Whether you want to cut back, become a teetotaller, or take on a challenge, everyone has their reasons for choosing sobriety.
Going alcohol-free has a stack of benefits, from avoiding the hangovers from hell to seeing a peak in productivity and many in between that will enhance your happiness and well-being.
In this blog, I wanted to share the top 3 benefits that I have personally experienced since choosing the no-alcohol lifestyle.
Say goodbye to hangovers
The room is spinning. Your mouth is dry. The bathroom becomes your new best friend. We have all wasted a day (or two!) to a nasty hangover.
As we get older, I think we can all agree that hangovers are harder to recover from than they used to be. Studies have even shown that hangovers can cause a dip in productivity and a poorer attention span, making work a struggle as your body works hard to rid the alcohol from your system.
Aside from the physical side effects, many also suffer from the dreaded “hangxiety” after a night on the town. We question the way we acted, what we said, and who we said it to - cringing at the thought of our drunken antics.
Doesn’t the thought of waking up with a clear head and the ability to recall the night before sound appealing?
With alcohol-free beer, you can wave goodbye to the downside of drinking. Whilst swigging the great taste of a non-alcoholic craft beer, you can soak up the atmosphere with your friends, feeling content that you can wake up and seize the day tomorrow morning.
Is non-alcoholic beer lower in calories?
Just like many middle aged men, I have definitely become more conscious about keeping in shape since I entered my fifties. So the question is, can alcohol-free beer keep the belly at bay?
Did you know that a pint of 5% abv beer has approximately 239 calories? That is about the same as your favourite chocolate bar. If you are a regular drinker, this rapidly adds up throughout the week and can make a significant contribution to weight gain - obviously with other lifestyle choices factored in! To add to this, as our body cannot store alcohol, it pours all of its energy into removing it from the body rather than burning fat.
So, a lower abv most definitely means that an alcohol-free beer has fewer calories than a regular beer. For example, our Nirvana Brewery 0.5% abv pale ale only has 49 calories a bottle.
However, it is still all about balance. Although non-alcoholic beers have fewer calories from alcohol, they do tend to have higher levels of carbohydrates and sugars to add to the flavour.
The phrase, “everything in moderation” comes to mind with this one!
Choosing alcohol-free is more convenient
There was a time when being nominated as the designated driver was the last thing I wanted to hear. But just as some of us choose comfort over style, choosing convenience over a hangover is the alcohol-free equivalent.
If your hometown is anything like mine, being subject to unreliable taxi companies is a common part of any night out. So in these situations, being able to hop in your car and leave at a moment’s notice is hugely satisfying - it also earns you some brownie points with whoever says “can I grab a lift?”.
If these three reasons have made you think twice about your next drink, why not browse our range of alcohol-free beers - from IPAs to stouts we’re sure to have a great-tasting beer that tickles your fancy.