I know this sounds really dumb but, I have a really bad Pepsi addiction. Last year I lost around 40 pounds by working out and not drinking soda. I met my boyfriend and lost my job and I somehow reverted back to soda lol. My boyfriend and I are both heavy.

I do not know if anyone else has had a soda addiction. To me it sounds so silly to say that. I feel like I need a soda support group lol. I have tried to stop again and I end up getting horrible migranes to the point that I can not do anything.

I just wanted to know if anyone out there has been through this or has any suggestions that might help with the migranes and suggestions on quitting. I feel like I dont have as much will to quit this time but, I know I need to quit. Especially for overall health reasons.

Thanks for listening!

Do you work a normal monday-friday job, or any job where you have 2 days off in a row? If so, I would suggest you NOT buy any come Thursday evening or friday morning, and then not buy anymore. This way you two days to deal with the cravings/migraines and just lay in bed with a bottle of advil and water. If it is not in your house, you can't drink it.

Currently, I am still laid off from my job. However, I do not have any in the house now. So, I think what I am going to do is just not buy any more lol and maybe just fill a big jug up with ice cold water in the fridge or something. I think laying in bed with asprin is probably going to be my best bet for the next couple of day lol

thanks for the advice

i'm having the same issue with Pepsi!!!! I did sooo well a few months back around march/april I was drinking strictly water and now I've slipped back into my Pepsi addiction. im always craving it and wanting it and I know I need to stop because it's really getting in the way of my weight loss UGH!why does it have to exist!!!

Caffeine withdrawal symptoms can be quite unpleasant for a week or more, so you may want to taper off rather than go cold turkey.

Sugar withdrawal (in my opinion) is even worse.

I spent a year without caffeine and several months without artificial sweeteners. When fatigue from my fibromyalgia became bothersome, my doctor suggested resuming caffeine in small doses. Since I hate coffee and am not too fond of tea, I asked about diet soda and artificial sweetener. He said since I'd been off them for a while, I would probably notice any ill effects immediately.

I didn't so I started using diet soda and crystal light again.

I was drinking way too much though, and have decided to give them up again (or at least drastically reduce consumption) and have been gradually tapering off both caffeine and artificial sweeteners.

Last time, I quit cold-turkey and it was miserable.

If you're not worried about artificial sweeteners or caffeine (or the expense) you could substitute Diet Pepsi. If you don't like the taste, you can buy both regular Pepsi and diet and add a splash of diet Pepsi. Next time, mix more diet and less regular. You can wean off caffeine at the same time by using caffeine free diet cola.

Personally, I miss the bite of carbonation most, and may never be willing to go completely without it. I've even considered buying one of those sodastream carbonation machines.


As to whether you want or need to get off caffeine, you may want to discuss that with your doctor. Coffee and tea have more caffeine than soda, but the caffeine comes with antioxidants that may even have health benefits in moderate doses (soda not so much).

Caffeine can be a beneficial medication for pain and even asthma. I was formerly on three prescription asthma medications and (long story) I've been able to get off all three after learning my asthma was being triggered by nsaids for arthritis.

I was able to get off four prescription meds and now, when I do have an asthma flare, the attacks are mild enough to treat with caffeine, which is much safer than the prescription meds.

One of the main reasons I'm trying to taper off caffeine is because like many drugs, it loses effectiveness over time, and you need higher and higher doses to get the same effects. By tapering off of daily, non-medicinal use of caffeine, the medicinal use of caffeine will be more effective (and I won't have to use as much).

It's hard to give up caffeine, carbonation, sugar, and artificial sweeteners all at once, even with tapering, so I know what you mean about feeling like you need a support group.

You're certainly not alone when it comes to soda addiction. Throughout the past two years, hardly a day passed by that I didn't have at least a bottle (600ml) of soda, sometimes two.

About a month ago I finally (after several attempts) decided to seriously cut soda from my life. At first I tried to cut it out completely, but failed miserably because of cravings, but now I've just imposed a limit of maximum 3 sodas per month. It's working so far, and whenever I feel like I really need it, I force half a liter of water down my throat until I feel full and it finally passes.

I think it's going well so far. It's difficult to give up the habit, but not impossible at all. Good luck

I have a bad soda addiction too, as does my hubby. I've decided to give it up but the problem is that hubby won't. So there are a couple of cases of Pepsi in the fridge so I just have to have willpower every time I open the fridge and not have some!

