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?

Obviously the becks alcohol free beer :)

You can also buy rum flavourings which are alcohol free.

Seedlip was ok, but not for £25 a bottle! I have no idea how they justify it. But there’s no alcohol so of course I feel fine the next day.
Alcohol free wine is all pretty crap but has helped me during pregnancy when I’m desperate for something different.
At the moment I use tonic with angostura butters to tide me over on alcohol free nights

Seedlip does a divine citrus-scented alcohol free gin called Grove 42. Definitely recommend it. They do 2 others that arent my preference but the Grove 42 is really nice.

Absolutely no effect next day.

Most alcohol free wine is rank, but nosecco is ok - not as good as the real stuff but not too sweet and you can kid yourself a bit!
I've found beers to be the best - peroni and becks, as they taste virtually the same as normal.
The Gordon's g and t is ok, but I like tonic on it's on too.
I'm pregnant and missing booze a lot during lockdown hence trying quite a lot - nothing will taste quite the same, I've found treating myself to nice other drinks which aren't pretending to be booze is best - posh lemonade, fentimans, etc! Still feels like a nice treat.
Def no anxiety the next day, that is all down to the alcohol content

@Stampy84 So just to clarify- everyone can safely say they have no anxiety or usual alcohol drinking symptoms after AF Gin? - absolutely can confirm NO anxiety or hangover for me after I've had Seedlip, for sure.

I also get horrendous anxiety the day after a normal drink, sometimes even a single strongish alcoholic cocktail can be enough. But Seedlip gins, no effect.

I buy Tesco cans of low alcohol G&T . They are very good .
Also M&S do a big bottle of low alcohol G&T which is very drinkable .
Both are fine chilled with lemon and ice and served in a gin goblet .
Remember the look of the drink is part of the experience .

Just asked DH and the brown bottle pack he got wasn't from Aldi, it was actually Erdinger!

Asda and Tesco both some nice sparkling rosé and stowfords press do a really good 0.5% cider.

And no, I never felt "psychologically pissed" on AF stuff. You feel fresh as a daisy. But cheerier, because you're having a treat.

Check out drydrinker.com it does every type of AF beers, wines, gins, mocktails etc really worth getting some nice stuff in because it still feels like a treat but doesn't leave you with the anxiety.

Neither DP nor I drink alcohol (maybe 2 drinks a year) and we both enjoy alcohol free cider (kopparberg pear is nice) and alcohol free beers. My favourite is birra Moretti zero, he likes Becks Nlue, we're trying out the Lidl 0% lager tonight.

I also like a zero alcohol gin I bought in Morrison's, I forget the name but it's in a pretty blue bottle!

Bloom's low alcohol G&T is great. £1.49 (I think) in Lidl at the momeont.

Someone really needs to invent good wine without alcohol! I would happily do without alcohol if I could get something that tastes nice and isn't sweet. I will try the af gin, thanks for suggestion. Agree Becks Blue is a good beer substitute.

Lidl were doing bottles of alcohol-free gin, "CeroCero", last week for £9.99. I haven't tried it yet, but worth a punt compared to the price of Sipsmith's.

The best non alcohol lager I've tried (and there have been many) was called O'Douls which was widely available in New York. I got the impression it was their equivalent of Becks Blue, but tastes so much better. I've never found it in the UK though 🙁

I stopped drinking alcohol last year, but I've never found an alcohol-free wine, beer or spirit that I've thought was worth the money. I prefer Tesco cordials, made up with sparkling water - they're not too sweet. The Valencia Orange and Mango, and the Blackcurrant and Mint are lovely :)

Budweiser are now doing an af version of their beer. It's quite nice.

Thanks everyone so much for your suggestions and comments!
I’m feeling pretty positive this evening! Going to go shopping tomorrow for my AF drinks!

I managed to sort out my bedroom and all the cupboards, plus my daughters room-
On a usual Saturday night I’d be over a bottle of wine in now, pretending to read a book (having to start again the next day as I hadn’t taken a word in!) and listening to sad songs!
I’m in bed now with tea and chocolate, looking forward to trying everyone’s recommendations 😀

I can recommend the sober mummy diaries. She writes a blog and is UK based, the book is really good when you are trying to give up drinking alcohol and you have small kids.

I am trying to cut down on drinking so these alcohol free recommendations are great. Thanks!

The only decent AF white wine I've had was Rawson's Retreat.

M&S do a good bottle of gin and tonic with no alcohol. Belvoir do a juniper and tonic, which is lighter and very pleasant. Stowford press and drynks unlimited do the best cider I have had. Others are too sweet. All wine is grim. Some fizzy grape juice type drinks are nice, but all much sweeter than real sparkling wine. Asda and Sainsbury's both have nice own brand ones. I liked one of the seedlip drinks, but the price is astronomical. £26 and that doesn't even cover alcohol tax.

Op I bought my first ever alcohol free red wine yesterday! Also going to try prosecco to see if it helps....

Well done you for trying!!

All alcohol free drinks taste disgusting. If I'm not drinking I prefer just to have a tonic water instead of a gin and tonic