Can a recovering alcoholic eat beer brats and not play chances with a relapse?

Question

Today I am sober 97 days and I don't want to mess it up, just by eating a brat! I do not want to go back to drinking, It destroyed me and my life. Even though I'm sober for a short while, life has gotten so much better already!!

Answer 1

I used to work in the sausage department of a grocery store. They usually put non-alcoholic beer in their brats and usually it's such an insignificant amount that it's not going to cause any damage.

Answer 2

I have been sober since May of 1993.  I do not eat any food with alcohol no matter what anyone says about the alcohol being cooked off.  It is just not worth the downside risk.  Keep up the meetings, get a sponsor, do the steps and work with others.

Answer 3

I have been sober since 1982.  I do not mess with my head. Some decisions are easiest kept simple. Life is rarely black and white, but abstinence is better that way for psychological simplicity.

Our stomachs are fermenting and brewing all the time, orange juice etc.  There is no getting away from it.  However, I made a decision not to bring it on.  

It took me two or three years to be free of underlying motivation to drink and to get a full mental based 'choice' back.  Hang in there, see it through and don't muck around my friend.

Answer 4

I know what you mean about life getting better quickly.  I haven't had a drink in nearly 10 years now, and I believe that quitting was the best decision I ever made in my life.

As far as your question is concerned, I agree that it makes no sense to ingest things that have been cooked with or contain booze. My general rule is to stay away from such things.  For a long time I was an absolute vigilante about this, and I would not have eaten a beer brat at 97 days sober.

But over time I've come to believe there's a point where my general rule becomes a bit silly, so I don't follow it.  For example, Dijon mustard has a minute amount of wine in it, but I use it.  Orange juice that has sat around for a day or two has a tiny bit of alcohol from fermentation, but I drink it.  And beer brats have the name "beer" in them, but they are not alcoholic  at all, nor do they taste alcoholic--so I eat them.  None of these things have proven to be a problem.