Afterglow Drinks and YOU!

At A Healthy Solution Wellness Boutique, we continue to try and find new products that can help bring a better quality of and enjoyment in your life. While most of our products lean into the health and wellness side, we have decided to bring in a new product that can help those who or want an alternative/want to enjoy alcohol without the side effects or health concerns.

Why is Alcohol not good for you?
Drinking too much, even on a single occasion (but mostly over time), can cause a serious health issue. Here are some ways on how alcohol can affect your body:

Brain: Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can alter the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can modify your mood and behavior, making it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.

Heart: The heart can be very fragile if not cared for properly, so that can cause alcohol to cause problems for you, including: Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle, Arrhythmias – Irregular heartbeat, Stroke, and High blood pressure.

Liver: Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, or fatty liver, Alcoholic hepatitis, Fibrosis, Cirrhosis.

Pancreas: Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation in the pancreas that causes its swelling and pain (which may spread) and impairs its ability to make enzymes and hormones for proper digestion.

Cancer: Clear patterns have emerged between alcohol consumption and increased risks of certain types of cancer: Head and neck cancer, including oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx cancers, and esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, people who inherit a deficiency in an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol have been found to have substantially increased risks of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma if they consume alcohol.

Liver cancer, Colorectal cancer, and Breast cancer: Research has shown an important association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer—even one drink per day can increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer by 5% to 15% compared to women who do not drink at all.

Immune System: Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.  Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much.  Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

Why Choose Afterglow?
The creator of the company Free AF, Lisa King, shares her story:

“AF Drinks was created in 2020 by Lisa King – most well known as founder of kiwi social enterprise Eat My Lunch.

When Lisa cut back on alcohol at the beginning of the year, she became more aware of the sober curious movement, and the things that made it hard to cut back on alcohol, even when we want to.

AF Drinks makes it easier to help the sober curious explore a different relationship with alcohol. By creating a conversation and community for the sober curious and normalizing an alcohol free lifestyle. And by creating alcohol free drinks that give people a delicious, sophisticated, adult option when they’re not drinking alcohol.”

Here are some questions from the official website:

  • Do your drinks contain any alcohol?

AF is a non alcoholic beverage, but like many beverages (eg. fruit juices, kombucha) is crafted from natural extracts and flavors, and may contain trace amounts of alcohol, but less than 0.5% alcohol-by-volume, as permitted by FDA guidelines.

  • Why does it taste like an alcoholic drink?

Because we’re magicians in the kitchen, that’s why. We use natural flavors to replicate the taste of alcohol without the addition of any actual alcohol. And let’s not forget our secret weapon, Afterglow™, a natural botanical heat extract that produces a gentle warming sensation similar to the feeling of drinking alcohol.

  • What is Afterglow™?

Afterglow™ is our secret sauce. It’s a natural heat extract that we have added to mimic the taste and sensation of alcohol. It produces a gentle warming in the back of the throat and chest very similar to the feeling you would get when drinking. It’s 100% natural and not considered an allergen.

  • How much sugar is in the drinks

All AF drinks are low in sugar. The Cuba Libre, Dark and Stormy, and Apero Spritz have less than 5% sugar. All of the G&T’s have less than 4% sugar and the VØD%A Spritz has zero. All AF’s are significantly lower than their alcoholic equivalents.

  • Is there anything unnatural in it?

Absolutely not! We only use the best, natural ingredients, with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

  • Are your drinks safe to drink while pregnant or breastfeeding?

AF drinks were designed to be enjoyed by everyone. That said, check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about drinking AF while pregnant or breastfeeding.

  • I’m in recovery. Can I drink this?

That is a very personal decision. We created AF Drinks to provide a credible alternative to alcoholic beverages. We did this by recreating the flavor, rather than de-alcoholising an existing spirit or wine. Our drinks are alcohol-free (they contain less than 0.5% ABV, as regulated by FSANZ guidelines). However, they do taste very similar to their alcoholic equivalent. The last thing we want is for our drinks to act as a trigger, so please make the best decision for you.

  • Where are they made?

AF drinks are made right here in Auckland, New Zealand.

At AHS, we want to offer a variety of alternatives to alcohol, to make sure that you can still relax but have a healthier choice. We always recommend speaking to a health care provider or our staff if you have any questions or concerns.