From non-alcoholic beer and wine to rum and gin: nowadays the choice is wide enough if you are looking for non-alcoholic drinks. But are these 0.0% alternatives really that harmless? No, say experts.
Non-alcoholic drinks are a godsend for those who don’t want to or can’t drink anymore, but don’t want to limit themselves to water or soft drinks full of sugar. Still, these alternatives are not harmless, alcohol experts warn. The fact that a drink is alcohol-free does not mean that its consumption is harmless.
Alcohol-free makes you relapse
Florian De Blaere is an alcohol expert and founder of the addiction practice AddicT’UP, is. When he decided to stop drinking ten years ago, the range of non-alcoholic drinks was virtually non-existent, except for a few unconvincing non-alcoholic beers. That is very different now. Nevertheless, De Blaere advises people who want to kick the habit to stay away from non-alcoholic wines, beers and other spirits.
‘Due to current techniques, their taste is almost identical to their alcoholic counterpart, which is a kind in humans cognitive bias will raise (cognitive biases are systematic tendencies or ways of thinking that limit the quality of our assessment of situations, statements, memories and decisions.). That increases the risk of relapse in alcoholics,’ he says. ‘Addiction is first and foremost a neurocerebral disorder: if you drink something non-alcoholic, it has a similar effect in your brain as if you drink alcohol.’
Alcohol expert Dr. Thomas Orban says he takes a cautiously positive view of non-alcoholic drinks that help us move away from the idea that you have to drink alcohol to have a good time. ‘But’, he says, ‘those who struggle with alcoholism should stay away from it. Those drinks look like alcohol, both in shape and packaging. As a result, alternatives can have the opposite effect and make it tempting to reach for alcohol anyway.’ But what about the 80% of Belgian consumers of alcoholic beverages who manage to consume non-alcoholic drinks in moderation? Are they also at risk?
Party without a hangover
In Belgium, more than one in ten deaths are caused by alcohol. It is the second most common cause of preventable death after tobacco. Alcohol consumption is linked to more than 200 different diseases. Think of insomnia, stress, depression, high blood pressure… Non-alcoholic options create a festive feeling, without necessarily the harmful effects of classic beers or wines. And that’s a good thing, emphasizes Dr. Orban.
The Brussels alcohol expert also points out the inclusive aspect of non-alcoholic drinks: non-alcoholic drinks not only appeal to adults who do not want or cannot drink, but also a younger audience. Junior, who at age 11 is still far from drinking Gin Tonic with Mum and Dad, can sip the non-alcoholic equivalent of Gin.
On the one hand, that is a good thing. This way everyone can drink without experiencing the harmful consequences. On the other hand, there is also danger. With drinks like Kidibul, alcohol companies are very deliberately targeting a young audience. For example, they are conditioned at a young age to associate alcohol and festivities. At a later age, this could translate into overly enthusiastic drinking.
‘Our society has a very complicated relationship with alcohol,’ says Florian De Blaere. ‘Take Tournée Minerale now. That’s not easy to maintain, even for people who don’t struggle with alcoholism. By holding back for a few weeks, you really reflect on the prominent place that alcohol occupies in our society.’
