Non-alcoholic drink ideas are one of our favorite kinds of blog posts. We’ve written about the topic a lot; see here and here for starters.

But when the urge to drink strikes, particularly early in the process of quitting, it can be hugely helpful to have a go-to non-alcoholic drink that hits the spot. Sometimes it’s a mocktail; sometimes it’s a non-alcoholic beer or wine. As many of us associate alcohol with relaxation, sometimes tasting something similar can really help with curbing cravings. And in these difficult times, we feel the need for healthy substitutes all the more.

So without further ado, here are some new non-alcoholic drink ideas hot off the presses:

If you used to mainly drink beer: Surreal Brewing Company, of Campbell, CA has a line of non-alcoholic craft beers that sound like desserts (no, really - it’s called the Dessert Series), and they just released a new one called the Milkshake IPA. It has 17 calories and tastes like orange and vanilla, according to their release. Sign me up, please.
If you used to mostly drink wine: wine expert Matthew Jukes has created a non-alcoholic drink called Jukes based on an 1800s farmers’ recipe called Haymaker’s Punch (it involves apple cider vinegar and fruit/vegetables, apparently!). It comes in small bottles, designed to be diluted with tonic water or sparkling water for an interesting and complex drink. It, too, is low-calorie (similar to the Milkshake IPA above). Hells yes.
If you used to mainly drink cocktails: the Daily Mail has a fabulous writeup on some of the new mocktails-in-a-can on the market, and we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of delicious-sounding and low-calorie options. I expected to find simple tonic-based drinks, but found you can get anything from an alcohol-free cosmpolitan to a mojito in a can today. I’m ordering mine now.

Hope this helps someone out there with an idea for some booze-free relaxation! And if you’re looking to cut back or quit drinking, we’d love to help. Drinker’s Helper is an app that provides motivational exercises, drink tracking and insights into why you drink, and a personalized support group of your peers to help you make needed changes. You can try it out for free for a week before joining.