WHY is soda so addicting? Has anyone figured it out?

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heykatieben
heykatieben Posts: 398 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A strawberry/green powder smoothie is SO much more satisfying than a coke/diet coke, and makes me feel better, while soda makes me feel crappier. Same with water.

Nevertheless I keep thinking I want one, and when I drink one, I'll drink several at once.

WHYYY is it so addicting? And how do you break the addiction for good? I've gone for months without one before, but I always keep coming back to it. Who's figured this out? How'd you do it?

I'm sure this question has been asked a bazillion times, though hopefully that means a bazillion answers will still be helpful to everyone. :)
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Replies

  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
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    i know exactly what you mean. i've started drinking sparkling flavored water...i think it's the bubbles. pretty much does the trick for me. although i did have a coke today.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    A strawberry/green powder smoothie is SO much more satisfying than a coke/diet coke, and makes me feel better, while soda makes me feel crappier. Same with water.

    Nevertheless I keep thinking I want one, and when I drink one, I'll drink several at once.

    WHYYY is it so addicting? And how do you break the addiction for good? I've gone for months without one before, but I always keep coming back to it. Who's figured this out? How'd you do it?

    I'm sure this question has been asked a bazillion times, though hopefully that means a bazillion answers will still be helpful to everyone. :)

    sugar's addictive. if you've got an issue with it, you need to cut it out completely for a while until the addiction subsides, then you can try to put it back in your diet in moderation.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    There was a segment about this on a documentary called "hungry for change". I am not a big soda drinker but it made some sense. This article shares a little of the info, but I don't know how reliable it is.

    http://www.hungryforchange.tv/are-diet-sodas-making-us-fat
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
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    Sugar, I cannont have one cookie, one piece of cake, one small bowl of ice cream, one ice cream bar ect ect ect. I occassional still induge but I do my best not to eat till theres like one or two servings left. Then I want to go to the store to get more I dont (most of the time). Diet pepsi or vanilla zero I still indulge too much quit for a while drink a bunch for a week on off on off.
  • woodml1
    woodml1 Posts: 199 Member
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    I kicked the habit for YEARS and as soon as I started letting myself have it as a 'treat' it all went to hell. My habit didn't get as bad this time but it has been hard to go back to water and crystal light again! I struggled with the same dilema... it made me feel like crap but I still wanted it!

    I do still have clear diet sodas. (The coloring and acids in the dark stuff are bad news, even if it's diet.) But one a day at absolute max!

    Good luck kicking the habit. What worked for me: don't keep it in the house, don't let it be an option at meal times if eatting out, and if you're logging for weight loss live by the mantra 'don't drink your calories.' :)
  • EricCowperthwaite
    EricCowperthwaite Posts: 450
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    Sugar triggers dopamine release in the brain. Dopamine creates a sense of euphoria and is usually linked to rewarding behavior. Your brain wants more of the euphoria reward. Cocaine is another chemical that acts on the brain's dopamine system and creates the same sort of euphoria reward addiction cycle.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    How are you drinking several sodas at once?

    This sounds like an interesting method of consumption.

    Do you use a beer bong? Different orifices? What?
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
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    How are you drinking several sodas at once?

    This sounds like an interesting method of consumption.

    Do you use a beer bong? Different orifices? What?

    tumblr_m0qcblIBaW1qz72b4o1_500.gif
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    How are you drinking several sodas at once?

    This sounds like an interesting method of consumption.

    Do you use a beer bong? Different orifices? What?

    Really really big glass. Pour a few bottles into one glass then you can say you only had one.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Soooo.... How many of you started turning tricks to get a Dr. Pepper? Anybody stealing from their job to buys some Oreos?




    Addicting

    tumblr_lroen5OC4z1qhgr6oo1_400_zps0218004f.gif
  • nicolamoonbrains
    nicolamoonbrains Posts: 72 Member
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    I have the same problem. Don't forget about the high caffeine content as well, that contributes even more to how addictive it is. Not to mention all the artificial colors and other crap.

