Diet Soda Addiction

[fallacy]

I have been addicted to Diet Mountain Dew to be exact. At this point in my life I don’t really care about any other liquids, innless it is readily available.  Otherwise I need my diet Mount Dew with ice to feel satisfied. Lately I have been feeling a bit weird, heart beating faster, like I should not be drinking anymore dew. They use to make caffeine free diet dew but they are no longer selling it in the stores around here anymore. I have been drinking water all day today and hating life. I never really thought of myself as one to be prone to abdications but his feels pretty close. I don’t see how people can live and not drink some kind of Soda, it feels like every day will be a struggle to stay hydrated drinking all this gross water.

[Samstag]

That diet dew is doing some weird things to your spelling.

Try making your own iced tea.  You can still get the caffeine and sweetness with the option to slowly scale back on both.

[lilshawn]

they changed mountain dew not too long ago (well here they did). now it tastes like crap. maybe just a Canada thing. I have noticed in the past that sodas in Canada taste different from those in the USA...  uhm... eh?

it's as if i'm drinking a bottle of food coloring. 

[Drnick]

Diet Mountain Dew = 55mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can.  & Whatever effects the sweeteners have on your system.

Try sprite or 7up as they don't have caffeine in them    It sounds like you have a mental addiction to the soda though.  I cant really help you with that as I have enough Mental and physical addictions of my own to deal with.  At least you chose the diet free version.

[popsicle]

Aside from the caffeine, I wouldn't dismiss the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks as completely innocuous either, although there seems to be mixed research.

[Louis Tully]

.

[Generic Eric]

I heard third hand that Diet Mtn. Dew contains a chemical used as a fire retardant.  I still drink it though.

[ark_ader]

Diet 7up is one of the most addictive drinks going this side of the pond.  7up is cheap too which makes it harder to pass by.

I'm not sure what it is doing to my insides, but it sure acts like a diuretic.   

Coke Zero is another nice drink.  Not sure if the cocaine is present in modern drinks, but it is sure addictive.

I find when I am home in the US I drink diet Pepsi, yet in the UK diet Pepsi is too sugary, but diet coke isn't and visa-versa.   

Mountain Dew tastes more like mountain spew here, and my guess it has something to do with the available chemicals.   

[yotsuya]

I haven't had a soda since January 6, 2008. Before that, i was a soda fiend. You can do it.

[Xiaou2]

 I strongly suspect my Grama's mini-stroke was caused by artificial sweeteners.   She stopped using them, and has been fine since.  Anything with Aspartame in it gives me a headache quite quickly.   Some people may be less sensitive to it... however, super-saturation of these things cant be good at all.  They are not natural.

 I was a Coke-Classic fiend for years.  I was downing quite a few cans per day.

 Problem with me, is that Im gluten & dairy intolerant.. and even with my best efforts, my food allergies cause problems with absorption of needed nutrients.   Soda was stripping most of the calcium from my system.  Teeth were getting stained and major cavities, fingernails getting more brittle, and other negative effects.

 I stopped drinking Coke for about a month or so now.  Ive dropped about 20lbs, and my pants are like 2 sizes too big.      Amazing that all my gut was just from Coke alone.  (I eat very healthy, and stay away from high fat foods)  My teeth are whiter, my nails are stronger, and I feel better too.

 I drink fruit juices, almond milk, lemon ice tea, water... etc. now.   If I have a soda, its once per the entire day... and I dont really miss / need it anymore.  Especially knowing the negative things it does.

[Vigo]

Like Popsicle said, the research is mixed, but I think artificial sweeteners in excess is much worse for you than real sugar in excess. Best to just keep everything in moderation though. I average probably I was averaging a 3 sodas a day for the last few years and found I gained about 20 pounds in that time. I recently throttled down to 0-1 sodas a day and already lost half that weight.

Free Soda at work makes it hard to completely abstain. My company also has those coke remix machines now, so when I visit a restaurant, it is hard for me to stay away from it. 

