Addicted to soda...

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  • How do I break this habit? I am literally addicted to coca-cola I used to not be like this but now I crave it when I don't have it and I am not a coffee drinker so it wakes me up when I am getting tired and work and school. Helpful tips please?
  • Can you switch to diet or Coke zero just to start to wean yourself off? At that point, the calories will be reduced so it will benefit your diet a bit. Once I moved onto flavored seltzer (non-aspartame) I never looked back. I really only wanted the fizzle. Once I came off of coffee for the most part, I did one regular coffee a day (ie with caffeine) and the rest would be half decaf or full decaf. It's amazing how we can retrain our bodies to "like" what we want it to.

    And....the amount of calories I would drink in a 2 liter of Coke/Pepsi/Mountain Dew, etc. a day actually grossed me out so I had to walk away from it.
  • Switch to diet cola for now. How about tea? It has caffeine and you can drink it hot or cold with or without milk/sweetener.

    One change at a time so you don't overwhelm yourself and feel like you want to give up, you know? Good luck!
  • I drink Cherry Coke Zero and Diet Rite Cherry Cola
  • What helped me to get off of my addiction, Barq Root Beer, was having other drinks to fall back on. I do my tea, apple juice, etc.

    Also, I basically did the whole cold turkey option with my sodas because as long as it was in my house, I couldn't stop myself from drinking one. It was hard the first week or two, but after that, I honestly didn't really miss it all that much.

    I did have my slip ups here and there, but as long as it wasn't all day, everyday kind of deal, I was ok with it. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had one....
  • I did cold turkey way back when after college but then slowly let diet sodas creep into my life. Right now, I don't drink any sodas. I would have an occasional zevia but I even quit those. I drink plenty of unsweetened iced tea, water, water with lemon, etc.
  • I switched from regular to diet when my mother got diabetes, from diet to diet caffeine free when I was trying to conceive, from caffeine-free to just plain water when I found out I was pregnant. Now, I occasionally have a little bit of soda, but I mainly drink water and sometimes some tea or coffee.

    Good luck! It is reeeeally hard... but you can do it!
  • I switched to tea and then I went cold turkey. It gets easier, and it's better for you.
  • I have tried to break my addiction so many times. Of all the people I've spoken to, those who drink diet Coke have it the worst. I'm always trying to break my addiction to diet coke but I'm never really free of it. I once didn't drink any for a year and I wanted one EVERY DAY.
    Even though it's "calorie free" it has a caramel color in it that messes with my blood sugar and the sodium content messes with my BP but I cannot quit drinking it. It's not a caffeine thing. Other caffeinated drinks don't cut it. It's a chemical addiction.
    Presently I'm down to ONE 20oz diet Coke a day. If I've done well all day I allow myself one with dinner. The problem is getting myself to replace what I was drinking in DC with water. I just don't drink anything at all.
  • My helpful tip is that you may be getting dehydrated. YOu may just be thirsty. Drink water and eat a piece of fruit or a sandwich. Get your energy from something else, not from a fizzy drink. That will be your quickest way to let coke go, i think.

    I am a cold turkey kind of person.

    It may take you more than one attempt in the long run but i think you should give it a try to ditch all soda and not replace them with something else equally lacking nutrition.
  • Does anyone find it's the carbonation, rather than the soda itself they are addicted to? I only drink diet, and only like soda, not any other sweet drinks because they are flat, or too sweet. For me it is the carbonation, pure and simple, I'll drink seltzer over water if it is actually available sometimes. I just won't BUY seltzer, because, you know, it is so much more a waste of money to buy unflavored carbontated water than flavored.
  • I've never been addicted to sodas but I have cut them out before. Right now I have one diet coke in the morning on weekdays with my breakfast. I probably won't buy another pack next week. Carbonated water is great. I drink it plain.
  • I was easily drinking a gallon of coke a day when I started. That was the first thing that I did, and I had to go cold turkey.

    The detox was HORRENDOUS for about 3 days, but I did it, and it was a major step towards being able to change my way of eating and lose my first 100 pounds.

    Now it's been 20 months since I had more than one every few months while out drinking.
  • Quote: Does anyone find it's the carbonation, rather than the soda itself they are addicted to? I only drink diet, and only like soda, not any other sweet drinks because they are flat, or too sweet. For me it is the carbonation, pure and simple, I'll drink seltzer over water if it is actually available sometimes. I just won't BUY seltzer, because, you know, it is so much more a waste of money to buy unflavored carbontated water than flavored.
    We have a soda stream that I use when I get the urge. I just carbonate the water and squeeze in the lemon, or throw in some blueberries.
  • We also have a soda stream, which we alternate between using constantly or being too lazy to operate. Cost-wise it doesn't seem to make much difference for us since we buy the dirt-cheap soda at Shaws, but when in sodastream mode I will drink a decent amount of seltzer as well. Husband doesn't drink seltzer, only flavored soda.