Can alcohol-free drinks help you cut back or stop drinking?

The alcohol-free drinks market is booming, which is great news if you’re trying to control your drinking.

Why? Because the greater the choice of alcohol-free options, the more chance you’ll find some alternatives to your usual tipple.

In a recent interview with SmartCompany, I was asked to comment on why I thought there was such an increase in people choosing alcohol-free options.

I think for many people, alcohol-free drinks are a great alternative – you can still indulge in an adult drink without the side effects of drinking alcohol.

I also believe the growth in the market is a result of people who are concerned about their drinking but who don’t consider themselves a problem drinker.

More and more people are seeing that they don’t have to hit a rock bottom to decide to either cut back or cut out altogether.

My experience with alcohol-free drinks

When I decided I’d had enough of the way that I was drinking, alcohol-free drinks really helped me to change the way I drank.

I would still drink at the same times – weekends and after a stressful day – but I’d have an alcohol-free drink instead.

As a white wine drinker (a good old Savvy Blanc!) I found the alcohol-free whites too sweet so I went through some trial and error to find something I liked.

I now have a whole range of drinks I enjoy including alcohol-free sparkling wines, gins and botanical spirits.

A good way to check out what’s available is to visit online stores, such as Sip & Enjoy, that specialise in alcohol-free drinks.

I’m a frequent Sip & Enjoy shopper so they’ve kindly offered a 15% discount to my subscribers – use the code 15Change to get the discount. Click here to take a look at their online store.

A warning about alcohol-free drinks

While alcohol-free drinks are a great substitute for many people, there are some who find them triggering.

If that’s the case for you, it is safer to choose something that doesn’t replicate an alcoholic drink.

You may also consider trying something that is quite different to what you used to drink.

For example, if you were a beer drinker and alcohol-free beers make you want to drink the alcoholic version, you may want to try a non-beer option.

Like all things when you’re cutting back or choosing to take a break from drinking – try out different things until you find what works for you.

Note: If you’re trying to cut back or take a break from drinking, but are finding it difficult to d so, feel free to reach out to me for support. You can book a free 30-minute confidential discussion call (https://inspiredtochange.as.me/discussioncall) or reply to this email.