Starting a 12-Step program for Mt. Dew

Cut down gradually. Get to one a day for 1-2 weeks, then cut to every other day, and then cut it out. Or work it into your calories as you can. I still drink diet soda, but I almost always limit it to a can a day unless I need the caffeine.

queenliz99 wrote: »

Diet Mt. Dew, FTW!!

ahahahah SERIOUSLLLY, I drink probably 5 a day, no regrets.

Cut down gradually and substitute. Drink water or something else (homemade iced tea, diet Dew, coffee, seltzer, depending on your specific goals and preferences) when you think about drinking it.

For me it's diet Pepsi. I need to stop because it's not good for me. Water is my main choice each day but I still have to have around 8-12 oz of diet Pepsi.

I'm diet coke girl, but I do get an occasional diet mountain dew when we're at a restaurant. I'd just switch to diet

jmsbvr2016 wrote: »

Thanks all! Seems the consensus is split between tapering off, and Diet Dew. I've tried DD before, cannot stand it. Just can't acquire the taste. I've been tapering, but every time I get close to going without I get terrible headaches, almost incapacitating. I guess I'll just have to "man up" and deal with the headaches.

Hi, my name is James, and I'm addicted to the Dew!

The headaches will probably last for a few days as you go through caffeine withdrawal, but will get better.
My whole office gave up caffeine for lent this year and the first few days were no cake walk - headaches, brain fog, general irritability. Fun stuff! But by about day 4 the headaches had passed and after a week we weren't suffering at all, though the psychological cravings took longer to pass.
So it won't be easy but you can do it - if you quite today, in two weeks you won't miss it at all.

jmsbvr2016 wrote: »

Thanks all! Seems the consensus is split between tapering off, and Diet Dew. I've tried DD before, cannot stand it. Just can't acquire the taste. I've been tapering, but every time I get close to going without I get terrible headaches, almost incapacitating. I guess I'll just have to "man up" and deal with the headaches.

Hi, my name is James, and I'm addicted to the Dew!

When you get down to that last glass/can/bottle, how about excedrin migraine? See if a half dose will help? A bad caffiene withdrawal headache is similar to a migraine (usually without ocular effects). If I'm rushing around and forget my daily dose of caffiene, I'll pop one or two just for the caffiene. Yes, I understand that pain relievers shouldn't be taken just for the caffiene. Just saying, it helps me.

MommyL2015 wrote: »

It's funny how everyone has such different tastes for things because diet Mt. Dew is actually the only diet soda I can tolerate the taste of LOL Diet coke makes me gag, and Diet Dr. Pepper is just--I don't know what it is, but it isn't any kind of Dr. Pepper I've ever tasted.

And I second the caffeine is the cause of your headaches, so yeah, Excedrin would help as it has caffeine in it.

As a long-time Mountain Dew enthusiast and former hater of diet soda in general, I was surprised how much I didn't hate diet dew.

Once upon a time, when I was ironically much more fit (and coincidentally much younger), I had a 7:30am Psych class. Breakfast was Dew and a Snickers. For me, it got to the point that my body started.....unpleasantly reacting to the stuff. That was an easy break for me. Now, I might have 10 sodas in a year.

I've had this problem with Diet Coke before - I used to drink [such a large number I am embarrassed to say] cans a day and wanted to stop. Many years ago I quit cold turkey (terrible idea) and actually had withdrawals for 24 hours that looked like a heroin withdrawal. No joke I was throwing up, had a fever, was sweating, etc. My mom finally ran to the store to pick up acetaminophen with caffeine in it and within 20 minutes of taking them all my symptoms were gone. I've since drank Diet Coke (probably in excess) again, and whenever I feel like tapering off my use, I buy a bottle of that from Walmart and take 2-3 in the morning which hold me off until I have a can/bottle with dinner. No withdrawals or any other issues. So that's my recommendation coming from someone who had a really bad habit and knows how brutal it can be to quit.