Diet coke is like cigarrettes for me … and how I quit

I heard a stop smoking ad yesterday and I thought they were talking about diet coke:

"I have one at 6:30 in the morning, after every meal and right before I go to bed."

I also think my diet coke addiction is somewhat like an alcohol-addiction because even though I've quit drinking diet coke, I think I'll always have a problem with it. At any moment, I could drink a diet coke (it sounds good!) and I'd be drinking 5-6 or more a day again.

Cackhanded
While a diet coke habit is easier on those around you (no second hand smoke, no embarrassing behavior, no dangerous driving), it's still an annoying habit. You can't carry a six pack in your pocket and even if you could, it wouldn't be cold. I was always preparing. Did the hotel I was staying at have diet coke? Would I be able to get one before my afternoon meeting? Maybe I could take a smaller cooler and stock up … (Don't laugh, I know a guy that carried a 12 pack of diet coke with him on every trip to Asia because he didn't like Coca-cola Light. Another, rather high level, manager had every meeting room stocked with diet coke before he got there!)

I haven't had a diet coke since September 8, 2008. While I think I don't have any physical dependencies on diet coke (no head-aches, no mood swings, no shakes, etc when I give it up) the psychological dependency is huge. (And by the way, I read a *lot* about dependencies and addictions and I'm convinced we don't really know much about them.) I found no good advice for how to quit drinking diet coke. Or for that matter how to stop any addiction. The best advice seems to be to attend AA meetings which hardly seems like a practical suggestion for most of us.

So how'd I do it? Three key things:

  1. I made giving up diet coke my number one priority. I didn't care what I ate, how much I exercised, what else I drank, …. as long as I didn't drink diet coke. It was my number one goal. This is important because when I tried to combine it with eating healthy, I failed miserably.
  2. I substituted with carbonated water. I drank a lot of sparkling waters for a while. This made business trips to Europe and Asia pretty easy. Not so much in the US. But you can get soda water in any restaurant and 7-11s sell Perrier. I don't drink carbonated water as much now but there for a while I was drinking a lot of carbonated water. (By the way, business trips were the hardest times not to drink diet coke.)
  3. I told everyone. Especially when I was feeling particularly tempted, I'd tell everyone around me. I told complete strangers. They'd all smile and nod. Some would ask why. I'm sure they thought I was a bit strange. But I have to tell you, I never broke down and bought a diet coke after I'd just told everyone around me that I'd given them up!

Lots of people also advise keeping in mind why you want to quit. I wanted to quit because I hated feeling dependent on anything – it's really annoying to always be trying to figure out where you're going to find a diet coke – to feel like you have to have one. There were a lot of other good reasons to quit, but that was my main one. That said, knowing why didn't help me as much as the three points above: making it my #1 goal, having a substitute, and telling everyone!

Good luck with all your new year's resolutions!

Photo by cackhanded.

65 Replies to “Diet coke is like cigarrettes for me … and how I quit”

  1. I switched to bottled water and add the Crystal Light flavor packets (or Wyler’s brand that I find at Walgreens, and is much less expensive). No carbonation.

  2. Thanks for the tip. I wasn’t sure if it was the carbonation or the artificial sweetener that I was addicted to … I decided it was more likely the sweetener but I wasn’t willing to do the experiments to find out for sure!

  3. The artificial sweetener makes your body think it’s sugar but it’s not sugar, so your body wants more and more.
    Try something which tastes sweet but is healthier, for example orange juice mixed with carbonated water.

  4. That might explain all the chocolate chips I’ve been eating … 🙂
    Seriously, I agree. A nutritionist told me that by drinking diet coke (sweet with no calories) I was probably:
    1. craving more really sweet things (artificial sweeteners are more sweet than natural ones) and
    2. more calories to match the expected calories that usually come with sweet things.

