Breaking the Soda habit

I'm a recovering Coke fiend. I started just trying to go one day, and had to supplement with coffee and ibuprofen for the headaches. After a couple weeks of being able to skip a day with Coke, I tried to skip a whole weekend. Try to pick days where you know you'll be busy enough to keep your mind off your addiction.

Over the last two months, I've been able to get to the point where I'm now not getting headaches, and not having to drink so much coffee. I still want a Coke - every day - but I know if I give in, I'm back to the beginning. So, for now, I stay away from it. My goal is not to give up Coke forever, just long enough that I can feel confident about enjoying one some day without being chained up by addiction again.

Good luck - I think if you give it a try, you'll thank yourself later!

Edit for not reading thoroughly...

If you are already weaning off of it, then you may have to suffer if ibuprofen/nsaids don't work. Your body is addicted, it will pass within time.

I was a pepsi fiend, and after about 1 month of weaning and many headache's and agitations, I have not had a drink of it since last June! It is very hard, but you will feel so much better.

My hubby is "addicted" to soda. He only drinks it, and coffee.

He drinks like 6-10 cans a night!

I got him to switch from regular soda to Coke Zero a few years ago. He likes the taste, and lost 10lbs.
It is now what he drinks . . . and he drinks way too much of it!

Now, I just need him to wean him off of that too!

I used to drink a soda or 2 a day (caffeine free diet versions) but have weaned myself off by replacing it with
decaf coffee(both iced and hot), and iced tea.

I believe there is a bigger hurdle with the caffeine issue when breaking that habit, but recommend slowly
reducing the number of sodas you have a day, and if need be, replace them with something a bit healthier.

Good Luck!

Switch from regular cokes to coke zero do that for about two months, while your drinking coke zeros start working in a better drink. I chose the great value stevia sweetened strawberry kiwi drink straws in bottled water.


I went from cokes to coke zero to the drink straws and then to water.

My other big thing was sweet tea , now I drink tea where I make an entire pitcher of tea with 2-3 packets of stevia.

coke zero,,,

I was a Mountain Dew-a-holic! Bad habit for many years, I went cold turkey it was the only way I could. unfortunately I got the killer headaches (worst headaches in my life) took lots and lots of advil but after the 3rd or 4th day they started to slowly subside a little each day. Took about 10 days before they were gone, but it was so worth it in the end. Hang in there

I love my coke too! it was suggested I cut 1 coke out a week. so I did last week. This week I didn't and I feel really tired with adding it back. so I am going to take 1 away and just keep working at it , until it is all gone. Go slow and just cut back a little at a time.
Good luck!

I'm soda free for one month. Like you, coke was my poison. I found that drowning myself in water along with jumping into exercise let me avoid the really bad withdrawals. I do not do the artificial sweeteners, so I essentially quit cold turkey.

Best of luck, If I can do it, anyone can.

I looked up information on how bad sodas were fo you. I was addicted to mt dew n coke which are 2 of the worst ones for the body. I quit cold turkey. It wont easy but some of the infomation I found was scary. lol

I have quite a few times in the past (and again right now) and I always quit cold turkey. I usually have 3 days of a killer headache, irritability and fatigue, and then it's done and over with.

I was a Mountain-Dew-a-holic. What changed my mind was logging calories and seeing how much I could eat if I didn't drink so many calories! I'm very lucky in that I didn't experience the headaches others have mentioned. I pretty much went cold turkey, and although I now enjoy a rare sip of soda, I don't think I've had a full can in months now. When I do budget the calories to have a Coke or Dew as a treat, I've found myself drinking half and tossing the other - it's just not as satisfying as it used to be. Weird, but I'm grateful it has worked out that way! I would have sworn up and down I couldn't give the stuff up or live without it...turns out I can and do. :laugh:

So for those trying to quit, hopefully you'll end up finding it easier than it looks when you try and get started!

I suffer from migraines as well and had a caffeine soda habit it was all I drank really.

I did mine over months to keep the had headaches at bay
Pretty much keep track of how much you drink now. If you drink cans then watch how many cans you drink and an eye of when you drink the most... So might take you a few days to monitor it. (I drank cans so it was easy to keep track)

Then cut one can out. Feel alright after 2-3 days kick another can out. 2-3 days another one. If you get a headache that cant honestly be treated with advil or the the like go back up a can and try to stay on it for a few more days but really dont want to stay on it for more than 5-7 Really just delaying the inevitable. Still get a headache try to deal with it for a few days it should past.

Your going with your body and its a long transgression but really you will find that your kicking out the pop you dont need and substituting it with other things. When you get down to 4 and under make them your treats in the day but have a glass of water before you drink them. Can really do the water before the pop through out the whole thing so you keep your body hydrated cause you can never really have too much water when your drinking caffeinated pop.

I found the last pop was the hard one to give up. I would plan out when I wanted it the most and soon I would be like ok I am going to go x # of hours before drinking it and space it out longer and longer. I work better with challenges.

Find things to replace it.
One thing I have discovered is carbonated water and fruit juice is a great treat has the fizz of pop without the crazy calories and if you pick the right fruit juice its healthy (no sugar etc). Do half a glass of carbonated water and half juice its really refreshing.

I found I had no headaches and the cravings were minimal. My weakness was coca cola and I havent had one in 5 years. The last month I have given up pops all together haven't been as perfect with it having a few set backs on it but over all say I have improved drastically as I was drinking 1-2 cans of non caffeinated pop a day now I might have 4 cans in a month.

Good Luck you will get through it.

I am 1 month soda free (lol, I sound like a recovering drug addict, but it really is addicting)! It was a little easier for me because I caught a stomach flu and wasn't drinking anything but water and eating toast. And when I was feeling better I though, "Hey, if I can skip soda for a few days because I'm sick, then maybe I can give it up for good...". And I have! The first week or so I had a sip here or a sip there just to get the caffiene craving out of the way. And when I'm really having a migraine from no caffiene I will open up a Lipton Green Tea. Much better for you and it has caffiene. :-) Mostly though I drink water and flavor it with the Crystal Light packets or just lemons. :-)

i successfully broke my soda habit over a year ago but i cannot break my iHop Pancakes habits. Just can't stay away from those darn things!

I quit cold turkey! I suffer from migraines as well (not as many now that I'm dropping weight), but they were even worse for about a week. It was rough, but perfectly doable! You're just breaking as addiction.