Soda addict
 

So here it is, I was a serious Mt Dew addict for over 12 years drinking up to 8 cans a day, I have tried to stop before, but on Aug. 8 was my last can. I have had very little caffeine since then. It seems like such a ridiculous thing to be addicted to but it was out of control for me. I used it as a tool to manage stress. I still struggle with the cravings in the morning. I have replaced it with water and an occasional sweet tea. I have one soda left in the fridge because I know that if I let someone drink it, I will have a problem. With it there it is a choice that I make personally every day. Does anyone else struggle with this and want to join me in being soda free? There are no meeting for soda addicts but I was so addicted to the stuff that I would choose the restaurant we went to based on what soda they served. I don't want to go back to the way I used to be.

My "drug of choice" was Mountain Dew. I drank my last can in May of 2010. Out of all the things I've given up, it might be the thing I miss the most...

Jen

Add me to the list of Mountain Dew addicts. I probably averaged 6 cans a day, but I'm sure there were plenty of 8 can days.

I've been free for a couple of months, but it still calls to me. Ah sweet nectar of the gods, how I miss you. It is the one thing I can not allow myself to have even in moderation because drinking one sip is like unleashing the Kraken. Must. Not. Be. Done.

I agree. I dont think I will ever be able to have a sip again and I miss it more than anything else I have given up and I eat no grains

I was a diet soda drinker...diet coke, diet pepsi, didn't matter. I would drink anywhere between 4 and 8 cans of soda a day, and would literally stock up on 5-10 fridgepacks for the week for both myself and my fiance.

I gave it up cold turkey. It was one of the hardest things to do, and I still miss the fizzy sometimes (I might consider a sodastream for this later on). To help me cut it, I did drink more coffee at the start of my day , and switched to an occasional alcoholic beverage at night (I know, not a good replacement, but once I was off the soda, it was easier to wean myself off the wine as I really only like to drink that in moderation).

Now I'm okay with just water. If I want some flavor, I'll add a slice of lemon or a couple tablespoons of unsweetened cranberry juice. I refuse to get soda anywhere...I sneak a bottle of water in my purse when we go to the movies, I get water at restaurants, etc. I know that if I even take a sip of soda (even things like root beer, orange soda, 7up....the only thing I will allow myself to drink is ginger ale and that's only during travel cause I get an upset stomach and that helps), it will be like opening the floodgates and I won't be able to give it up again.

I feel better for giving it up, but those first couple of weeks I was pretty miserable. My fiance still drinks soda (he had quit the same time I did, but gave in to temptation at a movie we went to see and can't seem to cut it again), but I get angry if he brings it into the apartment. If he wants to drink it, fine...he can get those single 20oz bottles when he wants it. But no fridgepacks, no 2 liter bottles, etc. We have very few "hard limits" in the apartment, but soda is one of them.

Oh, I didn't even think of the movies. I have tried so hard not to put myself in a situation that I would struggle. This last weekend was my first camping weekend without soda ever. Our friends brought stuff for their families and it really stunk. My husband drink pepsi and I really dislike that stuff, but my brother lives with us and drinks mt dew. I start student teaching on monday and the teacher I am paired with keeps soday in a fridge in her class. I don't look forward to it.

How about diet mountain dew?

I tried diet for a year and actually gained weight

This is kind of like a different planet for me, since I absolutely hate anything that is too sweet. Diet coke is perhaps the only thing I can drink and only if it is cold. But I grew up on carbonated water. I cannot drink plain water. So, how about drinking carbonated seltzer water and add some stevia if you need it to taste sweet and some lemon/lime/orange juice and/or herbs like fresh mint? There are commercial flavoring agents you can add that have no calories. I prefer natural and have no experience with artificial flavors, but there are plenty of posts here from other people. Otherwise, drink the diet version. A little bit of aspartame is better than all that sugar.

I was a Diet Coke addict. I would buy the 1.25 liter bottles every morning before work for $1, they would be finished by 5 PM. They were the very first thing I gave up when I quit losing weight. I replaced them with water and 2 cups of black coffee a day. My husband has a Mt Dew addiction, there is nothing I can do about that, but it doesnt bother me because I have never liked regular sodas. The combination of the sugar/carbonation gives me an upset stomach. As long as we dont have diet in the house I'm ok.

I was also a Mtn. Dew addict! I was probably up to the same amount as you in cans as well. However, I also quit cold turkey. The withdrawls from caffeine sucked so I drank sweet tea up until this year, which is just as bad for you but now I'm only on water. Once you get over the craving, the taste of soda will be weird for you. I know it hurts to drink soda now, and I've only had soda on planned breaks from my diets and only ginger ale when I do drink.

This is common. People think they're drinking diet and therefore can have more food. Unfortunately people are terrible at estimating calories so they over compensate.

This is why, in my opinion, diet soda is more strongly correlated with diabetes than regular soda.

By the way - I'm not saying this is what happened with you. I'm speaking in general terms. Bottom line - if you switch to diet and nothing else changes you'll have fewer calories than before. It's not rocket science.

