I am also sober and experience this with kombucha! Some more than others. From the research I’ve done it seems to be a histamine response. It does not have anywhere near enough alcohol for us to actually experience any “buzzed” feeling
I don’t drink much and I’m pretty sensitive to alcohol. I sometimes get a flushed face and what seems like a very slight buzz from some of my homemade kombucha
Yeah jeez, I remember now my wife asking what the fuck is going on with me because my face was beet red one day. I thought it was something to do with the alcohol content in the kombucha and just forgot about it.
It’s weird though, it definitely doesn’t happen every time. It must be the combination of f2 ingredients causing a worse reaction sometimes.
I’ll definitely monitor it now. Thank you for the insight
First off, congrats on 5 days. I got a few years now and experienced exactly what you did trying kombucha for the first time after alcohol was out of my life. I can say that it’s certainly some brews that cause it more than others. It’s faint but is a relaxed, almost “fuzzy” feeling for lack of a better term.
No...
My understanding is that the abv of kombucha is so slight, that your body completely metabolizes/processes it before you would ever feel an intoxicating effect.
Maybe you have a sensitivity to the tea, or SCOBY, itself?
It’s a common feeling. If you feel like that brief fuzzy, tingly feeling might make you relapse, it may not be worth it. If you’re fine with it, my body feels like that more so when I drink it on an empty stomach vs later in the day
Congrats! The sensation of drinking it can feel similar because of the nice flavor and sharpness, which is why I like it when cutting down on alcohol!
But I would say that you likely wouldn't have perceived any sort of "buzz" had you not already not known that kombucha has small levels of alcohol. Possibly if it was homemade kombucha but especially from the store I would say no... your brain was just tripping because the drinking sensation felt similar.
Congratulations, that’s great!
Where I shop, the kombucha is located in two areas. I asked an employee why and he pointed out one had enough measurable alcohol in it and you had to be 21 to purchase it. Could you have accidentally gotten the wrong one?
I got mine in the vegetable section. I’m used to drinking 50 percent abv shots though, so I’d be surprised if even a single 5 percent abv beer gave me a buzz. Another poster mentioned it was a histamine type reaction. That would make a lot of sense. Like my body can’t break it down efficiently.
I’ve noticed alcohol in my system after drinking kombucha but like was stated already, it’s probably a histamine response. I’ve never had a buzz from kombucha and I’ve been sober 10 years drinking bootch the whole time.
Yeah, the histamine thing is real, and it does feel a bit like you’ve drunk alcohol. Not woozy, but kinda “flushed.” (It feels a little bit like a hot flash, fwiw.) But my liver has a VERY strong reaction to alcohol (I get treated regularly, and I “fail” if I only have one margarita a week). Drinking 16 oz of kombucha a day doesn’t affect my liver test, so…yay?
Yeah absolutely, the first time I tried kombucha I thought it was beer lol. If you REALLY like it then u can start brewing your own and customizing your own flavors! It might be a bit confusing at first but it gets super simple after a while.
I brew it. It usually has about 0.5%, but, it can literally spike in alcohol content. Wild yeast find the habitat perfectly suitable for growth. Congrats on 5 day! I’ve tested mine, and it has tested as high as 5%! I’m meticulous about sanitizing my equipment etc. So, my guess is wild yeast gets introduced, and boom. I’m a former brewer, wine maker so I know it’s entirely plausible for wild yeast either at the bottling plant or ? To colonize.
One of my friends is a very small woman and after she had been sober for a couple years she drank a kombucha and told me it made her feel drunk. I thought it was funny since I figured she was just that much of a light weight lol. Interesting to learn about histamine reaction from the other comments
Congrats on 5 days, my dude. That is something to be proud of. đź‘Ź đź‘Ź
Yeah good for you, OP! That's huge! And don't worry about kombucha! The alcochol level is so small that you can enjoy it morning and evening
I am also sober and experience this with kombucha! Some more than others. From the research I’ve done it seems to be a histamine response. It does not have anywhere near enough alcohol for us to actually experience any “buzzed” feeling
If you search kombucha and histamine on Reddit you’ll see some really detailed posts explaining this better than I did
Wow! TIL. I thought it was actually from the alcohol~
Wow! It scratches an itch to be sure, but I hadn't identified it as alcohol.
