sometimes have the becks.

Never had alcohol-free gin. I may try it as I’d love a g&t on a weekday evening but can’t afford the messed up sleep mid-week.

I tried seedlip and found it over-priced and underwhelming.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

*ropey not dopey.

[ghostyslovesheets]

a reasonable fizzy 'wine' is Bees Knees - I quiet liked it - not too sweet

[Ginfordinner]

Forget alcohol free wine. I haven't tried a decent one yet. I find Seedlip expensive and over rated, and would just as sooner drink plain tonic water.

Alcohol free beer and cider is good.

[Abitofhelplease]

Lidl do an excellent alcohol free gin, half the price of Seedlip called CeroCero. Have it with their Fevertree tonic dupe and some frozen red fruit 🙂

Cutting out alcohol will definitely help combat anxiety - you will have more time and energy too.

[Babycrackers]

Well done you! There is a thread in relationships called the brave babes battle bus (I think, or similar) and there's lots of women in various stages of reducing or quitting alcohol.

I am pregnant and really enjoying alcohol free cider! Tastes actually so good!

[MaggieFS]

I've never tried the gin! The wines are universally awful. Ales are ok. Lagers aren't great, some worse than others, but some people quite happy with them.

Best thing I've found is to make a cocktail and just leave out the booze. I don't amend it to make a mocktail recipe, just stuff like mojito without the rum and it still tastes ok!

[Wecandothis99]

If you can forget about the fact that Spencer's Matthews owns it, Clean Gin is so good, tastes like the real thing

[Sparklybanana]

Alcohol free gin is great! Some af beers are nice and some are awful so you do have to try a few. I like punk af from brew dog but their nanny state tastes like pish to me (although I know many like it). Brooklyn beer is also nice. Af ciders are OK but can be really sweet. Wines are a bit -red is just awful but the white is a bit like a sweet wine and is drinkable but there's no chance you'll confuse it for wine unless your plonk of choice is 'red wine (and not specific like pinot noir). I like it as its slightly dry and different from the sweetness of juice.
However, I think you're lucky you tried the af gin first!

[ElspethFlashman]

Beck's non alcoholic beer is great, drank that all through two pregnancies and it was lush.

DH buys some non alcoholic beer now in brown bottles (in Aldi I think?). It's what we tend to drink on weekends if we want a drink in the afternoon in the garden. We won't drink alcohol until we know for sure we won't have to drive as we're in the country and have to drive to the shop even to get milk! So we keep alcohol for after 8pm, just in case.

I firmly believe alcohol free G&Ts taste the exact same, so much so that it's hard to justify the gin!

Ditto alcohol free fizzy plonk.

But alcohol free wine, oh dear. I don't believe a decent one exists.

[Stampy84]

These recommendations are great! Thank you so much!

Today was definitely my biggest test, turning down a drink (I’d normally not want someone to be disappointed I wasn’t joining them, sad I know, but I’ve got the first time out the way now!)
I just feel more productive, I needed to collect furniture I’d got from a local seller on Facebook, normally if I’d started drinking I’d have just not bothered with anything else! But after 2, I was able to leave quite happily and I got the furniture. I’m now having a bath with a facemask and look forward to a productive day tomorrow!!

[Lordamighty]

One of my favourite mocktails.

[Stampy84]

So just to clarify- everyone can safely say they have no anxiety or usual alcohol drinking symptoms after AF Gin?

[Stampy84]

@Lordamighty thank you!

[Lordamighty]

Given to me by a local barman, he makes the best one, it’s never quite as good when I make it myself.

[Latenightreader]

Tesco (and possibly other places) do a non alcoholic wine 'Eisberg' and the cabernet sauvignon was rather nice. It was the onlydecent alcohol free wine I found. There are some good beers out there.

[Heismyopendoor]

We don’t drink, mostly for religious reasons. My DH really likes becks beer and Lidl has their own alcohol free beer which he likes even more. Don’t know if you even like beer lol but worth a try if you do.