Ramblings of a Coke Addict
“I used to snort coke, but I had to stop. The bubbles tickled my nose too much.”
I originally wrote this for my personal site years ago. I updated it for another site about a couple years later after reading How to Break a Sugar Addiction over on Summer Tomato. And today is the 7th anniversary since I had my last Coca-Cola, so I felt it was worth sharing once again.
Ok, forgive the bad joke, but tomorrow is my 2-month “anniversary” being coke free. And no, not that kind of coke… coca-cola.
But in some ways, I suppose I was just as addicted.
I’ve gone the “no pop” route before… went about 4 months or so back about 5 years ago. Then allowed myself one on my birthday. It tasted weird. And before long, I was back to drinking as much as a six-pack a day.
Could Coca-Cola be a gateway drug? Cause then there was the Monster (energy drink).
I’ve never cared for Red Bull, tried a couple other energy drinks, most I didn’t care for. But Monster… that I liked. The slight fizz… the tang that was like a mild can of Squirt. I didn’t slam the stuff, but would sip it over the course of the morning. It was a taste I didn’t mind, even as it got warm. Started out with the 16oz cans, then moved up to the 24’s. I was drinking one a day… sometimes two. In addition to a Coke here and there.
Coke Zero came out, and I liked the taste. It was pretty dang close to real Coke… though yea, you could tell the difference. I was drinking that about 60-70% of the time compared to regular Coke. I figured it was “better for me”. Maybe… probably not.
But, as part of looking in to WLS, I realized, pop… no matter what kind… was gonna have to go. The carbonation, the caffeine, even if it was diet was not gonna be a good thing. So on November 2nd, I took the last bottle of Coke Zero I had with me to my sisters when going over there for dinner… drank it… and haven’t drank any since. (I don’t think the sparkling grape juice at Christmas would count as pop…?)
Do I miss it?
You bet I do. I believe I always will.
A nice cold Coke on a hot day is going to be one of those things I know I will miss after surgery. Big time. Even when “New” Coke came out, as bad as it was, I would drink it once in awhile. And the Monster… I miss that too, though not as much.
Yea, there are worse things to be addicted to… I have friends and family that struggle with those every day, so I know there isn’t a “cure”. But I know such things can be beat, I know I can beat this. After all… it’s a means to an end. I know that. I’m dealing with that.
I can live with that.
I’m not saying you need to cut soda, diet or otherwise, completely out of your life like I did. What I am saying is that like just about anything, there is room for an occasional treat or indulgence as part of an otherwise Positively Healthy diet, just make sure you’re taking an honest look at it.
How did you go about kicking the coke habit? As much as I try to be good in other aspects of my diet, I know that coke is my one big stumbling block. I end up with headaches that feel like my skull is in a vice. Of course, then I also think since it is my one vice, maybe it isn’t that bad.
ya know, I really wish I could tell you. I just went cold turkey, because I knew if I tried to wean myself off it wouldn’t work.
I try to tell people that as you start to eat healthy, it becomes less and less about what you “can or cannot” eat, and more about what you “choose” to eat. If you choose to continue to drink soda, and you feel it’s a reasonable amount… it’s all good. But if you feel it’s being a detriment to the other healthy things you’re trying to do, then maybe it’s time to look for some outside help.
And the headaches were likely a caffeine withdrawl, I remember a slight headache for a short period of time, but some people are much more sensitive to it than others.