The Lowdown on Low Alcohol
![The Lowdown on Low Alcohol](http://noughtyaf.com/cdn/shop/articles/6179236ef4122f8ef8ab5e9c_elevate-nYgy58eb9aw-unsplash-p-1080.jpg?v=1645078686&width=1600)
Grab a pen and a piece of paper. Saying that, you might need a spreadsheet for this one. OK, here we go –
When you drink something labelled “non-alcoholic” did you know that it might, in fact, contain alcohol? This is where the spreadsheet comes in. In the UK, drinks can be designated as alcohol-free if their alcohol content is <0.5%ABV. It’s a small percentage of a drink for sure – around 2.75ml, or about half a teaspoon, in your pint of beer. But it’s alcohol, nonetheless.
And to add to the confusion, different parts of the world use different labelling controls. Under EU law, drinks under 1.2% don’t legally need to show the percentage on the label. So that could mean you’re drinking well over a teaspoon of alcohol in your 568ml pint (or ‘large beer’ in the Eurozone). While in the US drinks at 0.5% ABV can be labelled non-alcoholic (though, curiously, not “alcohol-free”).
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Additionally, they’re not subject to alcohol tax, which means while you might save money over a regular alcoholic beverage you could also unwittingly be imbibing something you didn’t know was there.
So, does the low/no debate matter, given how small the quantities of alcohol under discussion? Well, there are lots of people for whom alcohol consumption can potentially cause serious harm. Anyone suffering from a particular health condition or taking certain kinds of medication are told to steer clear. Alcohol for pregnant women, or those wanting to get pregnant, is a no-no – NHS guidelines state that the“safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all”.
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And if avoiding alcohol for religious reasons, what is or isn’t acceptable is open to interpretation. And the challenges for recovering alcoholics are numerous. Even a tiny amount of alcohol can act as a trigger, setting up cravings and a condition called “euphoric recall” which loosely means the brain remembers the good times and blanks the bad parts of being an addict.
As a group of nations, the UK is drinking less alcohol year-on-year. This is in part down to initiatives like Dry January (well over 4 million participants in 2020) and Sober October, and because of a broader trend to drink less but better alcohol – or no alcohol at all. A quarter of UK adults say they want to reduce their alcohol consumption, and a huge 29% of 16–24-year-olds don’t consume alcohol at all. As every age demographic is involved, the signs are that this significant lifestyle shift looks set to grow.
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It’s not as though a decision not to drink alcohol means forgoing fun, flavour and socialising. There might have been a time when raised eyebrows might have accompanied a party guest filling their glass with sparkling water instead of wine or a cocktail, but times – and the quality and deliciousness of what’s on offer – have changed.
Are you really going to be sad about missing out on a warm glass of indifferent sugar-filled sparkling wine when you can enjoy a beautifully balanced glass of chilled Noughty Organic Sparkling Chardonnay, Rosé or even a beautifully crafted AF cocktail.
If the music is playing and the conversation flowing, it’s hard to see that you’re missing out – especially as you’ll be in charge of all your faculties on the night and won’t spend the following day wallowing in a hangover of horror wondering what you got up to.
The real question is why drinks labelling isn’t clear, standardised and uncomplicated. Don’t consumers have a right to know what they’re drinking? But, as we’ve said, you’ll need a spreadsheet to get to the bottom of that one.