I personally have been buying those fancier juices as my crutch. White Cranberry strawberry, kiwi strawberry, banana orange Tangerine, etc. Yum.

[SNAAKE]

I am more addicted to carbonated anything. club soda+random juice works too. its probably better than soda I know that much.

love pepsi tho. wish I could have one everyday. but at that rate I probably lose my teeth and get fat.

[lilshawn]

build yourself a carbonator. all you need to do is source a tank (available at some wine making supply places.)

ive been thinking of going this route...making heatlthy soda and all.

i read this i'ble a while back and have been pondering it ever since'
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Soda-Water-%26-Home-Carbonation---Pays-For-Itsel/

[NiN^_^NiN]

they changed mountain dew not too long ago (well here they did). now it tastes like crap. maybe just a Canada thing. I have noticed in the past that sodas in Canada taste different from those in the USA...  uhm... eh?

it's as if i'm drinking a bottle of food coloring. 

I recently went up to USA and I can say that USA versions of coke and pepsi have waaaaay to much sugar I had to drink water to stop my mouth being so syrupy

That said I tried Dr Pepper and it was pretty good but down in Australia when it was released it taste like cough syrup and didn't do well so i'm not sure why there was such a huge difference taste wise for that (I don't think it's sold any more it's not available at the supermarkets from what i've seen)

[Ginsu Victim]

Dr Pepper is the nectar of the gods here.

[Xiaou2]

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/bone_health/can_drinking_seltzers_sodas_or_other_carbonated_drinks_harm_bones

[Pinball Wizard]

I heard third hand that Diet Mtn. Dew contains a chemical used as a fire retardant.  I still drink it though.

That would be called water


I am a Mountain Dew addict, as well as a Monster Energy Drink addict, but I'm not on it for the caffeine, I honestly just like the taste. I drink way to much soda, especially since I can get a can of soda for 35 cents at work. I have tried to limit myself, and gatorade was important to help that during the hot summer when I wanted more than just water to sideline the thirst. Just have to ween yourself off of it, otherwise it kicks you in the butt.

[crashwg]

I read a story not too long ago that scientists speculated that drinking diet soda reprogrammed your body to no process sugars properly. 

The gist of the thought was that you drink (or eat) artificially sweet things, your body grows accustom to not having to burn off the excess calories and then when you eat (or drink) naturally sweet things your body says "sweet things don't have a lot of calories in my experience" and your metabolism stays slowed down.

IANAD but it makes sense to me.  I stay away from artificial sweeteners anyway since aspartame gives me headaches.

When it comes to being addicted to sodas though, I'm right there with you.  I drink an average of 4 cans a day.  I actually cut them out entirely for about a month not too long ago.  My advice on that is cold turkey.  Headaches for a couple days and you'll be tired but if you drink lots of water and become a more active you'll like how you feel in no time.  Unfortunately for me, some depression came on and I got back into my old ways of lying around doing nothing and sugar and caffeine were there to bring me up albeit with their inherent dependence issues.  I really ought to get back into that mindset of taking care of my body and mind...

[fallacy]

When it comes to being addicted to sodas though, I'm right there with you.  I drink an average of 4 cans a day.  I actually cut them out entirely for about a month not too long ago.  My advice on that is cold turkey.  Headaches for a couple days and you'll be tired but if you drink lots of water and become a more active you'll like how you feel in no time.  Unfortunately for me, some depression came on and I got back into my old ways of lying around doing nothing and sugar and caffeine were there to bring me up albeit with their inherent dependence issues.  I really ought to get back into that mindset of taking care of my body and mind...

My second day off it. I do have a headache and I am really tired!

[drventure]

I used to drink quit a bit of soda too.

Ended up moving to carbonated water and flavored perrier.

Then my brother turned me on to the home carbonators. I picked up a SodaStream and have been quite pleased with it.

