I am addicted to Red Bull.

This has been a long love affair, Red Bull and I first met when I was working 12 hour shifts and started having to get up at 5 to be at work by 6! I needed something to get me going that early and I never have drank coffee or tea. Back then, it was at least 2 (sometimes more!) red bull a day, and was smoking at lest half a pack a day. Fast forward 8 years later, and I have kicked the tobacco habit, but I can't seem to ditch the red bull. I have at the very least, switch from the regular one to the zero cal kind. I have a red bull every morning still. I get a headache if I don't, and I'm irritable and very unhappy until I can have one. I really really wish I could bring myself to drink coffee or tea! I have never found a flavor I could stomach (My BF is a serious tea drinker and has had nearly every flavor out there, and I have tasted most of them)

I know I shouldn't drink the stuff, I know it's not good for me, but at the same time, I don't really WANT to give it up yet. I feel guilty for being so hooked on it, but at the same time I don't know what I would do without it.

Anyone else have any guilty pleasure/addictions? How do you deal with it?

lol, dont feel bad - i think everyone is allowed a guilty plesure! i cannot start my day without coffee - dont even try talk to me if i havent had it, i drink on average 3 to 5 mugs a day!

But my real guilty pleasure is chocolate covered marshmellow easter eggs, i just cant get enough of them! (ive eaten 5 today - at least they only come out once a year!!)

Years ago, I used to drink 1-2 POTS of coffee per day; with unlimited cream & sugar. No wonder I couldn't sleep, eh?

I slowly cut back, fighting headaches all the way. Now, I drink a homemade "double" ice coffee every day, using unsweetened almond milk (makes it super creamy) and exactly 4 teaspoons of sugar. I know that I could cut out the extra calories, but I don't want to. I LOVE coffee and I'll never ever give it up!

I would be concerned about what sort of chemical crap is in the zero cal stuff

No judgement here. I drank at least two liters of coke a day up until the end of July. I couldn't function without it, and I don't think it was the caffiene it was just the sugar surge. I knew I had to give it up, so I quit cold turkey. The withdrawal symptoms were hellacious. Just awful. But I did it in about a week (and then I went primal and went through more awful withdrawal).

If you're losing your weight and you feel ok don't guilt yourself. We all have our weaknesses.

I can relate! I was a smoker and had a 2 to 3 sugar free monster or rockstar a day habit about 4+ years ago. Had to stop both when we had a baby, I stayed away from the smokes but the energy drink habit has gone off and on. After a while they start making me feel terrible. I still have them sometimes, I especially love Monster's new zero calorie one, citrusy. But I digress. I had replaced energy drinks with diet soda, and have tried to just have both now and then instead of all the dang time. It's been a process. It's like I always have to have an "unhealthy" habit, it's weird. I'm probably crazy.

I still have coffee daily. And still have diet soda and sugar free energy drinks sometimes. In short -- if you get to a point where you just really don't want to depend on them anymore, you'll figure it out. Until then give yourself credit for all the other positive changes you've made!

I gave up coffee when I became a housewife. I used to get those specialty coffees everyday, a big 24 oz, then a frozen blended one for lunch. I could no longer afford it and didn't want to be like my mother and aunts drinking coffee into the late afternoon all day. They even used to take a thermos to the beach in 100 degree weather. I used to rely on my one a day dr pepper addiction from that day forward. I can proudly say I am now caffeine free I have about 40 days clean. Lol. My hubby bought some green tea pills but I am scared I will have to go through withdrawals again, so no thanks. Now I do allow myself a blended high calorie coffee from time to time, I swear it's like heaven having one. My addiction right now is nicotine, I never mention it here because I am just not ready to give it up, maybe I know it's bad, I am ashamed of it.

I feel so much better and so much less alone Thanks guys.

I know the time will come when I am ready to give up my beloved red bull (I even have a red bull fridge at home, not a mini one, a full sized cylinder ones that you see in convenience stores! I won't ever get rid of that though) I'm not NOT concerned about the chemically crap that is in the zero cal drinks, but at this point I fee like it is the lesser of two evils, if I drank the regular ones with all the sugar (not to mention, after that much sugar I feel like a bag of poo), that would put to much of a dent in my daily calories. Instead the I can drink the zero cal one without killing my cals for the day! Funny how we can justify things to ourselves like this

I love love love Redbull but haven't had it in at least 7 months. The problem with mine is that I used to like to mix it with vodka when we'd be out for drinks on Friday or Saturday night ($$$$$$$$). I just love the taste, the look, the buzz (literally!) from the caffeine. I'd love to splurge on one just to have it but it's totally off my plan (even the sugar free ones). Just wanted to let you know I share your love for it! (Almost everyone I know hates it and I just don't get that!!)

My love affair now is with coffee and tea; it's not something I will or have to give up. I have lost all of my weight drinking it every day, sometimes 8oz and sometimes 40oz depending on the day.

I do admit too that cherry Coke zero is a once a week treat. It's far less unhealthy compared to everything I used to do before my diet so I learned to let go of that worry.

Edit to add-----JEALOUS of your Red Bull fridge, omg!!

I also think you'll know when you're ready to give it up. I'm a serious caffeine addict (coffee), but I have struggled with pre-ulcers in the past so am really careful to pay attention to how I feel and how much coffee I'm drinking, as I don't want to be back in ulcer-land again!

If I were you, I'd go back to the regular calorie one. Well both are not good for you, the zero calorie is chalk full of chemicals.

I am not judging, I love Monsters. It used to be 3 a week but I have been lucky enough to kick that habit and just switch over to caffeine pills when necessary. I hate the taste of coffee and tea so caffeine pills were a good balance for me.

Edit : Sorry, I didn't read through all the comments before I posted lol. If you feel you're happier with the zero calorie one then stick with that one.

I am a sucker for a Jag-Bomb!!, it has been my traditional birthday gift for all of my drinking friends

Red Bull fridge is awesome, it was the first X-mas present I got from my boyfriend!!! (That was pretty much it for me, I knew I was keeping him hehehe)

And speaking of red bulls, has anyone tried the new "flavors" ? Blueberry, Cranberry and Lime!! I saw them in the store and had to try them all. I'll stick to my zero cal ones, but I could see those flavors working well with Vodka!

bubblybarrister Ulcers sound terrible! I hope I never have those.

Candeka - I have considered switching back, but the other day I asked my BF to pick one up for me, not remembering that I have switched to the Zero ones, he brought me a regular one, and a bigger one (not the biggest) at that! After I drank that I just felt all kinds of messed up! High from the sugar, but my stomach was rolling. Then I crashed. HARD!

I used to be this way with Monster energy drinks and coffee. I would drink 1-2 coffees in the morning and afternoon, then have a Monster in the late afternoon. I cut back little by little. It was not easy, I even had to stay home from work one day because my body hurt from withdrawal (I thought I was catching a flu). I stopped though. You may have to increase or start taking vitamins/herbs and start getting the needed hours of sleep when you decide to quit.

Since then I've switched my guilty pleasure to dark chocolate. I love it. I can't go into a CVS or Walgreens without buying a square or a bar LOL

I drink 3 Diet Cokes every day. I'm in no hurry to give them up. Coffee gives me gut rot and tea just doesn't have the caffeine jolt I need to get going in the morning. And I do sooooooooo need caffeine to get going. Every time I've tried to give it up I've had horrible headaches and just felt rotten.

OMG, he was definitely a keeper for the Red Bull fridge lol!! I am dying to get one for our basement bar (just the small one, to sit on the bar).

Flavors?! You are killing me now!! LOL @ you having to try them all, too funny.

The withdrawal is a real kick in the rear isn't it.