Can You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer While on Antabuse?

Antabuse (disulfiram) is sometimes prescribed for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. It works by making the person sick if they consume alcohol, reducing their desire to drink. But can you drink non-alcoholic beer with medications such as this?

It's advised to avoid even non-alcoholic beer when taking this medication, for more than one reason. Here we discuss how these two substances interact, as well as other potential consequences of consuming non-alcoholic beer during alcohol use disorder recovery.

How Non-Alcoholic Beer Reacts With Antabuse

It's important to know that non-alcoholic beer (NA beer) is not necessarily free of alcohol. It is sometimes called "near beer" or "low-alcohol beer" as U.S. law allows companies to label their products as non-alcoholic if they contain less than 0.5% alcohol. Only products labeled "alcohol free" truly contain no alcohol.

Antabuse is designed to cause anyone who drinks alcohol while taking this drug severe discomfort. By interfering with the normal metabolic process of alcohol, Antabuse can cause a wide range of symptoms from mild to very severe.

The most common symptoms experienced when mixing Antabuse with alcohol are facial flushing, increased perspiration, nausea, vomiting, and increased heart rate. However, some people have experienced severe reactions, including respiratory depression, seizures, and even death.

Exposure to Non-Alcoholic Beer Can Trigger Temptation

Beyond the side effects of mixing non-alcoholic beer and Antabuse, there are other reasons for people with alcohol issues to stay away from "near beer" products. One is that drinking non-alcoholic beer, and even no-alcohol beer, can trigger a craving for alcohol.

The smell of beer can be an especially powerful trigger. If a person is working to maintain sobriety, this is a stimulation to avoid. The small amount of alcohol in non-alcoholic beer may also encourage a relapse.

Another factor is the social situation in which a person drinks non-alcoholic beer. If they are socializing with friends who were their drinking buddies and they are drinking alcohol, it may be more difficult for the person to remain sober.

To maintain sobriety, avoiding high-risk situations such as this is critical. This can also help avoid uncomfortable reactions, such as if the friends challenge the person to have a sip of "real beer" or ridicule the individual for their choice of a non-alcoholic drink.

If Someone Says They Are Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer When on Antabuse

One of the challenges that family members may face when trying to support a relative in recovery is that they may not be being told the truth. For example, the loved one may say that they are drinking non-alcoholic beer while on Antabuse when, in reality, they might have stopped taking their medication and are drinking regular beer instead.

People with addiction will often do anything to protect their drug of choice and, unfortunately, this includes lying. Although their dishonesty causes them problems at home, work, or school, these problems are overridden by their urge to continue to drink.​

For friends and family members dealing with the sometimes confusing and frustrating behaviors of a loved one with addiction, help is available. For example, Al-Anon family groups can offer support from others who are or have been in similar circumstances.