  5. I was an addict to sparkling water and diet coke myself.
    Leaving the first wasn’t really a choice for me, turns out that in Gran Canaria you cannot drink water from the tap, so we always bought it bottled. Even before I was born, at home we only drank sparkling water (we had a natural source of sparkling water in Gran Canaria until a few decades ago).
    I left Diet Coke (pretty much my only addiction since I don’t smoke, drink or take drugs) because I started to have serious problems with insomnia, and after trying not to drink Diet Coke (switching to 7up), I realized I got better.
    We should create a new organization to help people with this common addiction, dietcokers anonymous or something 😛

  6. Soda water did it for me too…. Costco has it in cans, so the fizz and the RITUAL (imortant for smoking addiction too…) is still being utilized. I also used Diet Kola Capsules to break the habit. Still get the Caffeine, but no aspartame. dietkola_dot_com http://www.dietkola.com I took these for a few months and the soda water, now I just drink regular water and I’ve lost 15 pounds.
    Judit

  7. I never ran across those … I thought about experimenting with caffeine-free, sugar-free, different sweeteners, etc and decided the best thing was just to quit and leave it to someone else to figure out what’s addictive.

  8. Hi Stormy,
    I was getting terrible headaches from drinking caffeinated drinks such as coffee and diet Coke. The pain became so bad I simply was forced to stop. I never used substitutes. The pain was a sufficient motivator.
    I did get strong headaches for about one week after stopping.
    It has been 6 months or so since I had any caffeine. I am much more relaxed now. My temper is not as short. I think more clearly. I feel better all around.
    I did also tell friends / family because I wanted to make sure that people understood that I just don’t consume those things at all.
    I also eat less simply because once I told myself that I didn’t need diet coke or coffee, I was also able to tell myself that I didn’t need snacks, and so I am losing some weight, too.

  9. That’s a good point – to use the ability to give up diet coke as a reason why you don’t need all that other stuff too.

  10. I’m both a smoker and a “sugar-drinker” – and I can assure you, giving up smoking is easy compared to giving up on my many flavors of sweet sweet sparkling sugar water. THAT is a challenge!

  11. I went through a period of drinking both coke and the various sugar-free versions habitually every day. It had a marked effect on my teeth and I ended up having to get a crown on one molar (no root canal, the tooth is still alive) and having most of the pre-existing fillings replaced, because the teeth had started to deteriorate at the seams of the fillings. I stopped drinking soda and the next time the dentist didn’t need to do anything. I known lots of people my age who have had a number of root canals etc., and even my dentist wasn’t too worried about me, but the whole experience put me off of carbonated drinks almost entirely.
    Some people have teeth that seem immune to bathing them in acid, though. I know some whose weekly intake of sugar-free soda is measured in gallons and they have no fillings in their teeth at all. My teeth would probably have disappeared entirely if I drank what they drink.
    The next time you feel like having a diet coke, think dentures. Or having titanium screws planted in you jaw and then paying for the procedure. That works for me.

  12. Yikes. Luckily my teeth survived intact.
    However, if you want a visual on how bad the stuff is for you, put a piece of meat in a glass of coke over night.

  13. One tip that helped me get off my coffee addition was to make a resolution for one month (not forever). Just say: “I won’t drink any this month and if I don’t like it I can always go back.” Forever just sounds so final.
    After a month without coffee I decided to not get addicted anymore and now I drink a cup maybe every few days.

  14. That’s a really good point. 30 day trials are much easier than just giving something up for good. And then, like you said, once you’ve done it for 30 days …

  15. I am almost 48 hours Diet Coke free. Although my coworkers are ready to kill me I am hanging tough.

  16. I’ve given up diet coke before for several months by using Lent as my time frame. 40 days works well. Lately I’ve been wondering if I could pick one habit to change every 40 days. Much more manageable than a new year resolution, and if one out of five stuck, I’d be better off.
    Well, the teeth are sore and I’m spending several hundred a year on the diet coke (wanna quit? Calculate the gallons and $ per year) so here I go again.
    Does ANYONE know of a good non-carbonated substitue for that wonderful diet coke “bite”?

