Beaten a coke addiction???

cksmummy

The drink that is!!!

I am addicted to coca-cola! I drink about a liter a day and I know I would weigh less if I could kick this habit. I have tried so many times to give it up by going cold turkey but always give in when the headaches get unbearable.

If I haven't had a drink of coke by around 4pm the headache starts..... and just keeps getting bigger - medication doesn't seem to help it, just that drink of coke. Grrr.... I wish I could explain how desperately I've tried to give it up, but I always give in to it in the end. The longest I've gone is 3 days, 17 hours...

And it IS a craving thing... when I'm feeling blue - coke. After everyone else is asleep and the place has quietened down for the night - coke. When I'm scared or lonely - coke. When I feel sick in the tummy even - coke!!!

I'm cranky and irritable when I haven't had my 'drink' for the day. I HATE diet coke or coke zero and won't touch them. I've tried only buying them, or not buying coke at all but find myself heading out in the middle of the night to drive 15mins to the nearest shop!!! Insane!

Anyone here beaten a cola addiction or other addictive foods/substances that have some handy tips? And if the suggestion is 'cold turkey' could you please add what you did to get past that as I seem to always get stuck!

Thanks!

lauralind5

First I was a Dr. Pepper addict, then I became a Diet Coke addict. Im still working on the latter. But I have weaned myself off to just mornings. I can NOT do it cold turkey ! It really is like anything else (smoking etc). Started with cutting out ONE, at the time you will feel it the least. For me it was dinner. So I started drinking tea, so I would still have a caffeine hit. Once I got comfortable with that, I picked another and another etc and now Im down to just mornings primarily.

Heres the thing it did for me, it totally cuts my cravings for other sugar by about 85%!

mcarter99

When I was pregnant and giving up caffeine I wouldn't allow it in the house but if the headache from caffeine withdrawal kicked in, I'd go to a drive-thru and get a small diet drink, which is tiny, as you know. It went away in a few days.

Don't keep it in the house. You need a new treat, though. Find something healthier you like. Iced coffee? Club soda with a splash of juice?

I do find I crave the carbonation (though I drink diet) so I keep a Soda Stream around so I can make myself a liter of homemade soda when I want. It's harder to go overboard when you have to make it and when the syrups aren't as good as the name brand stuff.

Good luck! Look up how much sugar is in a bottle, visually. That should gross you out!

Emmalindley

I am completely addicted to Coke too, I cannot make a day without it! I know its just the sugar I am addicted too but I can't seem to stop. In 2007 I gave it up totally cold turkey, no diet coke or anything and after a week or 2 I really did get over it but even though I know it will work I can't give it up at the moment. I try to picture the pile of sugar and think well I wouldnt go and even eat one spoonful of sugar so why am I doing this? I try to imagine my teeth rotting and having to go to the dentist which I hate! It is true though that once you can cut sugar out you don't want any of it at all. I agree with just trying to cut it down one glass at a time and replacing it with other drinks. Good luck! x

chris1816

Self control, coffee etc.

Switch to coke zero at least (and no splenda will not give you cancer/HIV/SARS/whateverdisorderispopularthismonth)

But seriously, you're an adult right? Just stop.

If it is a caffeine issue, withdrawels typically start within 24 hours. I personally never have them, but never been a soda person, just coffee. I go days without having any caffeine and am fine.

Drink a lot of water, make sure you are hydrated. If you are a person that tends not to drink water (because you're guzzling caramel colored *kitten*) you will feel magically better.

Excedrin has caffeine as a primary ingredient for two reasons, one, caffeine improves the effectiveness of painkillers, and also most headaches are from folks experience caffeine withdrawels. Use this if you really need to but be careful as acetomenophin can do a number on your liver if taken in excess.

Again , drink water, start supplementing Vitamin D (guarantee you are defficient, most people are) take fish oil, eat clean etc. You're looking for tricks when you really just need to take responsibility for yourself. You clearly know there is a problem, so fix it.

Pepsi_addict

As you can see by my name, I can relate. When I tried to cut it out, I would buy ONE can a day. That was all I was allowed to have for the day. I would figure out if I wanted it with dinner or in the morning or as a late night treat. You're still getting some caffeine and sugar but you start to think of it as a treat. That mentality helps when you feel ready to cut it back to one can every 2 days and so on. I know I would NEVER want to give up my dear friend, Pepsi completely. So I try to make it a treat rather than an all day drink.

vhines57

I was drinking 6 - 8 cans of coke a day and gave it up cold turkey...

