December marks a 1-year anniversary for me: giving up soda. An entire year. Friends, this is an accomplishment beyond any other accomplishment I’ve even accomplished.
I was addicted. No, it’s not like cigarettes or alcohol or meth. For me, I was addicted. I needed at least one Coke a day, where “one” means “can” or “ginormous, size-of-my-head cup.” I was good at rationing my per-day soda, but there were days where I’d allow myself one for lunch and one (with refills) for dinner.
I still get cravings when I see an ice cold Coke or a toothless meth-head redneck with a bottle of Mountain Dew. I still want to go for the quick-fix of that sweet n’ bubbly when I have pizza or a cheeseburger.
oh sweet baby jeebus, i wants me a soda right frucking now.
There wasn’t a time before December ’09 where I thought longer than 1/2 a second about trying to quit the soda for a year, or for any length of time. It just ended up that last December that I had gone 4 days without having a soda, so I figured I’d torture myself into seeing how long I could go without one. And then it ended up being a year-long challenge. And now my year is nearly over.
I’ve gone an entire year without having a soda*.
Now, the decision is upon me. Do I continue my quest for giving up the soda? Or do I give myself the gift of a year-long sabbatical from the sweet n’ bubbly and call it an accomplishment while celebrating with an ice cold Coke?
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*I’m required by The Man to put an asterisk by that statement because I did, in fact, have a Halloween party drink in my daughter’s classroom that included Sprite. In my defense, I was working hard trying to fold up spider legs while helping to wrangle a classroom of 18 1st graders all completing Halloween crafts, and I didn’t even realize I was drinking Sprite until I was 1/2-way finished.
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oh girl, you are much stronger than me. i went cold turkey…tried for a month & only went 2 wks. i really want to give it up to the point where maybe once a month is not bad. cos then it would be a ‘treat’, ya know?
if i give myself the “one time” treat, i’ll have anxiety about getting to that time.
*sigh*
Well if you believe your addiction is as serious as that of an alcohol or meth addict… And sprite was a lapse… I would recommend against the celebratory soda. A meth addict clean can’t have a Celebratory line. Nor a shot at the one year sober alcoholic. So it’s your choice but if you believe it could be a problem then it may be.
Shut your face! A whole year? You’re my hero. When my current stash is gone, I’m going off.
if i can do it, YOU can do it. for seriousness.
Congratulations! I’d hate to see you start drinking it daily again. I suspect it of trying to give people the diabeetus.
my dad has the diabeetus, so i have to watch what i eat. plus, it gives me more freedom to eat donuts.
Props to you! Diet Coke is my drug of choice, and I’m nowhere near to giving it up. I put my fingers in my ears and sing “lalalalala” whenever people try telling me how bad it is for me.
i’ve tried the diet, but it’s totally blech to me.
When I was in college, I gave up soda for Lent. My parents were quite alarmed to hear this because we’re Jewish. That was almost 20 years ago and I still don’t drink soda. Whatever you decide to do, kudos to you for giving it up this long!
wow! 20 years! you’re my hero.
I gave up pop 6 months ago and haven’t looked back. It’s an obscene amount of sugar and calories woman with no nutritional value! Keep up the good work woman and don’t give in!
i know, but it’s just SO GOOD.
Congrats! I gave up soda and caffeine a few years ago and only recently have I relented and had one or two a month. But for the most part, I only drink plain water.
I think the question to ask yourself before having a celebratory coke is can you stop at just one? If the answer is no, then don’t. However if you can and you want a treat, it’s really all up to you. =)
i’m not giving up the caffeine – i love me some coffee and UNsweet tea. it’s the sugar for the diabeetus i hope to never have.
My Mum gave up Coke after she realised she got withdrawal headaches and shakes when she went without, it’s scary shit (but it just tastes so good!)
If you think you can go back to drinking soda in moderation, go for it, but if you reckon you’ll go back to full-on-addict, I’d say give it up altogether.
i think you’re right.
I’m totally anti-HFCS. So if you “have to” have a celebratory soda, I’d prefer it be one with real sugar, like Mexican Coke, or Jones soda, or Hansen’s or other fancy schmancy stuff.
A few years ago I quit buying soda, and have since almost-only bought club soda and real-sugar fruit juice. In my house, the stuff is mostly mixed with vodka. Heh. I try to have even less sugar in my drinks, cuz dangit, I want to eat brownies and spice cake. Soda would deprive me of vital dessert-calories. And, yeah–an aunt has the diabeetus, so that’s a concern that I want to avoid.
Congrats on your year! Have you noticed a big change [or any change] in how your body and mind feel? *HUGS*
you have a good point w/ the Jones and “real” stuff. i like the Izze, too.