  17. OMG I am so glad I have found you fellow addicts here! I have been struggling with a diet coke addiction for 10years!
    It started innocently enough…at 17 I started drinking diet soft drinks-7up,coke etc. As a typical teenager I was consious of my weight. However it took on a whole life of its own long after my diet!
    I totally agree that its a real addiction…people laugh at me when I say i’m a diet coke addict….but its true. I always make sure theres a supply in the house. I drive to the shop late if I’ve run out. I’ve even started going to different stores as im consious the people working there are wondering why I buy so much diet coke! I’m drinking between 1 litre(on a good day) to 3 litres (on a bad day). I even lie about how much diet coke I drink to the people close to me.
    I quit a few months back for about 6wks,and switched to water(with a couple of small slips) and noticed a difference almost instantly…I was sleeping better,my skin looked fresher and my mood was improved. I went back though and I’m finding it really hard to motivate myself to quit again.
    I really thought I was alone in this problem.
    I’m also terrified of the hidden damage I may be doing to my body….my mother kindly sent me a horrific email about the dangers of diet drinks and aspartame a few years back. But like a typical addict I choose to go into denial. But I think its come to a point that the worry is starting to affect me.
    Maybe like with other addictions you have to hit a rock bottom? 🙂 I would love to have a support group!
    Anyway very glad to have found this forum…..we are not alone!

  18. I go crazy for Diet Coke. I probably drink 7+ a day, everyone around me notices and is trying to get me to quit drinking it. I make a point to buy a case whenever I go to the store (generally every other day,) because a 12 pack lasts me
    a little less than 48 hours. I feel like I HAVE to have it. My justification is that it’s better for you than being addicted to a sugary soda.. Not too legit. Diet Coke addiction is honestly a real thing. I need help. Nothing else seems to suffice taking it’s place! I know the Aspartame is extremely bad for you. I’m a seventeen year old girl and have been drinking it like this for the last year and a half. It makes it so convenient that EVERYWHERE has it. Any store, gas station, vending machines in every building on campus, (almost) any restaurant. I don’t know what to do :/

  19. Thanks for sharing. I just poured one down the drain and got a glass of tea.

  20. Im quitting tomoro… supermarket shopping tonight and no diet coke will come in contact with my trolley.

  21. Thank you for all the suggestions. It has been almost 3 weeks since I had a diet coke and I was just grocery shopping with my daughter when I almost broke down by a soda fountain. I decided to go on line to see if there were other people struggeling with diet coke addiction. I agree with the comment that this is probably a life time struggle to give it up. I too started with bubblely water because it felt like a treat. I also agree that it is a good idea to have one goal as opposed to giving up diet coke, working out 3 hours a day and not eating bad food. Anyway, there most be something really bad in D.C. to have so many people addicted.

  22. i’m only 12 and i drink 12 cans a day, my mom gets worried sometimes and my dad gets mad over empty cans being all over the place, if i don’t have a diet coke every 4 minutes i get really depressed, when i go to a store the first thing i grab is a 20 oz. of diet coke.

  23. so glad to have found this website. this is day one without diet coke for me. i’m actually using AA’s 12 steps to help me kick it for good- not just for a while. my life and health are too precious to contaminate them the way i have been. i’m drinking iced tea- and water. i have found in the past that if i stop consuming all artificial sweeteners (including sugarless gum)the cravings go away almost immediately. then i just have to deal with the mental/behavioral addiction part for about 3 days. after that it is pretty effortless. consuming artificial sweeteners in forms other than diet coke reinforce the cravings for me. it all has to go!

  24. I’m relieved that I found this website. I am totally addicted and have tried to quit many many times. I can not drink it when I want to quit except when I go out to eat. Then I drink at least 3 to 4 glasses at the one sitting. I wish there was some magic pill to stop this. I agree that it is an addiction. It makes me cranky and makes me crave junk food. I wish I could stop…

  25. VERY interesting read to me – I did a 28 day detox that ended on Nov 22nd. Basically it was gluten/caffeine/dairy/sugar free, along with an anti-inflammatory medical shake 3x per day (and tons of good, healthy foods like veggies/fruits/lean proteins/oats/rice/healthy fats… -that’s beside the point – just listing that I ate well while on this detox.)

