Alternatives to Drinking and Using: How to Stay Sober

You will get the taste of beer and have something to hold in your hand in social situations where the people around you are drinking. There are even alcohol-free mixed drinks (“mocktails”) that taste the same without the negative effects of alcohol. De Soi has been widely reviewed for its taste and benefits as a non alcoholic drink. Made with natural adaptogens and ingredients like reishi mushrooms, passion flower, lemon balm, and ashwagandha, these alcohol alternatives are good for relaxation. Three Spirit is an award-winning brand that perfectly replaces the alcohol in your life.

CBD oil is often used as a natural remedy for many conditions.6 It has been shown to help with anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality, relieve pain, fight inflammation, and improve cardiovascular health. CBD oil is a safe alternative to alcohol’s buzz that has very few negative side effects. It will help improve your mood while reducing anxiety and stress, which is great for people who struggle with these issues.

Kava Categories

Have the healthiest fun with your friends, while also bettering your own health with alcohol alternatives. Hop Wtr is another brand that developed sparkling water as an alcohol replacement, but goes a step further by making sure that their non-alcoholic drinks have no calories, carbs, and sugar. Adaptogens make these sparkling waters healthy alternatives to alcohol great for stress relief as well as enjoyable. Red wine contains Polyphenols, specifically Resveratrol which, in limited scientific studies, has been proven to be a powerful antioxidant. The vision of functional alcohol alternatives as introduced by the UK government Foresight report of 2005 [6] is near to being realised.

• It had the robust red fruit notes you would expect from red wine, and it stood up well as an accompaniment to a hearty meal.
• Endorphins are the brain’s internal endogenous opioid system, which dampens down pain and also produces feelings of euphoria.
• This non-alcoholic aperitif uses pure botanical extracts inspired by the Mediterranean to keep you calm and collected.
• There are many different caffeine drinks that give you a buzz without alcohol available, from coffee and tea to energy drinks and even chocolate.
• Both receptors are largely inhibitory to the neurons they are located on, and both are affected by alcohol.

While Kava is a popular alternative to alcohol, there is concern about its effects on the liver with long-term consumption. Similarly, if you suffer from social anxiety and use alcohol as a means to overcome that, there can also be side effects. With excessive alcohol drinking comes impaired mental clarity and slurred speech.

Dry January: A Sober Curious Exploration of Alcohol Alternatives

If 13 minutes is too long, go with 10 minutes or even five, suggests LeMonda. Self-care is an important part of dealing with the stressors of everyday life, experts say. Our emotional and physical health needs change day to day and over longer periods of time. Fong says meditation may even help you relax as much as a vodka martini can.

The α2 and α3 subtypes are involved in regulating emotions, especially anxiety, and are richly expressed in brain regions modulating emotional states, e.g., the amygdala [28]. The α5 has an important role in setting the tonic level of activity and memory in brain areas such as the hippocampus [29]. In this role GABA is released from the interneurons and then acts through binding to proteins called GABA receptors. Both receptors are largely inhibitory to the neurons they are located on, and both are affected by alcohol. This review focusses mostly on the GABAARs, though we mention GABABRs as a possible alternative target at the end.