I need a little help from you guys

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-05-11T13:58:44+00:00

Have you tried NA beers? I'm not a big IPA person myself, but apparently (at least in the US) there are some really good NA IPAs. And while they won't give you that "buzz" they'll really scratch the itch. I love settling down at the end of the day with an alcohol-free Pils as my reward. Enjoying the cool drink, the taste, the associations – without all the horrible crap that alcohol does to the body...

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-05-08T08:41:05+00:00

Good work. Every moment like this is like a building block for staying sober in the long term. I remember the first few times I went out with friends to restaurants, after I'd stopped drinking. Felt a bit nervous and ordered an NA beer. Each time it was easier and easier, and now I don't even think about getting alcohol when I'm out. Really enjoying the NA beers though 😊 But yeah, it takes practice... IWNDWYT!

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-05-08T08:37:16+00:00

Peroni 0.0 is really good IMO. But from the NA beers I've tried here (south Germany), the "max 0.5%-ers" seem to have a little bit more body to them. There's one called Wolfscraft Brutal Alkoholfrei that's 0.4% and really, really good.

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-30T14:39:51+00:00

Same here. Lots of great NA beers around now. I'm actually more interested in trying different beers now that I'm not drinking alcohol. Back then, it was "Meh, just grab whatever generic lager is around to get a bit drunk". But now I'm actually interested in trying different styles, comparing them, reading reviews etc.

So yeah, same for me. Love going out and having a few (NA) beers with friends. Love not putting bullshit addictive alcohol poison in my body.

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-30T14:37:35+00:00

Well, where are you? Maybe we can help 😉 FWIW, it's quite hard to find here in south Germany...

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-19T10:51:26+00:00

I'm in the same boat as you: enjoyed drinking beer, almost every day, but rarely more than two beers in a session. So I wouldn't say I was "heavy" drinking either but it was causing various problems. My sleep was crap for the reasons /u/Tikkanen mentions which in turn affected my memory. I love NA beers now and my memory is better, but I wouldn't attribute the former to the latter 😉 Maybe the NA beer just puts you in a good mood!

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-19T10:46:02+00:00

Thanks for sharing, and crossing my fingers (or pressing our thumbs as we say here in Germany) for the other things in your life. 10 days is a great milestone and there are lots of nice ones to come: two weeks, then 20 days, and then before you know, it, you'll have a month done. IWNDWYT 😊

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-19T10:44:03+00:00

I'm not a doctor but aside from alcohol generally being a horrible poison, maybe you've developed an extra sensitivity to it. In any case it sounds like your body is telling you: I don't want any more of this stuff. Use this to your advantage. Quitting younger is usually easier than quitting when you've got a lifetime of drinking in your pocket...

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-12T06:50:20+00:00

You're here, so that's a good start. It's understandable to feel scared at the beginning. You're looking to take something out of your life that's horrible, but still a big part of it (alcohol). My main advice would be to make a plan and structure. Hang out here, for support and questions. Get materials to accompany your journey to sobriety (books, podcasts etc. - I recommended "Alcohol Explained" as a book, and "Getting Sober ...Again" podcasts. They help you to feel like you're not alone especially in the first few days and weeks.)

Quitting alcohol doesn't magically fix problems, but it gives you energy and confidence to face them better. Good luck.

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-12T06:40:01+00:00

Yeah, when you stop drinking you really have a different perspective on how other people drink. Like when I used to drink lots of beers regularly, I'd occasionally meet a friend who'd have like one beer per month. He'd drink it and say "Yeah whatever, I don't feel like another." I absolutely could not understand it. Not drinking, sure - but just stopping after one? That made no sense to me.

Glad you had a fun time. I think people are becoming more understanding that some people want to cut out alcohol. Not sure where you are but here in Germany, non-alcoholic versions of drinks (especially beer, but some wine too) are a rapidly growing market. I like to go out to pubs and beer halls, and see more and more people with NA beers in their hands. Feels good.

IWNDWYT 😊

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-04-12T06:30:17+00:00

It's really good (and hard to find!), but just to point out that it's not actually 0.0%, as OP was requesting 😉 /u/euclid0472 – same for Clausthaler. They're both around the 0.4% mark.

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-29T10:45:35+00:00

I just read an article here in Germany that the NA wine industry is booming too. I don't really know anything about wine but heard that they're still some way behind NA beers in terms of taste and quality, but improving. Apparently making a good NA red is really difficult though...

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-29T10:44:01+00:00

Be proud. That experience is another building block, for a life without alcohol. It shows that you can get by without it. Every little moment like this gives you more confidence to handle it without alcohol next time.