    By about day 7, every single craving left except for FDC – you see, I am (*was*) addicted to Fountain Diet Coke. Not just Diet Coke. Not even just Fountain Diet Coke. It had to be from McDonald’s because they have the highest turnover/cleanest machines – I knew it was the freshest. If not there, then Subway, which runs a close second in my book – see? I’m like all of you! An absolute slave to this beverage.

    As the detox continued and I kept feeling better and better (more energy, lost 8 lbs and 2.0% body fat) I kept thinking – “I can do ANYthing for 28 days, right? On Day 29, I will treat myself to a SMALL FDC from McDonald’s.”

    Well, day 29 came and I didn’t do it – on Day 30, my 10 yr old insisted that she buy the “treat” for me bc she wanted to see the look on my face – she knows this beverage is mom’s absolute favorite.

    Well, I put the straw in, and took a sip, and immediately thought “Something is wrong with this. No refreshing bubbles and “bite-y” taste. Tastes like flat metal.” So I took another sip, and my daughter is staring at me, waiting…. I said, “Honey, I’m terribly sorry – this tastes awful. I can’t finish it.” She had a look on her face like someone just stole her puppy. Neither one of us could believe it??!?! She said “Okay, who are you, and what have you done with mom?”

    I was stunned.
    2 days later, we were out and I tried a sip of my daughter’s FDC. “Yuck. There’s something wrong with this one, also?”

    Which brought me to yesterday at the Olive Garden with my eldest (16 yr old.) I got an iced tea (I was thinking ahead) and she got an FDC with lemon. I said “Do you mind if I just have a sip of your drink?” She gave me the glass, I *held* my breath and took a sip and said “I can’t believe it.” She said “It’s really good isn’t it?” I said, “Honey, it’s awful.” In my mind I was thinking “Okay – I will ONLY have an FDC when I am eating at a restaurant…” and now this completely blew it for me, also.

    I really feel like I had a death in the family – I’m so embarrassed to report this but given the original post, I feel like an addict confessing my sins – My “taste” brain has given this beverage up for good, but my “emotional/addicted” brain doesn’t want to believe it – while I was on the detox, I realized that I am a complete slave to FDC – it controlled everything I did – have to run errands? Go to Target, get a FDC and then shop. Done shopping? Reward yourself with an FDC from McDonald’s…. The first Thursday I dropped my daughter off to her dance class (I run errands for an hour during that time) I thought – “What’s the point? I can’t have a diet soda, so why bother?” I literally sat in the parking lot and waited bc I was so depressed that I couldn’t have a diet soda while I ran my errands.

    I LOVE carbonation, and have always enjoyed sparkling water. Now more than ever, I have turned to it to satisfy my need for bubbles. I would have never believed how strong this addiction was had I not tried to break it – I’m 44 and started my diet soda consumption (=love) with Pepsi Light back in the early 80’s.

    My last bastion of hope is to try a TaB and secretly hope that it is as wonderfully sludgy as I remember it to be. I’m pretty sure I’m going to retire it on my shelf, right next to the Medium sized cup from McDonald’s. Sigh. Thanks for the forum and support.
    Catherine

  26. I chuckle when I read that folks are “addicted” with 7 cans daily. I drink 3 liters daily of diet coke. I have consumed over a case of the cans daily on bad weeks. My wife and I and my 18 year old son – all addicted. I started drinking them in 2001 – after being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. I kove the “burn” of carbonation, and NOTHING else burns like a Diet Coke. Ive tried to quit – to no avail.

