Alcohol Alternatives that will Make You Glad You Don’t Drink

One of the things about summer and hotter weather is that we tend to drink more. We’re thirsty and cool beverages taste good. As this is my third sober summer, my taste in alcohol free beverages has expanded to include more than just water, sparkling water, or diet soda. I want to share some of my favorites here, so that others on a wellness journey can expand their AF horizons and enjoy the variety of alcohol alternatives that seem to be here to stay. These are my personal endorsements, and I don’t get any kickback for “advertising” them, so you know my opinions are pure and authentically my own.

Beyond Plain Sparkling Water

My go-to refreshment after I quit drinking was sparkling water with a splash of light cranberry (not diet) and a twist of lime. I still enjoy this drink on ice in a fancy glass and have it on hand all the time. If I’m on the go and don’t have the cranberry on hand, there are a few sparkling waters that I enjoy more than the standard fizzy water experience. These are:

Spindrift: This line of sparkling water wears the tag line: real fruit tastes better. They add around 6 percent of real fruit juice (not from concentrate) flavors such as: raspberry lime, lemon, cucumber, strawberry, orange mango, pineapple, blackberry and grapefruit, and it does just taste better. They also make a half-tea, half-lemonade sparkling water that I could drink all day. No added sugar, and the added fruit colors the water to make it more fun (like, you’re not just drinking water).

Topo Chico: I think what I really enjoy about this sparkling mineral water is that it comes in a green bottle, and it is fun to drink super chilled on a hot summer day at a bbq or social event. The grapefruit infusion is my favorite variety. Also, Topo Chico is a great base for a variety of different mocktails, if you want to get even more creative.

Flavored Sparkling Teas

I’ve never been really excited about plain iced tea, but now there are a variety of sparkling teas with added fruit flavor that taste amazing!

Guayaki’s Yerba Mate: This company has a line of iced teas and also energy drinks, but I love their line of sparkling teas. At 45 calories a can, the sparkling grapefruit ginger is my favorite. They also make the classic gold and the cranberry pomegranate, but these are 100 calories for a 12 oz. can. They are caffeinated and give you a nice afternoon lift.

Clean Cause Sparkling Yerba Mate: This sparkling tea is more in line with an energy drink without all the crazy chemicals. There are nine flavors (peach, lemon lime, blackberry, raspberry, etc.) of organic sparkling yerba mate with low or zero calories, and 160mgs of natural caffeine. Best of all 50 percent of profits support individuals in recovery from alcohol & drug addiction. They taste great but I would advise drinking one earlier on in the day, as I had one in the evening and had trouble sleeping. I am really behind their story and their mission though, and think 50 percent profits to recovery programs is so admirable!

Sparkling Wellness in a Bottle:

I stumbled upon another lovely drink to partake in on evenings when you are cooking dinner and want something to substitute the nightly wine. Sunwink makes a variety of sparkling herbal tonics that taste amazing and have the added benefits of herbal supplements. My favorite is the Hibiscus Mint Unwind, which contains the herb ashwagandha, known to refresh and relax. All recipes are validated by a clinical herbalist and each tonic bottle comes with the equivalent of over 4000mg of functional superfoods. So instead of consuming poison, you are ingesting wellness.

These are some of the beverages I now enjoy, in addition to my morning coffee (a must) and an occasional Diet Coke, I know, I know.

I hope you are also consuming flavorful, enjoyable, AF alternatives, so that your life is sparkling and fruitful, and not flat and flavorless.

Cheers!