To ask what you’d think of a colleague drinking 0% beverages at work?

[intheheatofjuly]

Inspired by a LinkedIn post I’ve seen, not a situation I’m in! It’s really made me think because I suppose technically there is a marginal % of alcohol in them and they’re designed to mimic alcoholic drinks.

But in my mind it’s fine because it’s not alcohol! So I thought I’d ask

YABU - they’re not appropriate for the workplace.

YANBU - they’re basically just fizzy juice.

I've recently had a diet issue that meant I couldn't drink fruit juice or fizzy drinks, or caffeine. I'm still avoiding some fruit juice and fizzy. This leaves very little to drink except water if it's a hot day. I'd have a zero % beer quite often recently as it's about the only thing I can order and drink. We had a small lunchtime celebration and someone offered me a Nosecco which was actually nice.

I would say the only issue is if anyone (customer, patient, child, parent) smelled beer on your breath. That would be very unprofessional.

It looks unprofessional and I’d think they were attention seeking.

Fine in my office, even if it wasn't 0%. Obv no one is seriously drunk though

Logically it shouldn't be an issue. But I'd kind of rather keep the social, fun time feeling attached to the 0% beer. If I sit drinking it in the office it looses some of that association. Of course the counterargument to that is that I can drink a can of Coke in the office which is also a treat/party drink for me. It's a funny one, but much of the joy of drinking is the association and ritual as much as you the actual flavour.

There are so many drinks options out there, I'd raise my eyebrow at why it has to be something that gives the image of sort-of-drinking alcohol. It's not very professional or a good look. But it wouldn't be something I'd feel strongly about, or think is worth making any amount of fuss over.

Inappropriate for work.

Why do you need to taste alcohol while working?

Same - worked for the police as a civilian. All bosses had drinks cabinets in their offices and we often went out at lunchtime and came back 'merry'!

I think it depends. If it’s 9am at your desk I’d find that very weird but 4pm at your desk after you’d just closed a deal fine imo.

O% beer is far less harmful than Red Bull/Monster etc and people are happy to drink that in all
environments, so I couldn’t bring myself to judge.

They don’t taste of alcohol. Clue in the name ‘zero alcohol’.
They also don’t taste of artificial sweeteners or large amounts of sugar. That’s the reason.

You’re not tasting alcohol, because it hasn’t got any alcohol. It mimics the taste of the beer, not the alcohol.

I would assume they have a problematic relationship with alcohol. It certainly wouldn't be accepted in my indus, and it's dubious in most workplaces IMO.

I love NA beer, so I think it’s ok. It’s basically a nice tasting, soft drink that’s not sweet - can’t bear sweet fizzy drinks. DH drinks it while driving and he’s v v law abiding.

Some people need to read up on what 0% beverages are and move on with their lives.

I wouldn't drink it personally but I'd mind my own business unless I was the direct supervisor of the person drinking, in which case I might check with HR just because the look-alike bottles or cans could easily be mistaken for alcohol and lead to clients or other employees thinking the company policies were being broken. I've never worked anywhere where it was forbidden to have an alcohol addiction, though, as long as the person wasn't drinking or under the influence on work premises or while discharging their work duties or representing the company. If someone has an addiction under control and finds that 0% is a useful tool for them, I'm not sure I'd want to interfere without a clear good reason.

I wouldn’t like it or do it

I used to work with a partner in our law firm who used to drink water out of a Bombay Sapphire bottle.
Not the point of the thread but I thought it was hilarious.

If you are intolerant/allergic to NNS which I am, there are actually very very few options left.

Many places there are none - and I speak from bitter experience here. Ask for a original Coke (safe), as often as not you'll actually get Pepsi ( all variants unsafe). All the Fantas/DrPeppers/Sprites/ Tangos sold in pubs and supermarket chains contain sweeteners. You have to be really lucky and find imports in small shops catering to the Arabic market to buy these in the UK.

It wouldn’t be if it were alcohol free, but the containers look very similar so why leave yourself open to questioning. We also work with people who have problematic alcohol use - I can’t imagine anyone being happy with a social worker sipping alcohol free wine/beer while counselling someone about their alcohol use. Context is everything and in mine it would be highly inappropriate.

You don't and you wouldn't be.

What are you talking about?

What age teen? I'd happily give a mid teen 0% fruit cider.

By child I meant little kid - I was imagining under 12 ish.

I'd not see a 'shandy flavour' pop as any different to coke. But it is different to 0% beer, and I'm not sure why!

Tesco sells cans of 0% beer with their meal
deals so it must be surprisingly common

The difference is shandy is sweet, zero ‘fruit cider’ is (from the one time I tried it) incredibly sweet whereas zero beers are bitter and unlikely to appeal to a child’s palate. They’re a harmless soft drink for grownup tastes.

0% or not, it's unprofessional and attention seeking. No-one needs to drink fake wine or Guinness zero in the workplace FGS. Tell them to grow up and get bottled water like everyone else!

Couldn't care less