  27. I have begun my quest to give up diet coke this weekend. I only had two yesterday. Today I have not had one yet. Hopefully I won’t. I hate being dependent on something and I always have to make sure that I have one wherever I’m going to be – home, work, car, etc. On an average day, I’ll have anywhere between 6 – 10. Maybe 12 on a really bad/long day at work. But lately, I’m feeling like it’s more and more difficult to lose weight, and I feel like I”m kind of bloated a lot of the time. I’m thinking it’s probably all of those chemicals and carbonation that my younger self could handle, but my 40+ year old self cannot. So, I’m easing myself into a detox, starting with ridding myself of the constant diet coke consumption. I really do think there needs to be a support group for us somewhere! Good luck to all my fellow strugglers with this addiction.

  28. Wow, didn’t know there would be a website for this addiction. Great. I’m starting today.
    Wish me luck!
    grrrrrrrr
    🙂

  29. WOW, can’t believe I’ve found you…all your stories are sooo similiar. I’ve tried to quit off and on for years…have problems with osteopenia and bone fractures and still have not been able to give it up! Reading these stories has really encouraged me, last week I bought a 12 pack of generic diet cola – figuring I would drink less if it wasn’t the REAL diet coke, and that worked, except I told myself whenever I was at work or out to eat I could have DC – guess what I’ve been going out to eat a lot more! So, today is the day….going to switch to iced tea, I like that telling everyone around you will reinforce your decision so I will try that.
    thank you all for sharing. Wish me luck also!
    Wondering when we will find out the truth about DC and what is really added to it to make it sooooo addictive.

  30. This is day one for me. I read a Health.com article linking diet soda consumption to Type 2 Diabetes here -> http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/01/diet.soda.health That was the last straw – I am stopping cold turkey. I have printed out the article and it is sitting on my desk as a reminder. I have had one can of LaCroix + ice water this AM, and iced tea this afternoon.

    Surprise surprise – Time is absolutely *crawling* today 🙂

  31. I have been addicted to diet coke since I was 15 and I am now 23 and a slave to the beverage. Sometimes if I don’t get it when i want it I start to have an anxiety attack and I panic. Other times I am on the verge of an attack(anxiety is a severe problem in my life) and the only thing I want to calm me down is the diet coke. When my house puts out the recycling every week I am so embarrassed by the mass of bottles that came from me-not to mention all the bottles disposed at other locations. Sometimes I’ll buy something I need so that buying the diet coke doesn’t seem like a big deal. Every time I finish that last sip I get really depressed and wish it was full. The dependency and health problems brought on by this flavored substance is tricking me into thinking I need it in my life when really it is helping me ruin it. I am quitting cold turkey today.I am so scared.

  32. That’s my post on 3/24. 3 weeks later, and I have had precisely one diet coke. It only took a few days to get rid of the physical cravings, which surprised me. I’m big on the flavored seltzer water. Unsure if it’s a coincidence, but I have gained 3-4 pounds; it’s not a huge deal, but a bit annoying. I’m staying focused on getting diet coke out of my life. I figure after 30 days, I will shift my focus more on getting rid of the extra weight.

  33. I’m glad to hear other people take this problem as seriously as I do. Not sure when I picked up the habit of Diet Coke consumption. Sometime after college when I began worrying about gaining weight. Seemed innocent enough. Never really new anything about the dangers of aspartame, or thought about the effects. This year we welcomed my son Asher into the family and it’s had me rethinking a lot of what I’m doing to stay healthy. 2 years ago I lost 50lbs, but the one vice I held onto the entire time was Diet Coke. Not sure I could’ve done it without clinging onto that one thing. Now I’m thinking why can I not shake this thing? Something really has to be up for this to have such a firm hold on me. So, last week I decided to try and take my 6-7 Diet Coke a day down to 2 or 3 max. I’ve been getting by the last few days on 2. 1 in the morning and one at dinner. I’m an irritable wretch. Anyway, I’m going to slowly try to take those 2 away and see if I can do it. Worried about my father who has been doing this for 20ish years and the effects it might have on him. Would like him to live a long life, but worried that it may play into deteriorating health later. Thanks for posting this message board. Will let everyone know if I’m able to kick the habit.

