i have never found them compelling. i switch to straight flavored seltzer water. which has tripled in price for no reason.
We got a drinkmate for that reason (also reducing waste) and really enjoyed it. It has kinda gone by the wayside for me and my partner, though. We are home brewers so we have a kegerator and use that to carbonate kegs of water, so the drinkmate is more work for us. I do highly recommend the drinkmate still. Not everyone has easy access to 5 gallon kegs and a carbonation system.
Oh I could go for a 5 gallon keg of seltzer that stays carbonated… how difficult is this to set up?
Depends. Cheapest is taking a fridge and converting it. If you are comfortable drilling holes in fridges, it is pretty easy. We got a cheap used fridge from an architectural recycling place, but any working fridge that can hold a 5# CO2 tank and a 5 gallon corny keg will work. CO2 tanks and corny kegs are kinda spendy. Basically you need a fridge, a keg, a CO2 tank, the faucet, the connectors, hoses. and a tap handle. Drill a hole in the door, put the faucet through, connect the CO2 to the keg and the keg to the faucet. Often times (at least around here) you can find some free/cheap stuff on Craigslist. I recently got 8 corny kegs for free (they were disgusting, but cleanable).
Expensive way is buy a commercial kegerator and then the CO2 and keg, but that is very easy. You might have folks selling cheap kegerators in your area too, so just check Craigslist and such (there are 4 in my area from $50 to $2500).
It might be expensive just for water, but for kegging beer it was worth it for us
Dunno if I qualify as a problem drinker, but was a daily drinker for decades. I’ve cut back a lot lately, but there’s some things that just go better, as a whole experience, with beer. Spicy noodles. Pizza. Whether through actual aesthetics or years of training, it’s hard to imagine a nice slice of pizza without a beer. NA beer is a legit substitute, for me, and I can have one NA beer without immediately wanting a second.
In the most literal sense absolutely not, because water is a necessary non-alcoholic drink.
But in the context of alcohol, and alcohol substitutes: Depends what your alcohol problem is.
If a virgin drink is a trigger, you should avoid it
If being in a bar is a trigger, you should avoid it
Etc
Isn’t every beverage without alcohol a non-alcoholic beverage, by definition?
