Near Beer

He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. Numbers 6:3-4

Way back when I was trying to quit chewing tobacco, I tried the fake stuff and it didn’t work. I tried to trick my mind into thinking it was getting what it wanted, but it wasn’t fooled. My brain knew the difference between dopamine and no dopamine and using the fake stuff simply piqued my appetite, making me want the real stuff even more. Maybe the fake stuff has worked for someone somewhere, but for me, if I wanted to be done chewing, I just had to quit completely, and indulging in the fake was always going to lead me back to the real.

This is how I view nonalcoholic beer, or near beer. If someone wants to drink less alcohol, then I’m sure it’s possible to throw in a non-alcoholic beer here and there to do so. If, however, someone is addicted to alcohol and committed to abstinence, I’d recommend steering clear of anything that tastes like beer. I’m not suggesting that near bear is a relapse and I’m not condemning anyone who drinks near beer. I am suggesting this – If I struggle with alcohol, then near beer is flirting with disaster. If I’ve struggled with beer, then the feel of the bottle in my hand, the smell in my nostrils, and the taste one my tongue – even if there’s no alcohol in it – will remind my brain of the euphoria that should follow. When that feeling doesn’t come, my brain will wonder why, and it will crave the alcohol even more.

Again, I may be wrong – I’m not speaking of the ten commandments here – but I assume this is why God commanded the Nazarite to avoid grapes in today’s passage. In the narrative, God described the vows of those who wished to set themselves apart to radically seek him. Not everyone was required to become a Nazarite, but those who did, needed to abstain from wine and even needed to abstain from grapes. If it tasted like wine, or if it reminded them of wine, they needed to steer clear.

God knows my nature. He knows that I like to think that I can dance close to the fire without being burned. He also knows that I’m a fool. So, for my own protection, he desires that I avoid anything that will tempt me to return to the old life. I’m not saying that I don’t eat grapes. I am saying that daily, I try to avoid those things that may trigger my old appetites.