This won't be quite what you think. I'm not addicted to crack or anything.

However, I do feel as if I might as well be.

I dropped Dr. Pepper. I have had the occasional DP, but not even anywhere close to where I was. As a matter of fact, it doesn't even taste all that good anymore.

However, it's merely been replaced with Diet Coke. I know it's still soda so it's still bad, but at least there are no calories in Diet Coke, and it's filling. I can honestly say I am eating much much less due to the fullness from the DC.

Now I just have to wein myself off of DC, and get "addicted" to water!

Anyone else with an addiction?

I was addicted to diet dr. pepper. I drank 4-6 a day for the first several months of trying to lose weight. I finally gave it up in favor of iced tea which I made lighter and lighter over time. It may not have been good for me but it got me through the rough beginning.

I've always drank diet soda. DC is my favorite, although my partner loves Diet Pepsi, so we switch between the two often. I'm in the "i don't think diet soda is THAT bad for you" (in moderation of course!)
Just keep drinking your water too

I have been addicted to Diet Coke for years now. I used to drink 8-10 a day. I was also about 110 pounds back then. I slowly wined myself off it over the last 2 years and am down to one or two a week. I know it's not healthy for you, but i can think of a lot of other addictions that are a lot worse.

I had a mountain dew addiction. I followed that with a diet mountain dew addiction. I now have a crystal light addiction (a much much better choice). You can do it, trust me, if I can get off the MD, anyone can get rid of anything they want.

On a side note, Redreine - I love your avatar pic

I've become addicted to the wonderful feeling of being thin, trim, active and fit! I never want to be any other way. I've also become addicted to eating well. Who would've thunk it??

I drink diet soda, not every day, but I do use Splenda in other things on a daily basis. I know it's not the healthiest thing in the world, but it doesn't compare to the unhealthy of being super morbidly obese, or morbidly obese or obese or overweight. I firmly believe maintaining a *normal* weight is the single healthiest thing we can do for ourselves.

Though I have cut back on the usage of artificial sweeteners they will remain in my diet - for now.

I maintained a normal weight for years AND drank diet pepsi every day. In addition to my water. There were days I'd drink a whole two liter by myself.

I don't drink it anymore and not because of any conscious decision I made, but because when I got heavy and broke 200 lbs I started having indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux and the Pepsi was just burning the **** out of my tummy. I had to stop drinking it.

I haven't gone back, except for the occasional glass. At this point, I don't miss it.

I do use artificial sweetener in my coffee and in other things. Everything in moderation.

I hear people talk about diet sodas that they are bad for you, but I don't really believe that (at least not for me). I've heard that the theory is that the artificial sweetner creates a craving for sweet things or to eat more. That has not been my experience.

I love coke zero. I drink at least one if not two bottles a day. There is no calories and it is mostly water. The water in a diet soda is just as good as the water in water.

I don't drink a lot of any kind of pop, but diet coke is my pick. I also love a diet A&W root beer if it's really cold. And I split a diet dr. pepper with DH sometimes. I'm a coffee addict pure and simple! And since I drink it black it has no calories and I don't intend to give it up anytime soon.

I think it's like everything else. MODERATION.

For many people, excess weight is firmly associated with two things--guilt and pleasure. There is often this knee-jerk association between things that are pleasurable and guilt, and then a connection to weight. Anything we enjoy eating, we think must be bad for us because we enjoy it, and that the only way to lose weight is by suffering.

Now then, I do think it's important to cut the connection between food and self-soothing, which is why I don't chew sugar-free gum (though its great for people that don't have my problem), but I also think a lot of people make weight loss harder than it needs to be: if they aren't feeling deprived, they feel like they are doing it wrong, so they feel guilty about whatever they aren't depriving themselves of.

Put another way, a lot of people seem to believe, deep down inside, that they are fat because they are bad people, and punishing themselves by getting rid of anything they like is the only way to atone for being bad. I think this is a terrible pattern that leads to yo-yo dieting because it makes binging a forbidden secret thrill.

This is a long way of saying I don't even moderate my diet sodas. crystal light, artificial sweetners, coffee, garlic, black pepper, or hot sauce. For me, at least, they don't lead to binges, and they seem to be the consolation prize in a world where most of the things I like actually have calories.

I've posted this before, but they will have to pry the Diet Coke out of my cold, dead hands. I don't drink tons of it, usually just one can or small bottle a day. But I love it and it's something I look forward to having and enjoying. Plus I don't drink coffee, so it's how I get my (mild) caffeine fix.

I think if it triggered any sort of craving, I might reconsider, but it doesn't, at least not for me.

Well said! I feel exactly the same - only add in cabbage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. The sky is the limit!

I was totally addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. I went through 8-10 a day. I started getting the shakes so I had to start drinking caffeine free. A few months ago, I gave up bringing it home all together. I still have some Diet Coke occasionally if I'm out to dinner, but I don't get it from the grocery store anymore. I just don't need another addiction in my life.

well my food binges sometimes turn into ... "since-i-cant-eat-im-going-to-shop binges" wherein i end up charging something (gym clothes or accessories or smaller sized clothing ) to my card. it has happend about 4-5x and its nto like i'm charging 100s of dollars at a time but still its not very wise. especially if it ever got worse!

I may be addicted to exercise now, rather than eating.

I am not an exercise bulimic -- I don't need to spend hours & hours at it. But if I don't get my prescribed time in at the gym each day, I feel vaguely uneasy & restless & yes, guilty.

When people talk here about needing motivation to go the gym, that's about the opposite of my problem.

I've got an old friend coming to stay with me next weekend, and she will want to spend the whole day in Manhattan, which means taking a relatively early train. I probably can't leave my guest alone for the morning while I clock early hours at the gym. Or can I? Anyway, the idea I'll be missing a day makes me irrationally uneasy. Which I think is very close to addiction.