8 Magical Benefits of Drinking Non-Alcoholic Wine

Are you a wine drinker with a resolution to drink less, go dry for a month, or give it up altogether? As new research studies are challenging what we used to think about alcohol and its impact on our health, more wine lovers (myself included!) are re-assessing their relationship with it.

Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to cut back thanks to the proliferation of alcohol-free wines on the market. They even provide several health benefits and enable you to avoid the dreaded wine hangover. 

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of drinking non-alcoholic wines and the reasons why you might want to swap out the booze for this alternative instead.

(Like actually!)

Health Benefits of Non-Alcoholic Wine

Health, at the end of the day, is the most important asset anyone can have, right? So, let’s first dive into the health benefits of drinking non-alcoholic wine.

Take Advantage of Antioxidants 

You’ve probably heard the myth that regular wine is good for your health because of the antioxidants and resveratrol. That’s the same as someone telling you that vitaminwater®, with all the sugar it contains, is good for you because it has vitamins. Of course, if you want vitamins, it’s better to get them from natural, whole foods than a sugary drink. The sugar counteracts any benefit you’d get from the vitamins in it.

The same is true of drinking wine for antioxidants and resveratrol.

The studies that used to be cited to promote the idea that “wine is healthy” have been debunked.

In fact, the latest version of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) suggests that no amount of alcohol is considered healthy to sip on.

However, antioxidant-rich grapes in wine are associated with a lower risk of plaque buildup in the arteries. You can benefit from them by sipping on non-alcoholic wine instead.

Facilitate Weight Loss

When I quit drinking, I lost so much weight since I no longer consumed all the empty calories and carbs from alcohol. I have always been someone who does exercise regularly, but only after I stopped drinking did I start to see excellent results (like the hint of abs!)

Recent research suggests that if you’re a heavy drinker and you stop drinking, you’ll shed some pounds since you’ll be consuming fewer calories.

Fortunately, non-alcoholic wine is less caloric than regular wines. So, one of the benefits of drinking non-alcoholic wine is that you can enjoy your “wine” minus all the excess calories and toxins.

You’ll likely be satisfied after one or two glasses of your favorite non-alcoholic sparkling wine, eliminating the risk of overdoing it and having one too many calorie-loaded drinks.

Get a Better Night’s Sleep

When you drink even one glass of wine, it wreaks havoc on your sleep. That’s because, every night, we enter different cycles of sleep, where some are deeper than others.

Even small amounts of alcohol will prevent you from successfully entering the deeper sleep cycles (Source). Critical for our overall well-being, we need to experience deep sleep each night to have mental clarity and energy the following day.

One of the benefits of drinking non-alcoholic wine is bypassing the harm alcohol causes to your sleep. You will feel happier, more well-rested, and energized the next day.

Decrease the Risk of Cancer

If you’ve made it this far and are still not persuaded by all the benefits of drinking non-alcoholic wines, this one might do it.

It’s been proven that alcohol consumption is linked to the development of multiple forms of cancer.

While this fact isn’t top of mind for most people, the World Health Organization sounded the alarm in 1988, declaring alcohol a Group 1 carcinogen. 

“Alcohol is the third most substantial and modifiable risk factor for cancer after tobacco use and excess body fat.”

– American Institute for Cancer Research

It has also been demonstrated that alcohol increases tumor growth and suppresses molecules that inhibit tumor growth. (Source)

While cigarette packs are littered with health warnings and disturbing imagery, alcohol labeling and branding completely sweep the fact that alcohol is a carcinogen under the rug. Where is all the outrage?

For those in the wine and alcohol industry, keeping this fact on the down low makes sense. There is no incentive to lower the average American’s alcohol intake. Better to sell bottles of wine with a cute kangaroo on the label instead!

According to the AICR, “All types of alcohol, including wine, beer and liquor, increase cancer risk. For some cancers, such as breast and esophageal, the risk increases with less than one drink per day. Overall, the greater the alcohol consumption, the greater the cancer risk.”

Lower Blood Pressure

Since excessively high blood pressure puts you at risk of heart disease, doctors recommend people take measures to lower it.

According to Harvard Health, “A new study published online in Circulation Research suggests that non-alcoholic red wine may be better at lowering blood pressure than regular red wine.”