We use filtered water and carbonate it, then add some lime or lemon (or some concentrated fruitjuice diluted to about half normal).

But believe it or not, just sparkling water is usually enough for me. The fizz is the main thing. Now, every once in a while, we'll have a Dr Pepper or Coke, but I don't really even miss it.

As for the sodastream, the carbonator refills are pretty expensive. Not has much as buying prepackaged water, but still.

You can get a replacement valve that'll let you use Paintball CO2 cartdriges. Those you can get refilled dang near anywhere for cheap.

Go that route up front and you'll save even more.

[DaOld Man]

Im hooked too. I go through a 2 liter bottle of diet coke in a 24 hour period, when im off of work.
I decided to try and wing myself off them so I switched to caffeine free diet coke and I felt irritable, tired, headaches, and just plain "blah". The store was out of the caffeine free one day so I grabbed a regular diet coke, and Im right back where I started.
I think it is the caffeine for me. I dont drink as much coke at work, but I go through 3-4 cups of coffee in the days time.
Also, about diet coke, I think the name is a misnomer. I quit a couple of years ago and lost about 2-3 pounds of weight after a few days. So crashwg may be on to something.
But Im sure the soda companies know nothing about how addictive their products are! 

[Xiaou2]

Oh boy, a whole two pounds.   

 Read Failure:  2-3lbs per few DAYS.  That adds up quickly over a months time.

 Generally Coffee has a lot more Caffeine than soda.  So the first thing you want to do, is scale back the coffee.
Start out by making it weaker, and gradually reduce its intensity over time till you dont need it anymore.

 That would help with the Soda addition, if its merely the caffeine.

 Additionally, I was gaining mass with the amount of creamer I was using.  By making coffee weaker, I didnt need creamer any more.  However, I dont really drink much coffee anymore either now.

 

[Justin Z]

Read Failure:  2-3lbs per few DAYS.  That adds up quickly over a months time.

Lol, that's not what he said either.  Read failure indeed.

[lordnacho]

I don’t see how people can live and not drink some kind of Soda, it feels like every day will be a struggle to stay hydrated drinking all this gross water.

I like to drink Mountain Dew all day and piss glow in the dark.

Actually, I limit myself to one caffeinated drink per day, unless I had a good night's sleep then I won't have any.  When you don't drink one each day, when you do have it, it's much better.  Just like donuts and tugging.

[Samstag]

As for the sodastream, the carbonator refills are pretty expensive. Not has much as buying prepackaged water, but still.

You can do a co2 exchange at some stores for about $15.

Oh boy, a whole two pounds.   

25 pounds for me since I quit drinking soda in march.  And still dropping.

[Samstag]

Regular soda.  I guess that doesn't count, but I don't consider diet soda to be something any human should put in their body.

[shmokes]

I don’t see how people can live and not drink some kind of Soda, it feels like every day will be a struggle to stay hydrated drinking all this gross water.

Keep it up. I went through that about 10 years ago. On a whim I decided to trade soda for water to be healthier. I had never been a water drinker in my life. As a kid I drank milk almost exclusively (don't believe what the commercials say about your bones, I only made it to 5'6"). Anyway, over a couple week period I made a conscious effort to drink tons of water. All day I nursed a water bottle. And in no time I came to love it. Not only did my cravings for soda disappear, but slowly my cravings for sweets in general followed--ice cream, candy, etc. I just have no sweet tooth anymore. And I didn't even make an effort for the other sweets. That was just an unintended side-effect.

It's now been years since I drank a soda by itself, just to drink. I'll still have rum&cokes and vodka tonics, but if it's not diluted by half with a hard liquor, no thanks. Even when I order a meal at a restaurant that comes with a free fountain drink I still fill the cup with water. Everything else offered is gross.

[knave]

I am more addicted to carbonated anything. club soda+random juice works too. its probably better than soda I know that much.

love pepsi tho. wish I could have one everyday. but at that rate I probably lose my teeth and get fat.