What about soda are you giving up? The caffeine? The sugar? Both? Why not celebrate with a soda that doesn’t have whatever element was the unhealthy one you were avoiding. Like a Coke Zero or Diet Coke if you were cutting out the sugar, or a Sprite if you were cutting out the caffeine, or a Diet Caffeine Free Coke if you’re cutting out both.
i hate anything diet (duh), and the Zero stuff even more. i likes my caffeine, so i drink UNsweet tea and coffee.
stay clean. while i do too many things that are not good for my body, i am thankful i got away from pop. it leaches the calcium from your bones and is terribly acidic to your body. bad, bad stuff. and the aspartame in the diet stuff? oh lord, it is killing us.
so yeah, i vote stay clean!
vote, counted!
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I blame my husband. Not for the thinking, but for the over-indulgence in the first place. That’s the first step, isn’t it? To assign blame? Now that that’s done, I’ve been thinking about getting rid of it completely.
DO IT! or not. or just try. do it with me!
Regarding your husband-mandated asterisk: That’s like a vegetarian being served something with lard or gelatin or meat of any kind in it and them not knowING ever or halfway through.As for the soda: If you can keep it kicked, I say do it! Soda is evil empty calories. Eat a cheeseball instead! Better for you!
EXactly.
and now i want a cheeseball.
just say no to coke. i was addicted also back when i was in college. we had a soda machine in our dorm and everyday i would have at least 4 cans of sierra mist (let me tell u it was a wonder i didn’t gain the freshmen 15). i realized i had a problem when i was in the dorm all alone and i was studying and i started feigning so i went to get change. but i didn’t have any. and so i started to just casually look around and after about 5 minutes of no luck i started to panic. i ran to the machine and looked under the machine all i was short was a dime. no luck. then i went to my bff’s room and hunted her things (she was out by the way. would this be considered breaking & entering?) no luck. after 20 minutes of hunting every square inch of that dorm and pockets and drawers and purses i finally found my dime. but after that. my friends cut me off.
that’s some serious addiction.
That is awesome! I quit for a year (Diet Coke) and recently started drinking them again. They taste awful.
i’ve never liked diet soda or “zero” soda, thank god.
Wow, a whole year That’s fantastic! Congrats. I would definately reward you with a soda. I know it is a huge accomplishment, and maybe you should wait until your cravings completely banish, but I would say instead of your old 1 a day plan, it would be just fine to have 1 a week. You know? Like, every Sunday afternoon. : ) Whatever you decide, at least you have the knowledge of what you are able to overcome! Great job
yeah, but if i do that, i’ll look forward to it aaaallll weeeeek…
OMG, nothing is better than Cherry Coke straight from the fountain, poured over that little pellet ice. God, now I want it! Thanks for making me crave it!
YOU ARE EVIL.
Sorry, apparently I am the only one that doesn’t see soda addiction as The.Worst.Thing.In.The.World… I say have yourself one as a celebration. But make sure you do it right, from the fountain over lots of ice. Don’t go partaking in a soda from a plastic bottle that never reaches the right point of cold. And then? You can go a whole ‘nother year being soda free, and that year will end 1 year + 1 day after the first anti-soda year. And you can honestly say you have had only one soda in 2 years.
Have yourself an effing soda, and enjoy every last sip. Do it for me since I am pregs and the doctor says no caffeine. And while I realize soda has chemicals and fake sweetner and all sorts of bad stuff, I am not sure some of the people above realize that Diet Soda has no calories? Even my old personal trainer suggested one a day for the extra energy kick. It is still part water after all.
i’m not a fan of the diet sodas. i’m glad for that!
Sorry, apparently I am the only one that doesn’t see soda addiction as The.Worst.Thing.In.The.World… I say have yourself one as a celebration. But make sure you do it right, from the fountain over lots of ice. Don’t go partaking in a soda from a plastic bottle that never reaches the right point of cold. And then? You can go a whole ‘nother year being soda free, and that year will end 1 year + 1 day after the first anti-soda year. And you can honestly say you have had only one soda in 2 years.
Have yourself an effing soda, and enjoy every last sip. Do it for me since I am pregs and the doctor says no caffeine. And while I realize soda has chemicals and fake sweetner and all sorts of bad stuff, I am not sure some of the people above realize that Diet Soda has no calories? Even my old personal trainer suggested one a day for the extra energy kick. It is still part water after all.
It’s not that soda addiction is the worst thing in the world, certainly it’s not. It’s the question of: do you want to change your BEHAVIOR, or do you want to stop drinking the soda because of the calories, sugar, caffeine, etc as others have pointed out? If you have concerns about your addictive behavior, which it certainly sounds like in your blog as you compare it to meth, then you need to address it. If it’s just a fact of like — I don’t this isn’t good for me and I really should cut back or replace with a different version as suggested above – great. If you’re concerned about your addictive behavior, THAT’S what should be addressed.
So I’m new to your blog and super late to this party. For what its worth – I quit drinking pop (that’s what we call it here) in 10th grade so I’ve been clean and sober for about 15 years. Now when I try to drink it, it’s too much sugar and bubbles. Keep holding out.
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