That’s because, again, the antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may be more effective when there’s no alcohol to interfere with them.”

Other Benefits of Drinking Non-Alcoholic Wine

Now that we’ve covered the health benefits of switching to NA-wine, let’s look at some of the social and psychological benefits.

Abstain While Feeling Included

Part of why we love to drink alcoholic beverages is because it’s a habit triggered by a particular time of day or social occasion. Fortunately, once we see the habit for what it is, we can tweak it.

By swapping out alcoholic wine for non-alcoholic wine, you can still enjoy opening that bottle that signifies it’s time to unwind. You can keep drinking out of your favorite wine glass, too.

When you’re out with friends, you can enjoy the benefits of drinking non-alcoholic wine such as feeling included. Your brain will feel more relaxed in no time. Don’t believe me? Just try it.

I’ve found that yes, maybe it takes me a little longer to get that warm and fuzzy feeling in social settings when I’m not drinking, but at some point, those chemicals get released and I feel just as good as everyone else.

Wake Up Hangover-Free

I think this benefit is pretty obvious and self-explanatory to anyone who has ever experienced a hangover.

How many times have you said to yourself, “I’m never drinking that much again!” after a brutal hangover? The problem is, the next time to drink rolls around, and it’s as though you completely forget.

But, if you’re like me, keeping your word to yourself and others is so important. How many times has drinking wine made you break a promise to yourself? Whether it’s making a promise to get an early workout in the next day or to not get hungover… Now, you don’t have to worry about making empty promises.

Every time you avoid a hangover with non-alcoholic wine, you can slowly rebuild that trust in yourself to stick to your promises.

And avoid writing off the next day…

How many more days could you add to your life just by skipping the hangover with non-alcoholic wine? (A lot!)

Drink Guilt-Free

The best part of drinking non-alcoholic wine is waking up without worrying about what you said or how you behaved the night before. You can also drive yourself home safely if you’re out of the house. Not worrying about your blood alcohol levels is a huge win for sure.

Many “gray area” drinkers experience anxiety around social events.

They fear they are going to drink one too many. And, those who are people-pleasers to boot don’t see a way of NOT going to the event and making people happy by drinking with them. So, they stress out about that, which makes them want a drink that much more.

Life is already stressful enough. Socializing and its consequences shouldn’t induce stress. Having fun is supposed to be good and healthy for us, right?

Drinking non-alcoholic wine or any alcohol alternative in these scenarios helps keep everything light and fun. No one has to be the wiser if you don’t want to tell them. Or say, “Hey, I’m drinking NA wine because I have a big presentation at work tomorrow.”

People won’t judge you. And, if they do, then you need new people!

When your social life starts to make your whole life unhealthy, it is definitely time to re-evaluate how you are socializing (and what you’re ingesting).

Be More Present with Friends and Enjoy the Moment

If you typically drink alcohol, it may be hard to go into a situation where you know everyone else around you is going to be drinking. Whether you desire alcohol or not, the fear of missing out can set in regardless. As I mentioned before, bringing a bottle of non-alcoholic wine can trick your brain into thinking you’re joining in on the drinking.

When you aren’t drinking, but you’re hanging around people who are, it’s important to remember that the whole point of being with them is to enjoy their company. 

You will get your happy chemicals once you ease into the social situation and begin laughing with everyone. The stress from your day will wear off on its own soon enough. Isn’t it better to feel good from being in the company of friends than to get your happy chemicals artificially through a toxic substance?

On top of that, you’re now free from distracting thoughts like, “When is the waiter coming? Should I order another?” You can place your focus on enjoying your friends, connecting with them, asking how they’re doing, and providing value to one another in a way that doesn’t have to compromise your health. 

You may want to ask yourself, “If alcohol wasn’t present, would this still be an activity worth doing?” Then, as often as possible, only do things with friends that are worth doing without alcohol.

Imagine – what could fill your time doing with friends instead of drinking? A new extreme sport? A new class? The options are endless! You’ll realize just how not worth it is to waste your time getting wine-wasted! (Dare you to say that ten times!)

Common Questions About Non-Alcoholic Wine

I hope this inspired you to delve into the world of non-alcoholic wines, thanks to all of the benefits you can reap from them!

Have you made the switch? How did it go? Let me know in the comments!