+1

I built my own carbonator, BYOC 

It was pretty easy, 5LB CO2 ~ $70 plus about $30 on hoses/parts and a carbonator cap and I was in buisness. I already had a regulator I found in my dads old beer making equipment. I spent as much as a sodastream but I can exchange my CO2 cylinder for $10 and it lasts me over a year. The only downside is it's not very "counter friendly" so I keep it under the kitchen sink, which works pretty well.

When I first set it up I carbonated just about anything I could get my hands on, Iced coffee, tea, juice, wine...but really I just am addicted to carbonated water, sometimes with a little lime juice in it. I still drink a coke every now and again though. Nothing but real soda for me though I HATE all that diet crap.

[crashwg]

Alright, that's it!  I'm drinking my last soda right now.

[SNAAKE]

can I haz one too

[drventure]

Regular soda.  I guess that doesn't count, but I don't consider diet soda to be something any human should put in their body.

+1 The aftertaste just makes me want to wretch.

I'd much rather just have a Dr Pepper, say, once a month, than try to down Diet anything more often.

[SNAAKE]

+1 for no diet soda..EVER

Id rather have bunch of caffeine pills instead

[Vigo]

Reminds me of the time I went to the Walmart Vending machine and bought a coke. Instead of coke, out came a diet caffeine free walmart brand cola. Me being the cheapass I am, tried drinking that spew down. Ugh. What a bunch of rat piss. I can't believe someone would actually buy that. 

[SNAAKE]

what kind of artificial sweetener is used for monster absolutely zero drank?

it taste pretty good

[popsicle]

So the first thing you want to do, is scale back the coffee.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-11/coffee-drinkers-longer-life-expectancy/55024636/1

Start out by making it weaker, and gradually reduce its intensity over time till you dont need it anymore.

Weak coffee ---smurfing--- sucks.  While we're at it, so does coffee with cream and/or sugar in it.  My favorite coffee-house drink is an Americano (espresso and hot water).  I like me some Turkish coffee too, but I can't get it quite right on the stove top like they do in the restarurants  :'( 

[crashwg]

what kind of artificial sweetener is used for monster absolutely zero drank?

it taste pretty good

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium

[Xiaou2]

From the Article:

"This study is not scientifically sound,"

 This kind of Crap always goes out there... then a few months / years  later, it gets totally shot down.

 IMO, anything roasted to near charcoal isnt going to be good for you.  That doesnt mean that I dont like a nice BBQ singe once in a while.. but that I limit my exposure to such things.

 I actually like my coffee to taste like hot coco / cuppachino... otherwise, its just pretty nasty to me.  Everyone has different taste's, so, to each his own.

 My taste buds have changed a bit over time though.  I never used to like dark chocolate... but now I actually enjoy it once in a while.

[hypernova]

I like almost all soda, but I can't stand diet anything as well.  I hate it when people sit there and tell me you can't tell a difference between something and its regular version.  Any human being with functional taste buds can taste the difference.  Admittedly, you may not be able to tell when it first touches the tongue, but give it a second or two, and all will be revealed.

I have about a can per day.  I drink concentrate juices at home-cranberry, apple, orange, pineapple-apple-orange, etc.  Also drink lots of milk as well, usually white milk with my snacks in the evening, and always chocolate milk for dinner.  I love variety.  LOVE IT!

Anyone else find it hilarious how many times both Coke, and recently, seemingly even more so, Pepsi (who is just trying to break Coke's grip) tries to reinvent "diet".  Now we have Pepsi Next...which apparently is Pepsi Edge (from the mid 2000s) rebranded.  Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Pepsi One, Pepsi Next.

Pepsi.  Great...now that word looks like a really strange combination of letters.

[shmokes]

You drink chocolate milk every night with dinner? What are you, twelve? 

[trekking95]

I only drink Ice Tea and Root Beer the odd time, sometimes Ginger Al for an upset stomach. But that's it. Healthy me!