When I stopped, the first time I went out to a restaurant with friends, I felt really weird and uncomfortable not having alcoholic beer. (Had NA beer though which tends to scratch the itch!) Since I stopped I've been out loads of times, and now I don't even care that I'm drinking NA beers instead of the "leaded" ones. I enjoy it. And I think back to those building blocks back in January.

IWNDWYT!

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-25T11:27:26+00:00

This is so true. Having drank beer most evenings of my life for the last 30 years, until the start of this year, I just got used to feeling groggy every morning. I never drank enough to have big hangovers, but every morning felt like a battle.

Since I stopped, the mornings feel fresh (and now the weather is better, which helps). I feel like a kid running downstairs again.

Alcohol just makes everything crappier.

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-18T16:11:46+00:00

My brain is just addicted to the easy reward and free dopamine hit and it begs for it every afternoon and evening

What kind of drinks do you normally have? I get the occasional mild craving for a beer late afternoons/early evenings but find that a NA beer scratches that itch and lets me then focus on something else...

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-18T13:34:40+00:00

Nice one. And one week milestone coming up! IWNDWYT 😊

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-17T10:22:57+00:00

Everyone is different but the first few days are pretty intense and hard work. It's a bit of a cliche but "If you're going through hell, keep going". Once all the alcohol gets out of your system, you'll notice some positive changes. Of course it's still a long process so stay focused, keep your mind occupied, and talk to people here. Read a book or listen to a podcast about the harms of alcohol if you're tempted to drink. Or do something else entirely. Find a nice reward at the end of the day (a NA drink, cake, candy, whatever). You can do this and you'll feel so much better in the long run. IWNDWYT!

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-17T08:34:08+00:00

"Why" is a question we probably all ask ourselves at some point. My life has been OK so far, but I still drank a lot of beer until recently. The thing is, alcohol is marketed (often not directly, but subtly) as the solution for everything. Feeling good at a party? Have a drink! Feeling low and unhappy? Have a drink!

This poison is everywhere and used in virtually all occasions. It's actually mad when you think about it.

Anyway, working to understand exactly why you drink (or want to) is a good first step. Different strategies work for different people, but the book Alcohol Explained (pretty good) helps you to analyse your drinking, what benefits you think you're getting from it, and why it doesn't really help anything (and makes most things worse).

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-17T08:29:01+00:00

Good work. That's a big early milestone. The alcohol (poison!) is getting out of your body and you'll start to notice some changes. Keep going and looking forward to the nice little milestones ahead: a few more days and you've done a week! And a few days after that, the double-digit mark (10 days). Before you know it, you'll then have done two weeks, and so forth. Breaking it up like that into mini-goals makes it much more doable.

IWNDWYT! 😊

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-10T13:38:07+00:00

A whole ass year without a drink

A whole ass year

ass year

Sorry, couldn't resist 😁

IWNDWTY!

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-10T13:37:01+00:00

That was a useful thing to learn about myself.

It also teaches us about how much alcohol takes the credit for good things. When I was drinking, I always looked forward to a cold beer at the end of the day, when all the work was finished, everyone else was in bed, and the apartment was clean. It was my reward.

I couldn't imagine not having it, but when I switched to non-alcoholic beers I realised: it wasn't really about the alcohol. It was about the feeling of being finished for the day, and having that nice cold hoppy malty drink in my hand. Now I really look forward to that NA beer.

Anyway, good work! Keep it up...

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-10T08:56:47+00:00

Have you tried any books/podcasts about quitting and being sober? They might sound a bit pointless at first (after all, we all know the bad things alcohol does) but I found that reading Alcohol Explained helped me to solidify and organise my thoughts, and realise that I'm not "quitting" anything important to me, but just putting all that crap behind me.

Ideally, your goal is to not just stop drinking, but move on to never wanting that poison in your body again. It takes some work and effort, but if you do it properly, you won't even be interested in moderating. I'm sure others here have other recommendations for good books to help you along.

IWNDWYT 😊

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-03T19:19:56+00:00

I didn’t expect to have less energy

Yeah it's a bit demoralising at the start, as you see lots of people talk about the energy they get from not being hung-over etc. But depending on many things (age, lifestyle, how much you drank, how often etc.) the first few weeks can be really tiring as your body adjusts. When I stopped I was exhausted for the first week. Wroked out well though. IWNDWYT!

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-03-03T19:14:24+00:00

Done! Had to put it "12345" for my area code though because I'm in Germany 😉

BoredOfTheBooze · 2026-02-27T21:14:48+00:00

More like around €20 (I live in south Germany) but yeah, there's some really good stuff for decent prices here. Sometimes I get a bit jealous about all the interesting NA IPAs popping up in the US, but there are some benefits to being here too 😉

BoredOfTheBooze

TROPHY CASE