Alcohol alternatives in pregnancy - suggestions please!

[scotscorner]

Hi all - I think my first time posting!

I was soo excited to get my first ever BFP this week - 5 weeks pregnant :)

The excitement is more than making up for my sadness about giving up wine for the next 8ish months, but I will miss it! I don't (didn't) drink to excess, but I did always really look forward to a G&T and a glass of really nice wine on a Friday and Saturday night, and definitely nice wine when having social dinners out.

Do you have any suggestions for drinks which are not ridiculously sugary but that I could still enjoy as a treat / unwind kind of drink at the weekend. I am going to give non-alcoholic gin a go and I do quite like ginger ale but any ways to make things more exciting is welcome.

Also any good cover stories for not drinking alcohol are welcome to keep me for the next 8 weeks...
Thank you!

For beer, I quite like the alcohol free Leffe - also not crazily fizzy.

At a pub I tend to drink lime and soda - a classic, but I like sourness. Rather than tonic water, I find fizzy water with a bit of squash or cordial is nice if you want to keep the sugar content down.

Seedlip spice. There are 2 other flavours of seedlip, but the other two are fairly pointless. Spice though I still drink now, instead of gin. Add passionfruit & lemonade and it's almost a porn star martini.

I think the Birra Moretti 0% alcohol lager is the best one out there. I don't rate the no alcohol gin substitutes thought the premixed version in cans is fine for the odd drink in the garden.

Antibiotics is the usual go to excuse - so much so that when I went to a party and was on antibiotics and so didn't drink I got quizzed on if I was pregnant. I'd just make sure I was driving so couldn't drink or say you're watching your weight/improving your skin or something

Wait until that morning sickness kicks in! You won’t even want to think about alcohol
let alone drink it lol.

i know it’s not the same but if you do what ever it is you do while having a drink. For example I often put my headphones in and blast my favourite music, then if I still do that and drink just Pepsi I still feel relaxed and enjoy myself. It’s not harmful at all
to baby and I’m enjoying myself and get my wind down time still when I need it

I’ve always liked a gin-less tonic. There are some lovely tonic waters out there. Jazz it up with some garnishes and ice, same as you would with a G&T and you won’t even miss the gin.

I agree the tanqueray 0% gin is the closest I've found to a real G&T!

Alcohol free wine is all disgusting so don't waste your money. I hated nosecco when I was pregnant last time but hadn't thought of adding tonic or soda water to balance out the sweetness so might try that trick myself!

The Gordon's alcohol free G&T is good, you just need the right glass plus ice and lemon.
Agree the alcohol free wines aren't good. Alcohol free beers however are good. If you have a decent beer shop near you, lots of the independent breweries make some fabulous non alcoholic beers and you really won't feel like you're missing out. Brewdog do a couple but I can't remember the names of them.

Thanks everyone who suggested Tanqueray 0% - had it last night and if I add a little more than my normal gin portion it tastes almost like my G&T :)

will be steering clear of AF wine…general consensus seems to be clear 😂

definitely will try the campari/aperitif suggestions! Will enjoy an aperol alternative in the summer months

Lol, why come on the thread to tell me off for asking people what they’ve enjoyed in pregnancy as an AF alternative? Clearly child is my priority or I wouldn’t be avoiding drinking.
I find your comment bizarre! 😂

Agree that non alcoholic wine is awful. 0% Heineken is really, really good. Aldi do a 0% cucumber and mint spirit, I mix that with their mojito mixer and it’s really good. I’ve heard good things about the Lyre’s range. I’ve tried the Caleño dark and spicy and it does kind of taste like spiced rum. Non alcoholic fruity cider is great but can be quite sweet. But I do really like the non alcoholic spirits for my mocktails this summer.

What a very weird comment….. clearly baby is priority hence all the people sharing tips on drinks you can have that don’t harm baby. Strange.

Anyway, came on this chain for recommendations for a family tonight, some great suggestions!! Can’t wait to try them.

I started this thread after I’d just found out I was pregnant and was missing the change in routine. My reflections now (as a nearly 9 months pregnant lady!!) are
• non-alcoholic wine is indeed revolting (not found any exceptions to this so far!)
• non-alcoholic G&T is quite good (& a good way of not revealing pregnancy if you order by yourself at the bar)
• non alcoholic beers are mixed but quite a few pleasant ones - I like lucky saint
• most of the other suggestions are pleasant (like the non alcoholic fruit cider) but too sugary for me to have regularly

i have actually gradually switched to smoothies - which have the dual benefit of being reasonably healthy (though still fairly high in sugar so in moderation) and helping with nausea in first trimester in morning (& heartburn now I’m in third trimester…)

but really the problem solved itself as after a few weeks I got used to not drinking in the evening 🙂

still looking forward to a large glass of red in about a month’s time though 😉
good luck!

I recently tried both types of this after seeing it recommended and really enjoyed it! It's not cheap but really did help me to feel I wasn't missing out. I'm going to order some for Christmas wildlifebotanicals.co.uk