    1. Try stretching the 2-3 DCs by doing a *lot* of ice with them. Your body will crave just the ice over time, and you actually spike your metabolism by internally warming up the ice cold water inside of you…

  34. Thank you Stormy. I’m going to the supermarket tonight and buying a six pack of sparking water. Like Catherine Gray (11-28-10 posting) I’m addicted to FDC with chips. I started my addiction with WW membership.

  35. I never knew when I got addicted to Diet Coke. I always used to drink it over watching movies at night. This habit of mine, grew in something bigger in no time and I wasn’t yet aware of it. I used to drink it with my friend, Naveed, who also became an addict as I did. He used to call me in middle of nights and we used to finish 12 packs of diet coke each by the morning. When my habit became my obsession, I came to know that I was in big trouble. I remember my friend, Naveed, he used to have it all the time, in the morning after he wakes up, three or four cans during the meals, and also before going to bed. We became aware about our addiction, it was very hard for both of us to quit. It took about 2 years, but we finally did it. We were regular DC drinkers since college, for ten years. We totally left the addiction now, but sometimes when we go to supermarket and see those cans of diet cokes, it’s like they are calling for us. 🙂

    1. When me and Shahil ask for a Diet Coke in a restaurant while having meal, and they say, ‘Is Diet Pepsi, okay?’ I used to reply, ‘No, just make it water then.’ And then we never go to that restaurant again.

      1. oh HA HA HA Naveed – I do exactly the same thing – I tell my husband “I don’t want to come back here again.” 🙂

        1. “I have been told ‘if you knew what was in them, you would never have another one,’ but I don’t care,” my friend shahil, who has six to eight cans a day. “I don’t smoke, don’t drink coffee, don’t eat junk food. My Diet Coke addiction is my only vice. . .
          All of this begs the question: Is it safe to be addicted to Diet Coke?
          We have no idea. All we know is it tastes great. 🙂

    2. Ha ha ha, yeah. Shahil but now. How do you physically feel since your quit? Any change in your ability to concentrate, energy or overal health?
      I used to get bad migranes- I think the Diet coke was the culprate…

      I think the drink is designed to leave a person dehydrated, so they will drink one after another….

  36. I am so glad that I looked this up because reading your stories has hit home with me. I drink on average 6-10 cans a day of diet coke. Starting today I am done with that. I like the idea that one had of not worrying about anything else but quitting the habit and so here I start.
    Thank you guys for the inspiration that I needed to start this journey.

  37. I can so relate to all this. Great site!

    Have been drinking Diet soda for 16 years. I started on Pepsi max in college and after a bout of gastritis switched to Diet Coke. When I started working I was drinking 13/14 cans a day. I have gone up and down over the years and currently drink 6/7 cans a day. I only drink cans and am so fussy that have written to my supermarket when I noticed a change in the taste of the cans which I think was caused by a heater! (They moved the cans and it improved) Regarding side effects – I have had a number of fractures and my teeth are worn down. Recently one tooth fractured in two when I was eating a sandwich (I am 34). I have had two root canals and I now need three crowns.

    For some reason I have no will power when it comes to quitting. Believe me I have tried but I get really bad craving and need to have cans in the fridge. I also don’t enjoy food without a diet coke….

  38. I got off Diet Coke before my first grandbaby was born. I have been drinking it for as long as I can remember and I am in late 50s. Yes, it depletes calcium but the kicker for me was about two months after being completely off Diet Coke I had to go to the hospital, with kidney stones. Needless to say, now I drink tea in the morning and Diet Coke in the afternoon and evening. I love my Diet Coke, tastes like chocolate being poured down my throat. Do not want any more kidney stones, very paintful.

    1. Be careful Rita. Black tea is well known to cause kidney stones. If you are switching to teat for this reason, drink green tea, which has no correlation to stone formation. Google “black tea kidney stones” for more info…

  39. How to Quit Diet Sodas: buy some good quality green (or white) tea. Doesn’t have to be expensive, just a fresh box of a good brand (NOT decaf – REGULAR green tea).