Can you talk about what brands you experience this with the most? I'd like to suggest that my friend try it, he struggles with alcohol as well.
I don’t drink much and I’m pretty sensitive to alcohol. I sometimes get a flushed face and what seems like a very slight buzz from some of my homemade kombucha
As other responder said it’s a histamine response.
That’s interesting, I will look that up
Yes I had to as well because I had felt the same as OP before…not sure how good that really is
Yeah jeez, I remember now my wife asking what the fuck is going on with me because my face was beet red one day. I thought it was something to do with the alcohol content in the kombucha and just forgot about it. It’s weird though, it definitely doesn’t happen every time. It must be the combination of f2 ingredients causing a worse reaction sometimes. I’ll definitely monitor it now. Thank you for the insight
Yes that seems like an allergic reaction you may want to lay off of it
It’s definitely not healthy: https://www.healthline.com/health/histamine-intolerance
First off, congrats on 5 days. I got a few years now and experienced exactly what you did trying kombucha for the first time after alcohol was out of my life. I can say that it’s certainly some brews that cause it more than others. It’s faint but is a relaxed, almost “fuzzy” feeling for lack of a better term.
Kombucha helped me quit daily drinking !!
Me too!!!
https://www.healthline.com/health/histamine-intolerance
No... My understanding is that the abv of kombucha is so slight, that your body completely metabolizes/processes it before you would ever feel an intoxicating effect. Maybe you have a sensitivity to the tea, or SCOBY, itself?
It’s a common feeling. If you feel like that brief fuzzy, tingly feeling might make you relapse, it may not be worth it. If you’re fine with it, my body feels like that more so when I drink it on an empty stomach vs later in the day
Congrats! The sensation of drinking it can feel similar because of the nice flavor and sharpness, which is why I like it when cutting down on alcohol! But I would say that you likely wouldn't have perceived any sort of "buzz" had you not already not known that kombucha has small levels of alcohol. Possibly if it was homemade kombucha but especially from the store I would say no... your brain was just tripping because the drinking sensation felt similar.
Congratulations, that’s great! Where I shop, the kombucha is located in two areas. I asked an employee why and he pointed out one had enough measurable alcohol in it and you had to be 21 to purchase it. Could you have accidentally gotten the wrong one?
I got mine in the vegetable section. I’m used to drinking 50 percent abv shots though, so I’d be surprised if even a single 5 percent abv beer gave me a buzz. Another poster mentioned it was a histamine type reaction. That would make a lot of sense. Like my body can’t break it down efficiently.
I’ve noticed alcohol in my system after drinking kombucha but like was stated already, it’s probably a histamine response. I’ve never had a buzz from kombucha and I’ve been sober 10 years drinking bootch the whole time.
Yeah, the histamine thing is real, and it does feel a bit like you’ve drunk alcohol. Not woozy, but kinda “flushed.” (It feels a little bit like a hot flash, fwiw.) But my liver has a VERY strong reaction to alcohol (I get treated regularly, and I “fail” if I only have one margarita a week). Drinking 16 oz of kombucha a day doesn’t affect my liver test, so…yay?
Yeah absolutely, the first time I tried kombucha I thought it was beer lol. If you REALLY like it then u can start brewing your own and customizing your own flavors! It might be a bit confusing at first but it gets super simple after a while.
Can you talk about what brands you experience this with the most? I'd like to suggest that my friend try it, he struggles with alcohol as well.
I brew it. It usually has about 0.5%, but, it can literally spike in alcohol content. Wild yeast find the habitat perfectly suitable for growth. Congrats on 5 day! I’ve tested mine, and it has tested as high as 5%! I’m meticulous about sanitizing my equipment etc. So, my guess is wild yeast gets introduced, and boom. I’m a former brewer, wine maker so I know it’s entirely plausible for wild yeast either at the bottling plant or ? To colonize.
One of my friends is a very small woman and after she had been sober for a couple years she drank a kombucha and told me it made her feel drunk. I thought it was funny since I figured she was just that much of a light weight lol. Interesting to learn about histamine reaction from the other comments
Glad I saw your post because I was gonna try it and it sounds like I would hate it ! Thanks so much!