When people are in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse, they need to find ways to relax. In the past, they may have used drugs or alcohol to unwind. In recovery, they need to find new ways to unwind and feel calm.

Even if they are in recovery from alcohol abuse, many people may still have questions. They may wonder, “Can I drink O’Douls if I am in recovery from an addiction to alcohol?” Such questions are a common dilemma. Whether people can or should drink low-alcohol beer such as O’Douls after an alcohol treatment program is a hot topic and one that should be discussed.

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How Does Addiction Manipulate People?

Let’s say you have finished a 90-day stay in an alcohol rehab program. Now, you believe you have your alcohol addiction completely under control. What are you going to do now? You may decide that you are going to go home. You will hang out with the same group of friends, visit same places, and live the same lifestyle. You feel like a different person, though. You feel that you can withstand any temptation that comes your way and even consume low-alcohol or nonalcoholic drinks.

Professionals at your addiction rehab center told you to avoid your old addictive behaviors. You decide that you are different from other recovering alcoholics. You think that you can have fun without lapsing into addiction. You feel that you can hang out at bars and parties without consuming alcoholic beverages. According to you, drinking O’Douls helps you keep your addiction in check.

But these feelings aren’t a real sense of control. In fact, they may help lead you back down the path of addiction. Pretty soon, you start missing your recovery meetings. This false sense of control feels so good that you think that you can do everything you once did without encountering any problems. Your addiction is manipulating you into thinking you have everything under control.

Some recovering alcoholics drink O’Douls, which is a beverage with 0.4 alcohol. They feel that their drinking is justified because the manufacturers that claim it is a beer with a small amount of alcohol. But some of these recovering alcoholics may be considered dry drunks. They are behaving like they still live addictive lifestyles.

Some of these recovering alcoholics may go back to drinking alcohol again or may begin using drugs. This isn’t the lifestyle you want. If your recovery means something to you, don’t let a false sense of control convince you that consuming non-alcoholic drinks and hanging out in bars all of the time is alright.

Recovery Rules

In time, you are going to find out what works best for your recovery and sobriety. You do need to know that O’Douls contains 0.4{b340406b661c1e5732b86e4172a84f651d0df9d8967334cfa4a3aae0d4c8bfbd} alcohol by volume. Even though people may think that it is nonalcoholic, there is still some alcohol in this beer.

If you are in recovery from an alcohol addiction, it may be better to avoid socializing at events or places that serve alcohol, if possible. You may not want to drink what you think is nonalcoholic beer, especially when it may contain alcohol. Consider following some rules in your recovery from an alcohol addiction, including:

• Avoid consuming alcohol of any kind
• Spend time with people who are good for your recovery
• Visit places and attend functions that encourage sobriety
• Attend addiction recovery meetings, support groups, and/or therapy sessions often
• Keep in contact with your support network to deal with cravings and temptations in healthy ways

You don’t need to let your addiction fool you into thinking that everything is going to be fine just because you went to a rehab program. Even if you don’t jump right back into drinking your old alcoholic beverage of choice, O’Douls and similar drinks may lead you back to doing so. If you or someone you love has relapsed, you should admit that you need more help. There is no shame in asking for help again. Whether you go back to a treatment program or attend more meetings, you can regain control over your recovery.

You deserve a powerful, real recovery from an alcohol addiction. Give yourself that by steering clear of drinks that contain even the slightest amount of alcohol. You will thank yourself later.

Want more information about how Chapters Capistrano can help? Feel free to call 949-276-2886 and one of our addiction specialists will help get the information and help you need.