Why do people drink non-alcoholic beverages?

Since we started our shop, we have entered the world of drinking less or no alcohol at all. That is actually how ONP5 came into being. I love good specialty and craft beer and went without alcohol for about two months every year. During those periods, I started delving into alcohol-free beer. And that eventually led to what ONP5 is today.

In the more than six years that we have had the shop, we are regularly ping-ponged back and forth between two groups. On one side are the people who do not drink alcohol at all, with the sober community leading the way. On the other side are people who still drink alcohol, but increasingly alternate it with alcohol-free options.

Time to take a closer look at those groups.

Among the people who do not drink alcohol at all, there are those who have stopped due to alcohol problems, their health, or age. In addition, we see a striking group of young people who never started drinking. Just as there are people who never started smoking.

The second group still drinks alcohol, but consciously chooses alcohol-free at certain times. For example, because they still have to drive, have to work the next day, or want to exercise. But also because they are more interested than average in beer and are curious about what is happening in the alcohol-free field. And beer sommeliers are leading the way in this regard.

Stopped due to alcohol problems

We all know that alcohol is addictive. Some people are more susceptible to addiction than others, with both predisposition and circumstances playing a role. When someone loses control over their drinking and continues despite the negative consequences, practitioners refer to this as an alcohol use disorder.

It exists in different degrees: mild, moderate, and severe. The degree is determined not only by the number of glasses someone drinks, but primarily by the problems the drinking causes. Think of drinking more often than you intended, being unable to cut back, having a strong craving for alcohol, or continuing while your health, work, or relationships suffer.

With two or three such characteristics, practitioners refer to a mild alcohol use disorder; with four or five, a moderate one; and with six or more, a severe one. 'Mild' might sound harmless, but even then, it already constitutes problematic alcohol use.

For many people with an alcohol problem, quitting completely is the safest and clearest choice. For others, cutting back can be part of a treatment. What works varies from person to person and depends, among other things, on the severity of the problem.

Opinions regarding alcohol-free beer vary within this group. For some people, it is a great alternative. For others, it actually perpetuates the association with alcohol or can trigger cravings. That, too, is a personal matter. Ultimately, everyone has to discover for themselves what works and what doesn't.

Health

Being no longer allowed to drink due to your health is, of course, an excellent reason to put the glass down. Sometimes, however, there is simply no other option, for example due to illness, treatment, or medication use.

Some people therefore opt exclusively for 0.0. Others are allowed to drink beer with a very low alcohol percentage, for example up to 0.5%. Whether this is medically responsible depends on the condition, treatment, and personal situation. If in doubt, 0.0 is the clearest choice, or it is better to discuss it with a doctor.

Getting older

By now, I count myself among them too. As you get older, alcohol can hit harder. It makes you sleep worse, you have less energy the next day, and you get a hangover faster.

For more and more people, that is a reason to drink less or stop drinking altogether. The interesting thing about this group is that quitting is usually a conscious choice, without necessarily involving an alcohol problem.

Dry January or another alcohol-free period can be a great way to experience what not drinking does to you. You might like it so much that you stick with it for another month. Or you might eventually decide to quit completely, just like me.

Never started

Then there is another group that has never drunk alcohol and possibly never will. Whereas beer and wine used to be practically spoon-fed, not drinking seems to be becoming increasingly normal among young people.

Even at my daughter's student association, there are students who don't drink alcohol. That would probably have been a lot more noticeable a generation ago. Now, slowly but surely, it is simply becoming one of the possibilities.

And then the people who still drink alcohol

In addition to the people who have stopped completely, there is a large group that still drinks alcohol, but increasingly consciously chooses alcohol-free.

Experts

Non-alcoholic beer is receiving increasing attention from true connoisseurs. This applies to beer and, by now, to wine as well. Making a good non-alcoholic beer is technically quite difficult. Alcohol gives beer body, mouthfeel, and flavor, among other things. If that alcohol is absent, the brewer must ensure the beer remains balanced in another way.

In that respect, an alcohol-free beer is quite exposed. Sweetness, a thin mouthfeel, or an off-flavor are immediately noticeable. The brewer has nothing to hide behind.

That is why a tremendous amount of attention goes into the recipe, the brewing process, and the choice of ingredients for the best alcohol-free beers. We even find some alcohol-free beers tastier than comparable beers with alcohol.

Even beer connoisseurs are increasingly starting to discover this. Alcohol-free is no longer just a weak alternative to 'real' beer, but an interesting beer category in its own right.

Functional non-alcoholic drinking

Youp van 't Hek once spoke of the 'Buckler dick' who stood drinking a non-alcoholic beer on the bar with his car keys. Fortunately, nowadays you no longer have to demonstratively place those keys next to your glass.

If you still have to drive, alcohol-free is a great and by now widely accepted alternative. The same applies when you have to work the next day, get up early, or have a sports match. You will be much fresher the next morning and won't have a hangover.

At company drinks and conferences, too, we are seeing more and more people opting for alcohol-free options. Not because they have to, but simply because they feel more like it at that moment.

Finally

No matter which group you belong to (or groups, as there is naturally plenty of overlap), there is always a good reason to order a tasty alcohol-free beer from us.

We are happy to help you choose from the various flavors and beer styles. Because whatever your reason for drinking alcohol-free, the beer should above all simply taste good.