I used to drink about six cans of soda every day for a few years. I stopped because a gastroenterologist (stomach/intestinal doctor) told me how harsh that was on my body and I believe that the huge soda intake caused me to have serious stomach problems, I needed medical treatment for the issues. I don't drink diet coke very often any more, actually I don't like the taste much at all unless I have a slice of lemon in the soda. I drink more low calorie juice and diet tea which I don't think is very healthy either but at least it doesn't have all of that carbonation.

Well, to each their own but I am much happier drinking less soda.

:)

I will be happy to get to the one year mark without soday. Right now I just want to get to the one month. I get discouraged so easily and diet soda was not the answer for me.

I was a Diet Coke addict. I stopped more than a year ago. It tastes bad to me, now, but I'm still very careful. I stopped once before long enough that it tasted bad -- and I still managed to get myself addicted again!

Mornings are when I miss it the most. I think for lots of people whatever you drink in the morning is going to be one of the most difficult habits to break. I switched to hot tea and I've even been drinking it this summer. I figure coffee drinkers keep drinking their coffee hot in the summer so I can have my tea that way as well.

Another day without mt dew. My brother brought home a specialty botlle of mt dew. It is frustrating to say no. Today marks 3 weeks without soday. Longest so far in13 yrs

I was a huge diet soda addict for many years. I really loved it and it was hard to quit. What finally got to me was it started affecting my mind and made me forget things that became embarrassing. It also made me fat. It just gave me cravings.

I did finally quit and I lost 35 pounds. I replaced it with unsweetened tea with lemon.

I know you can quit too. Just be kind to yourself and patient when you make mistakes. Eventually you will make the leap to giving up soda.

I eased into cutting out soda by not having it in my home. I could still have a soda when eating out. I never completely stopped drinking soda, but it helped me cut down significantly. Even when I "fell off the wagon" and regained the weight (twice), I never went back to buying soda for my home.

Can soda cause memory loss? If so that explains a lot.

KayMaxim, do u feel like u have got your memory back after being off of soda for a while? I thought I could be loosing my mind with everything I was and still do forget. I used to have an excelent memory.

I remember giving up soda and artificial sweeteners. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It took a few months of grin-and-bare it I'm not gonna lie. However, the changes are remarkable. After a few days off the stuff I felt really clear-headed, as if I had been in a fog and didn't even know it. The cravings were still intense but that clearheadedness is what kept me going.

And then one day I woke up and my cravings were just gone. It was like a miracle. Every once in a while I'm able to enjoy a glass of diet coke and not get sucked back in but that was only a long time after I had quit the stuff. It never comes into my home and if it were in my fridge I wouldn't be able to resist it, why are you doing that to yourself??

I now exclusively drink seltzer.

Coke/Pepsi Fan
 

I don't care if it's Coke or Pepsi I just love it. I actually had lost 60 lbs. a few years back by drinking Coke Zero. My doctor told me to keep myself full with the gas from the coke in order to help me stay away from other foods. I don't know how healthy that is but it worked! I gained the weight back because I started eating horribly and drinking regular coke again :(

Now I'm ready to go caffeine free again :) (well except for my Cuban cafecito lol)

I went to a resturant today that serves mt dew and I just had water. I small victory today.

You don't need soda to get the effect of carbonation. I'm amazed by the things doctors say these days, no wonder we are such an unhealthy nation with advice like that being doled out. You can have seltzer with the same fizziness.

OMGosh I can so relate! I was a massive Dew addict! It was sooo hard for me to give that up, but I did and have been Dew free since January!

I actually blogged about my experience giving it up: Kickin' My Addiction

I actually have been able to walk by Mountain Dew without even craving it for months! It's awesome to have that freedom! I never thought I'd be able to do it!

Congrats on your success thus far! It is hard in the beginning but it gets easier!

Yay for being soda free! It feels fantastic!!!

Ravenwolf, yes Yay for being soda free. It is nice to think about not being controlled by something like that. I know I still have a long battle and otherd do as well. Congrats to all who have kicked sodas butt. Keep up the hard work

So there, though it was never Mtn. Dew for me...giving up my dr pepper & a&w was hard. It might have been anywhere from 1 can to 3 bottles...but I had some everyday. Now I tend to avoid it mostly, just a few times a week will I allow myself to have it (life has to stay a little good-for my sanity's sake). But its all empty calories in the end so way to avoid it. Good job. :high:

I disagree, it is definitely one of the harder things I had to do, but I'm glad I did it. We crave certain things with soda, the fizz, the sugar, the taste, the buzz, etc., and water really is none of that.

Now I do agree in staying away from soda :) I gave it up at the beginning of May, and have only had soda once since then (this past Sunday was Grandparent's Day, and I went to visit my Grandpa with my dad and they were giving away free Birch Beer Floats. It would have felt rude to turn it away from the little old lady handing it to me), and I will allow myself to have ginger ale while traveling for my sensitive tummy, but no pepsi, no coke, no mountain dew, no orange soda, etc. There are still some days I just want something more than water, but then I remember how I used to drink it: 6-8 cans of soda a day, plus 20oz bottles occasionally, and I don't want to go back to that.

I find it is hard for me to go off soda, I am currently a few days in from my detox as I normally hav ea can of coke zero wth my lunch everyday but swapping that out. The headaches suck but I know it will work out for the best in the long run