Celebrating without alcohol

@jackiez, I want to thank you for presenting this topic, as it involves many of us with transplants.
I have a liver and a kidney transplant, and I am a dedicated water or iced tea (unsweetened) drinker. However, I do enjoy an occasional soda or lemonade. Kind of funny that this evening when I saw your new discussion, I was ready to relax for the evening with a Seagram's Ginger Ale. I didn't know that they made ginger ale, but it was on sale! It is nonalcoholic, but not in the same category as the grown-up party beverages that will be discussed here. My husband and I had a good laugh 😂

I am happy to hear the results of your beverage investigation! I think that I need to do some shopping and investigating for my grown-up self. I also have wondered, but never asked at a restaurant about their nonalcoholic options. I've got some homework to do.

@rosemarya
I’m not a transplant patient and won’t interrupt again.
I’ve never understood why people feel the need to drink alcohol and why it’s so important in their lives, especially considering the risks.
My girl friend was killed by a drunk driver and my dad was paralyzed from the neck down obviously add to my aversion to spirits.
Jake

Me, with my painful sense of personal responsibility, never say that I cannot drink. I can. I just understand the consequences. I do say that given my heart transplant and the need to keep my kidneys and liver healthy I choose not to drink. It has never been a big deal.
Best always,
s!

@jackiez I’ve been sober for nearly 40 years and am always on the lookout for good non- alcoholic beverages. I don’t have them often, but I do like a little something now and again. My current favorite is Heineken 0.0. I was never a fan of regular Heineken, but this beer is delicious and not at all bitter. Very refreshing on a hot day! Good luck in searching out alternatives!

If you drink or not is not my business, Just remember - mother nature is non forgiving so there will be Physiological and Psychological consequences when you violate laws of mother nature.

BUT ... I want to share this: Over decades i have first hand witnessed that couple of families that have indulged in alcohol as a way of life in front of their growing families. Inadvertently one or more of the kids in those families have turned out to be addicted and thus bringing end to the kid's evolution.

Pardon me sharing this !

I got side tracked:

Alcohol & Beer are all acidic, which saddle the kidney with extra work load - cleansing of Toxins from the blood. So to preserve the kidney function .. it is up to every individual.

Not a transplant patient, but I am a kidney patient. As others have mentioned, I choose to not drink. Once in a great while I do have a small glass of wine. My drink of choice when I did drink was hard liquor - whiskey. But it was more a thing of trying to fit in, not for enjoyment or to enhance a social setting. A glass of crushed ice and water is good enough for me.

I've seen the effects of prolonged alcohol use/abuse on people, and each person has their own duty on how to act and live. I have learned that I'm okay to drink my water. For me, personally, I have to take my health [physical, emotional, and mental] into account. As @jakedduck1 has related, it's each person's decision.
Ginger

I have seen how many people go from a couple of drinks for celebrations or fun events then more fun times. It can sneak up on people quickly and our culture promotes it. If you've had a tough week You deserve some fun you work hard All week .Then I had a rough day I deserve to blow off steam. It's a insidious disease and unrelenting and what makes it dangerous is the effects don't show up for decades. My husband had cirrhosis then liver cancer then transplant and now recurrent terminal liver cancer .

My husband and I will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary next week.
In the years before liver disease and liver/kidney transplant, we used to enjoy a glass of wine with our meal. We have not done that for at least 20 years due to my liver diagnosis and transplant in 2009. Our special toast this year will be with iced tea! Not fancy, is it? But it has become a tradition that has evolved for us.

When family gathers for holidays, I prefer water, in a pretty glass and crushed ice. A spritz of lemon or lime is a nice addition.

What are some non-alcoholic beverage ideas that work for you? Do you like flavored water? Commercial products? Flavored tea? Soda? Lemonade? ... Who has a recipe to share?

My current favorite is a packet of Taste of Lemon or Lime or Orange, in a glass of crushed ice and water. It is very refreshing, and in fact each morning I start my day with this.

Or crushed ice and half water and half cranberry apple juice. Many times good tasting water is enough, sometimes I want just a bit of flavor. Iced coffee [made from leftover coffee from the morning] in the afternoon, over crushed ice, can be tasty. Gee, do you spy a trend with crushed ice in my house!?
Ginger