5 Fun Drink Ideas To Replace Alcohol
Ditching alcohol for the betterment of my mind has been the best decision I’ve made. One thing I do not miss is the taste of alcohol. It was gross, made me gag, and how exciting to pay for something you may throw up later, right? With this thought in mind, I was excited to venture out of the alcohol aisle and into the fun drink aisle. You know, the refrigerated section at the grocery store with all the drinks you typically pass? Well I have really hopped right in and have gathered some of my favorite drinks I love to sip on instead of alcohol in the evenings, by the pool, or on weekends.
Recess
Recess is my absolute favorite adaptogen drink. It’s a sparkling drink with magnesium and other adaptogens. It tastes delectable, there's many flavors to try, and instead of making you feel sick like alcohol does, it makes you feel calm. My favorite flavor is the strawberry rose, and I drink one as often as I can in the evenings. I love carbonated drinks and it is the perfect bubbly drink and makes you actually feel good. You can buy a pack of them on amazon or their website, and a more affordable option is there powder packets of recess too! Another bonus, they came out with canned mocktails as well, I haven’t tried them but its a fun option to have.
Juni
Another fun drink I like to grab is Jay Shetty’s brand of drinks. He talked about it on his podcast and I was influenced to try it. He created a sparkling adaptogen tea that I really enjoy as well. There’s 4 flavors, I believe and I really enjoy the lemon flavor. I would drink these in nursing school for a little boost from the green tea, but I liked them because they didn’t make me jittery just calm and focused. There’s lions mane, reishi mushrooms, ashwagandha, and other vitamins as well. On the Juni website you can find a drink locator, but I personally get mine at Target!
Sparkling Water
I am a big sparkling water girl. I really wasn’t when I was drinking, because champagne or beer had bubbly in it and I never thought about drinking water instead (what a concept). But a sparkling water is something I bring a lot to the pool, I love the flavors, I love a glass bottle, a can, you name it and I will drink it if it’s a little bubbly. I know there’s a lot of homemade adaptogen mocktails you can make with sparkling water too, so it is just a really nice base for that to have on hand I have found! This is also a good alternative if you’re still going to bars, I will go to a rooftop bar from time to time and sparkling water is my go to.
Juice
My “hey do you wanna grab a drink” has quickly turned into “hey do you wanna grab a juice”. It’s the same concept just during the day, no loud music, and you are nourishing your body instead of doing the opposite. I love juice for a little outing, something to go out and get out of the house. In Dallas, me and my girlfriend frequent juiceland. We’ll get a green juice, sit outside and talk, or take it back to the pool and drink it there. It’s just a fun activity to swap grabbing one drink for another kind.
Yerba Mate Tea
I am also a really big fan of yerba mate tea energy drinks. I have never really been a huge energy drink girl, but now that I’m a nurse that has changed. Aside from work though, this is a good switch from a vodka redbull if you have a long night ahead of you. I didn’t stop living, I just stopped drinking so I still may need some energy for a longer night out (past 9pm). The brand I have tried is clean cause energy drinks, made with yerba mate tea and it has a really consistent build up of energy. There was no crash or jitteriness, I only experienced feeling more awake and more focused. It also didn’t hurt my stomach, has way less sugar than normal energy drinks, and actually tasted good and not like chemicals which is great. I found mine at a natural grocer in my area.
When you’re removing something from your life, especially something pretty prominent in social settings or in ritualistic settings like a bath or a relaxing evening..it’s nice to have an alternative to fill in that gap. There’s so many options, and it’s fun to explore more of what you may like!