    Its tough though, I go months without drinking it, but when I do drink it I want more and more and more!! If its in my house I'll drink it all. I am a smoker as well, and honestly I see similarities between cigarette cravings and coca cola cravings. I have craved coca cola and gone way out of my way just to get some, just like I would if I ran out of cigarettes!

    I find it helps to have soda water to drink and just add a little lime or black current that kind of tricks my palette and is not as high sugar and high caffeine! It takes a lot of will power as well, especially when you go out for dinner or something I always want to order coke but make yourself get soda water and lime instead!!
  • AngelsInThighHighs
    AngelsInThighHighs Posts: 247 Member
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    Didnt they come out with some new 10 calorie soda somewhere? I swear i saw IBc rootbeer with only ten calories...hmmm
  • antdogs
    antdogs Posts: 191 Member
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    i used to be a soda monster too :/ i had like 3 cans a day or so just taking it in. then i said this is crap! i cant just drinking all this sugar and putting it in my body so i just got off it very slowly. and i saw all the stuff that is in soda i just said im not doing this anymore and drink water from now on..
  • mgore0404
    mgore0404 Posts: 65 Member
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    SUGAR IS just as ADDICTIVE as any drug that is ILLEGAL, so it's not just soda you can be addicted to its anything with SUGAR! Sugar really is a toxic to our systems.
    Don't even get me started on diet soda.
  • hbaby08
    hbaby08 Posts: 75
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    for me its the bubbles, not the sugar. it seems that soda companies are changing around recipes and they aren't what they used to be. If you dont drink a soda in one sitting, its flat and tastes like sugar water. :frown:
  • WanderingLass
    WanderingLass Posts: 86 Member
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    WHYYY is it so addicting? And how do you break the addiction for good? I've gone for months without one before, but I always keep coming back to it. Who's figured this out? How'd you do it?

    My boyfriend and I talk about this often. I think, for me, it's the aspartame (Diet Dr. Pepper after years of Diet Coke) and the caffeine. Something about one or the other or both really hits me.

    As far as kicking it - I don't think I ever will completely but a few weeks ago I had influenza (the respiratory variety) and all I could drink was water or OJ for a week so I managed to miss the withdrawal symptoms. Now it doesn't taste quite as good but I still enjoy maybe a glass or two on workdays and probably more on days off. I keep a gallon of water in the fridge at work and drink it 16 ounces at a time and we keep it in the fridge at home, too.

    The really nice thing about not drinking as much is that I'm no longer spending $5 a day getting a 32 ounce fountain, 2-20 ounce bottles and a candy bar at the gas station! Saves money and I feel a lot better than I did even just a month ago before I got sick.
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
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    Only want it when I make the mistake of eating potato chips--nothing but carbonation will cut through that greasy mouth feeling.....
  • borichfan
    borichfan Posts: 208 Member
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    I am struggling with that now. I quit cold turkey on Feb 1st. I have not had a diet soda since Feb. 1st. And i am doing much much better than i thought i would, but occasionally i crave some, but i don't give in, because i am afraid it will cause a diet soda drinking binge & get me to drinking diet soda again. I am drinking water mostly, but once a day i have a glass or 2 or weak lightly sweetened tea. I mostly did this change because of the artificial sugar in it, and also i switched my coffee too. I went from drinking reg. coffee (about 5 cups) a day with a pk. of splenda in it, to drinking decafinated coffee plain.
  • marypatmccue
    marypatmccue Posts: 521 Member
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    SUGAR IS just as ADDICTIVE as any drug that is ILLEGAL, so it's not just soda you can be addicted to its anything with SUGAR! Sugar really is a toxic to our systems.
    Don't even get me started on diet soda.

    Just for fun... ?
    What's wrong with diet soda.....?!
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    SUGAR IS just as ADDICTIVE as any drug that is ILLEGAL, so it's not just soda you can be addicted to its anything with SUGAR! Sugar really is a toxic to our systems.
    Don't even get me started on diet soda.

    1. Please . . . do get started on diet soda. This should be entertaining.

    2. I think if you told your very ADDICTIVE sugar stories to a person who's actually addicted to ILLEGAL drugs like heroin they would more than likely laugh in your face.

    :flowerforyou:

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