    The day you quit the diet sodas, start drinking the green tea. Try for 3 cups a day, the last not too close to bed time. You can have more if desired. Be brave and drink it without any sweetener (or only use a natural sweetener like agave nectar).

    This should really ease the transition. You may experience little or no withdrawals from the diet soda. You can continue with the green tea infinitely, since it has major health benefits, or if you want to have no caffeine in you at all, gradually taper off of the green tea. Also drink plenty of water throughout the day since most ‘diet soda’ people will feel dehydrated without their old sodas. It’s also helpful to add as many fresh fruits and veggies to your meals as possible. They contain naturally-occurring plant compounds that will ease withdrawal.

    Good luck! You CAN do it! And you will feel free and healthy!!

  40. So. This site is amazing. I have been 9 days without diet coke, and feel great, but still miss it so much. I have also been eating really healthily the last 9 days, because food is no fun without a diet coke, so I might as well eat food that is good for me if I can’t enjoy the junk. Whenever I crave taco bell or something, I remember that I’d have to have water with it, so it loses all the appeal. It’s a sad commentary on how very addicted I am that it affects the ability to enjoy food. But, it has made me much healthier. Physically, I feel fantastic. Mentally, I miss diet coke like crazy. I hope I can eventually be a person who can have it sometimes, as a treat, without becoming hopelessly addicted again. If it’s anything like alcoholism, one isn’t possible. That makes me sad. Which is sad. Hehe.

  41. Jessica: Don’t give up! Keep going! I used to love Taco Bell, too, until I read about how it’s made and it’s ingredients were so bad for you. It’s almost total junk! Sawdust filler! Yuk!

    Keep eating healthly ‘alive’ food [more fruits and veggies and other good things] and you will feel more alive! If you miss the buzz of Diet Coke, get some good quality green tea and drink that…and also water…and some chamomile tea at night is so good for you! Find a substitute for your old addictions will help you stick with it…

    It’s your body…reclaim it!

  42. Hi, I have struggled with the addiction for many years, I have no other significant dependancys/addictions, I dont drink or take drugs, I eat a healthy diet. I have always drunk DC from being a small child as it was marketed to me as a good thing. father chistmas and cute polor bears can’t be wrong! or can they….. I think that there is a law suit to be answered by these companies that market the drinks at kids with no understanding of the damage that theses drinks can do to the body and mind, so by the time you realise they are doing you harm its to late! your addicted. I read a book called ‘Caffine Blues’ that finally convinced me that I should not be drinking DC and how to give it up forever. It has a slow reduction programe that is quite easy to follow. It also says that it takes at least 60 days to rid the body of caffine so I would give any attempt at giving up at least 60 days………. <3

  43. Hi, I have struggled with the addiction for many years, I have no other significant dependancys/addictions, I dont drink or take drugs, I eat a healthy diet. I have always drunk DC from being a small child as it was marketed to me as a good thing. father chistmas and cute polor bears can’t be wrong! or can they….. I think that there is a law suit to be answered by these companies that market the drinks at kids with no understanding of the damage that these drinks can do to the body and mind, so by the time you realise they are doing you harm its to late! your addicted. I read a book called ‘Caffine Blues’ that finally convinced me that I should not be drinking DC and how to give it up forever. It has a slow reduction programe that is quite easy to follow. It also says that it takes at least 60 days to rid the body of caffine so I would give any attempt at giving up at least 60 days………. <3

  44. Well, I quit drinking diet coke Thursday 9/23/11. My Mother diet of pancreatic cancer and she drank diet coke all day long. My daughter has been begging me to quit she thinks diet coke is what killed her grandma….
    i love this support!!
    susie

  45. Well the first two days I was so crabby, it was like I had no censor on my mouth. LOL I confessed to my work mates that I gave up my coveted Diet Coke!! The third day I was just real tired. Next day I was running around in my truck and drive right up to the drive through before I realized what I was doing. Its such a habit!!! It’s Sunday and I havent caved -in yet:)

  46. I’m going cold turkey. No DC or coffee yet today. I’ll have a water bottle with me all day, I may try a green tea later today.

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