I'm used to having about 6 cans of Pepsi a day. For a couple of days I had 1 can, then yesterday I had half a can. Now I'm going cold turkey. I'm getting cravings and headaches from not having any, which scares me as it shows me how addicted I am and also how unhealthy it is! I gave up cigarettes earlier this year and kicking this caffeine addiction so far is harder for me.

Right now I'm swapping Pepsi for iced green tea or hot black tea (both unsweetened) so I'm getting some caffeine but not as much and at least it's healthier.

Ounce for ounce tea generally has more caffeine than soda, which is one of the reasons, when my doctor suggested using caffeine medicinally, that I chose to return to diet soda rather than pick up a new habit that would only increase my caffeine dose.

I agree 100% with tapering off. I drank so much regular Coke I was certain it was part of my blood chemistry. When I finally cut it out I switched to Diet coke (and choked down the stuff until I could stand the taste (now I kinda like it...) by putting lemons and limes in it, sometimes oranges) and then starting weening off diet soda. I would have 4 a day, then 3 a day, then 2, and so on, same with coffee. I am still a caffeine addict, sadly, but I am working on it. I have 2 coffees a day, trying to cut to none but as people have said, the withdrawal is terrible at times.

Best of luck, though, you can do it! I wish they made a soda that really tastes like regular though. Coke Zero, Pepsi Max... all lies! hehe

If you drink diet only sodas long enough, regular tastes kind of gross - thick and oversweet like cough syrup, and it leaves you thirstier than before you took a drink.

Diet Mountain Dew Code Red was my kryptonite. I can't drink the stuff in moderation, so if I buy it, I only buy one 16-20 ounce bottle.


I believe that caffeine and artificial sweeteners can be beneficial in moderation (if only for sanity preservation) while dieting.

Moderation is a very difficult skill to master though. It's often easier to binge or ban (or alternate bingeing and banning) than to moderate.

That's been my problem with caffeine, and artificial sweeteners in general and diet soda specifically. I have an even bigger problem with sugar (but that's a different story).

I don't think withdrawal symptoms prove how unhealthy or even necessarily how addictive a substance is. I studied addiction in getting my master's degree in psychological and physical AND dependency is complicated. You can experience unpleasant physical withdrawal symptoms when giving up healthy and even necessary substances (and behaviors).

I remember professors even arguing that romantic separation (breakups, deaths...) caused unpleasant psychological, emotional, and physiological withdrawal symptoms due to loss of love-provoked chemicals in the body including hormones, neurotransmitters like seratonin and dopamine, and endorphins.

Depression likewise can be essentially be viewed as a system of withdrawal symptoms.

There are quite healthy foods that can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if eaten to excess for a long period of time. It doesn't make the food unhealthy in itself.

"The dose makes the poison," as toxicologists say. Even water is poison in high enough consumption.

Chocolate, sugar, carbohydrates, alcohol, and perhaps even caffeine can be benign or even beneficial in small doses ... all can cause damage in excess and withdrawal when stopped cold turkey.

Determining the benign or beneficial dose is the challenge.

Thanks so much for responding...I thought maybe I was the only one with a soda problem lol. I did manage to do pretty good yesterday. I had half a can of Pepsi at dinner. I was very proud of myself lol. I have not had any yet today though. I have not needed any asprin yet but, I have it on stand by hahah.

I have a tendency to drink soda all day and eat when I am not hungry. I am also a sweet adddict late at night. So, I am trying to change that. I am hoping by cutting out soda, late night chocolate and reducing the amount that I eat that I will start losing again.

I think what happened was I had gotten some pizza and I got a 2 liter and in 3 hours the 2 liter of Pepsi was gone and I just stared at the empty bottle like oh my gosh I can not believe I just drank that whole thing lol. At that point, I think I was saying to myself "' Ok you have an issue here" haha

Lucky for me I have never really had an addiction to soda/pop and I have found that you don't have to give it up completely.....I have always loved club soda or sparkling water and I find that it is a great substitute and you can always add in a splash of fruit juice or a slice of lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit and its yummy.

I just came across this today and its a good reminder for me to look at whenever i'm having a soda craving..

I had to cut out the pop before I cut out anything else, because I knew that the combined withdrawal would be ridiculous. Pop was a huge problem for me. But when the withdrawal clears, you feel amazing. I've been a year now with maybe one can of coke every six weeks if that.

Good luck!

Well, it has been 4 days since I have had soda. The migranes have not been too bad. They seem to be going away now. It has been tough. But, I decided Saturdays will be my day to have 1 can of soda to spoil myself.

It has been really hard but, I think it is worth it.