Any recovering soda addicts in here?

This year marks 8 years i haven’t touched a soda. And i will admit at times the thought of drinking a nice coke or Dr. Pepper sounds delicious. Coming from a Mexican background, soda was life LOL. Just curious as to how long you have been able to go without drinking soda? What benefits have you noticed after stopping? Do you miss it? What keeps you going?
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Replies

  • aziz_n1
    aziz_n1 Posts: 140 Member
    Having discovered a while back that I have an intolerance to Caffeine, I gave up Coffee & Cola and have felt much better for it. Miss the taste but not the after effects. Have cut back on most fizzy drinks too. Used to drink something everyday.
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,308 Member
    edited August 2019
    Dr pepper drinker.. 6+ can a day.. (used to)

    Still drink one can probably between 1-2 weeks when I can fit it in my cal.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,970 Member
    I actually can't remember the last time I had any type of soda. I was never addicted but I did have a golden rule that pizza had to be accompanied by root beer.

    I'm not sure how my body would react to it at this point.
  • Anniesquats100
    Anniesquats100 Posts: 2,960 Member
    I was once a six can a day diet Pepsi fiend. The hardest part of getting free was when my allotted portion was half a can. That was almost twenty years ago. Nowadays I drink root beer maybe once a month. Fewer migraines and less gas. Plus no worries about where the next can would come from. Water is my happy beverage.
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    I gave up soda (specifically anything carbonated) due to severe GERD almost 2 years ago. I had to give up lots of other things at the same time including coffee, caffeine, alcohol, etc.

    Now I only drink water, Tazo Passion tea, and occasionally milk/homemade smoothies.

    One of the best surprise results has been reduced sensitivity of my teeth. The acid from carbonated drinks was hard on my tooth enamel.

    No weight difference from this change because I only drank diet sodas before.

    I'm willing to do about anything to not have heartburn, pain, and develop esophageal cancer. Giving up soda is a pretty minor change compared to some of the others (no spicy food is almost torture).
  • jus4kix06
    jus4kix06 Posts: 53 Member
    I quit drinking soda again most 3 weeks ago. I went maybe 2 years without it during my pregnancy/nursing stage and the started back up again. I don’t miss it when I’m not drinking it. But it’s a slippery slope. If I start then it just becomes a habit for me. Sometime I’ll get my soda fix in a mixed drink and that’s about it.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    I used to drink a couple of 2 liters a day. When I was shown by a dietician that I was drinking my calories, not eating them, I quit. Maybe 10 years ago. I don’t drink it now, but occasionally I will have a choice of cola now or wait for water. If I’m thirsty enough, I will have one. It doesn’t bother me at all anymore.
  • debrasheers
    debrasheers Posts: 1 Member
    Hi Everyone! I'm a 12 can A DAY pop drinker - I love my Coke! I cannot stomach any artificial sweeteners at all (plant based or otherwise) and will have to cold-turkey it. What helped you get through the first two awful days? Thank you, and have a great day! - Deb
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    What helped me was iced tea. Still had the caffeine. Could put sugar in it. I tried it all the way from no sugar to as sweet as cola. Turns out for me, flavored tea with no sugar was best. Like Lipton peach tea. For the first week or so, I just couldn’t get enough, drank it til my stomach hurt, but it got better pretty quick, if I remember.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    Hi Everyone! I'm a 12 can A DAY pop drinker - I love my Coke! I cannot stomach any artificial sweeteners at all (plant based or otherwise) and will have to cold-turkey it. What helped you get through the first two awful days? Thank you, and have a great day! - Deb

    What makes you think you will have to quit cold turkey? I would personally suggest reducing slowly - maybe reduce by 1 can every 3 days. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-withdrawal-symptoms#section10

    "Individuals who are determined to rid themselves of caffeine dependence should be advised to decrease caffeine consumption gradually to prevent caffeine withdrawal syndrome." Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    aziz_n1 wrote: »
    Having discovered a while back that I have an intolerance to Caffeine, I gave up Coffee & Cola and have felt much better for it. Miss the taste but not the after effects. Have cut back on most fizzy drinks too. Used to drink something everyday.