I really don't like water, so I started drinking lipton tea to go, then moved on to crystal light lemonade. It was really hard for about the first week, but every time I taste coke, it's just way too sweet.

neffesther

I've never completely kicked my habit, so take this advice with a grain of salt. I start by stocking up on other drinks that are better for me and that taste good: tea, juice, crystal light, whatever you want that is better than coke. I also keep bottled water in the fridge. I'm not usually one for buying bottled water, but sometimes when it's convenient it's easier to make myself drink it. Then, I buy an off-brand coke. It doesn't taste as good, so I don't really want to drink it, but for the first few days it helps "cure" that horrible feeling of withdrawal. After about a week I start to crave water more and coke less. (For me, it's diet coke, though.) To get that carbonated drink fix, get some club soda or carbonated water.

Like I said, I've never completely kicked the habit, but that's because the last time I tried I gave up my diet completely (for unrelated reasons), and I haven't started the process this time around yet.

Good luck!

CajunNino

My last Coke was on May 18 of this year. Big Coke drinker..... What helped me besides self-control is tea. For a very short time, tea with sugar...then now, NO sugar at ALL. I only drink unsweetened tea during the day and none after 3pm. I'm not saying this is the miracle cure....but it helped me. I hope you find what works for you........and good luck!



Nino

BobbieLee1959

Okay,,,let me start this off by saying it is never easy to break a habit. Habits have a stronghold on us because we let them. I have been a Pepsi drinker for as long as I can remember (had horrendous habits as a kid because my mom worked and my sister and brother, 7 and 9 years older than I, babysat me and whatever they did, I wanted to do~nuff said.) I am not blaming anyone for my addiction, just sharing background info.

I have kicked the Pepsi habit numerous times, only to go back over and over. I often wondered what it was that drew me back~I learned along the way that it was not the sugar, because sugar only leaves a sour taste in your mouth once it breaks down.

I learned that it was not the caffeine, because I have gone without it without issue (I even drink decaf coffee now), but went back after a lengthy hiatus.

I have learned it is not the empty calories, which leave me feeling hungry and empty (as well as fat and frumpy).

I have learned it is not, the cool, refreshment, because drinking it only leaves me more thirsty in the end.

So....I can only surmise that the reason I go back is the HABIT!

Here is how I broke the habit:

I used to visit the gas station every morning for my morning fix (even after having a full breakfast)~~I stopped going there.

I used to put a six, eight, twelve, case or two liter in my grocery cart~~I stopped visiting those aisles and displays and left the Pepsi for others (what a self-less act!).

I used to find the fast food restaurants that served it~~I found new places to make healthy choices, because I decide not to be a slave to Pepsi.

I used to have one with me at every ball game, marching band competition, concert, etc. that I attended~~I carry water, now. It is much more convenient...less likely to spill, tumble or leak.

It's not easy to break habits~but it can be done. Do I crave a Pepsi now and again? Maybe, but I have new habits that are firmly taking hold of me and THEY ARE HARD TO BREAK, TOO!!

FORM new healthy habits and you won't have room or time to indulge in those old ones!!

Hang in there, because YOU CAN DO THIS!!

andreabrightside

You have three problems:

1) You're addicted to caffeine
2) You're addicted to the sugar
3) You're emotionally addicted to the drink

Wean yourself down. Start with 2 cans a day instead of 3. When you're OK with that, go down to one. When you're OK with that, go down to zero. Cold turkey might not work for you because the headaches might be really bad. This takes care of 1 and 2.

Next: do not buy coke at the grocery store when you go shopping. Do not buy coke when you drive past 7/11 on your way home. If you want coke, you have to walk to get it. Pick a store that's at least 1km from your house/work/whatever, so you have to make a time investment to go get it. (For perspective, it takes me 20 mins to walk 1.5km uphill, so if I picked the store that's there, it would probably be a 40 minute round-trip including time in the store). Don't drink the coke until you get home. But that walk burned off what the can of coke would be in calories. If you did this twice a day, that would be almost an hour and a half of walking, you'd burn off the coke, and you'd probably feel better.

When you get to the store, try to select a different drink. Most are laced with sugar anyways, so maybe go for something a little healthier (a chocolate milk maybe?). You want to divorce yourself of the addiction so don't just get diet coke or pepsi or something.

The last thing: for every day you don't drink coke, put a dollar into a bucket. Once you have $50, go buy yourself something nice (a new dress or go out for a healthy dinner with friends or something). And once you're cured, have coke once in a while AS A TREAT (if you can stomach it... I had a sip the other day and it made me gag because it was so sweet)

cksmummy

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! There are some great ideas there!

I'll tell you how it goes!