    Excelent choice!
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    I actually can't remember the last time I had any type of soda. I was never addicted but I did have a golden rule that pizza had to be accompanied by root beer.

    I'm not sure how my body would react to it at this point.

    @LyndaBSS Thank you for making me crave Pizza and Root Beer! Almost ruined my diet! Haha just kidding. Awesome work! Keep remaining strong. Truth is we don’t need soda.
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    I was once a six can a day diet Pepsi fiend. The hardest part of getting free was when my allotted portion was half a can. That was almost twenty years ago. Nowadays I drink root beer maybe once a month. Fewer migraines and less gas. Plus no worries about where the next can would come from. Water is my happy beverage.


    @Anniesquats100 water was so hard to drink at first. But now water is also my happy beverage!!
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    boldknee wrote: »
    I gave up soda (specifically anything carbonated) due to severe GERD almost 2 years ago. I had to give up lots of other things at the same time including coffee, caffeine, alcohol, etc.

    Now I only drink water, Tazo Passion tea, and occasionally milk/homemade smoothies.

    One of the best surprise results has been reduced sensitivity of my teeth. The acid from carbonated drinks was hard on my tooth enamel.

    No weight difference from this change because I only drank diet sodas before.

    I'm willing to do about anything to not have heartburn, pain, and develop esophageal cancer. Giving up soda is a pretty minor change compared to some of the others (no spicy food is almost torture).

    @boldknee I commend you for making such an excellent decision to benefit your health. Great work!!
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    jus4kix06 wrote: »
    I quit drinking soda again most 3 weeks ago. I went maybe 2 years without it during my pregnancy/nursing stage and the started back up again. I don’t miss it when I’m not drinking it. But it’s a slippery slope. If I start then it just becomes a habit for me. Sometime I’ll get my soda fix in a mixed drink and that’s about it.


    @jus4kix06 i also commend you for your determination! It’s definitely hard! But don’t look back!! Soda has absolutely no benefit. On the contrary, it only does us harm. So try meditating on all the reasons why you shouldn’t drink any and maybe that will be the extra motivation you need to remain strong!! You got this!!!
  • cerillo_encendido
    cerillo_encendido Posts: 74 Member
    Hi Everyone! I'm a 12 can A DAY pop drinker - I love my Coke! I cannot stomach any artificial sweeteners at all (plant based or otherwise) and will have to cold-turkey it. What helped you get through the first two awful days? Thank you, and have a great day! - Deb

    @debrasheers
    I also agree with @puffbrat it may be better to slowly reduce your caffeine intake rather that quit all of a sudden. 12 cans a day is a lot and who knows how your body may react. Granted, you’ll get through it. Now i don’t think there is a need to prolong the process for months or several weeks because this may just minimize the importance of quitting. Maybe do 10 cans one day, then 8 the next, then 6 then 4, etc. All while drastically increasing your water intake. I found that the more water i drank the less i started craving soda. You have to train your body: “Water is my friend and this is all i need.” It can be done!! Don’t give in to temptation! You got this!
  • Sadie2PointOh
    Sadie2PointOh Posts: 34 Member
    I'm in the midst of kicking an 8-12 sodas per day habit myself. This week is my first week (first few days I had one soda a day, today marks day 3 of only water and no soda) I didn't think kicking a 20+ year addiction was going to be a walk in the park, and it most definitely has been very difficult, but I honestly feel TERRIBLE. I have never felt so tired in my life. (I took 2 naps this week....I never nap). Completing any task takes every ounce of my energy and I'm just feeling exhausted constantly. When does this end?
  • weatherwoman94
    weatherwoman94 Posts: 14 Member
    At one point I stopped drinking diet soda for 2.5 years and nothing happened. It didn't have any negative or positive effects, so my take on it is neutral