Why I Gave Up Diet Coke {and how you can too}

When I realized my love of Diet Coke had crept into addiction, I decided to do something about it. Read on for more about why I gave up Diet Coke and how you can too!

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Before I get started, I want you to know that I’m not going to get all preachy on you and tell you how you are a horrible person for drinking Diet Coke. I may take some heat for this, but I believe there are a lot worse things to eat or drink in life than diet drinks. I’m not a nutritionist or a doctor, but this is not a “hill” that I will die on. Now, let’s get on with today’s post!

At the end of September, I decided it was time for me to give up Diet Coke. If you know me in real life, you understand that this was a HUGE deal for me. I came to this decision after years of drinking that bubbly, refreshing, carbonated gulp of heaven. I started drinking it in high school, but I reached a breaking point a couple of months ago when I knew something had to change.

What used to be a “guilty pleasure” had turned into what I would consider a true addiction. Now, I don’t mean to sound all melodramatic and I don’t mean to make light of serious addictions. But for me, I reached a point of realization that my relationship with Diet Coke was not a healthy one.

I was driving down the road and the children were fighting in the back of the car. I felt my my blood pressure start to rise and the adrenaline start to flow through my veins. I was entering the “red zone” and about to lose it. My first thought was, “I just need a Diet Coke.” It was in that moment that I realized I was completely and utterly, 100 % addicted to Diet Coke.

When I thought about it some more, I realized that I really had been using Diet Coke as a crutch. It became a way to relieve stress and deal with the normal frustrations of life. If it had been a hard day, I’d request Kevin pick one up for me on his way home from work. Not only that, but I was certainly drinking an unhealthy amount of it. I loved dining in at restaurants because I knew refills were unlimited and I took full advantage.

Once I realized the seriousness of things, I decided that I’d give it up for one month. I don’t usually agree with totally eliminating food groups from my diet, because that method is not realistic for me and hasn’t worked in the past. But, I knew I could give it up for at least a month. I wanted to give myself enough time to get it out of my system and re-evaluate how I should proceed from there.

At this point, it’s been 6 weeks without a single Diet Coke. I’m proud to say that I haven’t caved once! It has been hard at times, but certainly not as difficult as I imagined. I haven’t dealt with headaches like some do, so I can’t complain much about any physical withdrawal symptoms. I’m sure my coffee consumption has probably helped with that.

I’m not completely sure yet where I will go from here. I see nothing wrong with an occasional glass of Diet Coke, so I’m not going to commit to giving it up forever. But, I would like to keep this up for a while longer to make sure it no longer has the same grip on me that it once did. Just the other day, I was stressed and thought about how nice it would be to have a Diet Coke. So, the thoughts are still there at this point. The thoughts are less, but they are still there some. I’d like those sorts of unhealthy thoughts to disappear before I even consider drinking another again casually.

I’m not here to tell you what to do, but if you’ve been considering giving up Diet sodas, here are some ways you might be able to get started.

1. Stop buying them

I didn’t usually buy Diet Coke for the house. Our grocery budget was too tight for that, but I was very guilty of buying them when I was out and about {McDonalds $1 sodas did not help me!}. It makes no sense financially because I was spending more money from our eating out budget than I would have been spending by just keeping some at home. It’s been amazing to see how much those Diet Coke purchases were adding up. If you thinking about giving them, then quit buying them! Sounds easy, right? Wrong!

2. Pick a “substitute”

Sometimes it’s nice to drink something with a little flavor or carbonation. Try finding a suitable substitute that might satisfy. I haven’t found a perfect substitute yet, since I’m not a big fan of seltzer water, but I’ve been hearing good things about drinks like LaCroix*. I’m planning to give some of them a try. In the meantime, I’ve been drinking more coffee than usual. I used to drink 1 cup of coffee a day, but I’ve recently bumped that up to two cups on most days. It’s my “treat” during naptime or in the evening when I want to relax a little.

3. Know your weaknesses

If you are trying to get started, you need to know when and where you tend to be weak. It’s hardest for me when I’m eating out and when I eat certain foods like pizza. I just have to know that about myself so that I’m aware.

4. Drink more water

This probably sounds ridiculous, but I used to really crave Diet Coke when I was really hot and thirsty. My body needed water, but it wanted Diet Coke. I’m still working on this one, but I am trying to drink more water. I’ve started using a little squirt of lemon juice if I’m wanting some flavor and I’ve seen some neat bottles on the market that help to infuse fruit flavors*. I may need to check those out.

5. Start small

Quitting cold turkey may not be realistic for you. Maybe that would set you up for complete disaster. You know yourself. Perhaps you need to start with smaller goals like reducing the amount you are drinking to 1 a day, and then eventually down to 1 every other day, etc. I knew I needed to get drastic, but that’s also why I only committed to quitting for one month. I wasn’t ready to make any lifelong changes. I think that smaller goal set me up for success.

If you need some other health related inspiration, you can check out some of these posts:

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Comments

Anonymous says

November 30, 2015 at 10:03 pm

Great post- I could have written the same exact words! For over 20 years, Diet Coke was controlling me and NOT in a good way. I started to worry about the effects aspartame was having on my body. So one day, I just quit. I was tired of letting that bubbly, cold drink run my life. I have not had 1 sip since January 5, 2015. LOL- now if I could kick the sweet tea habit I have now latched onto!
- steddins@hotmail.com says
  
  December 4, 2015 at 7:28 am
  
  That's awesome!! Way to go!
Anonymous says

December 2, 2015 at 5:44 pm

At the start of this past summer I decided I too had let Diet Coke take hold of my life and had become an addiction. I do not drink any coffee or tea or any juices so for a treat it would be a diet coke. That soon turned into a few cans a day and when I was most stressed I found relief from my Diet Coke. I decided to cut it out for a month with the realization that I am not cutting it out permanently but would have it on an occasional basis. I did however suffer from terrible headaches and fatigue for the first week but was fine after that. Now we are months later and I never purchase Diet Coke for at home and only on an occasional basis will I have one while out for dinner or such. I am the same as you that I felt it had become a crutch and addiction that I needed to put an end to and am happy I have.
- steddins@hotmail.com says
  
  December 4, 2015 at 7:29 am
  
  Thanks for sharing! I'm curious what it will taste like when I do decide to have one at some point. I have been told by others that they don't even like the taste after they had given it up for a few months.
Kimberly says

August 4, 2016 at 9:58 am

Oh my goodness! I totally had an addiction to Diet Coke, as well! I have been free for about 3-4 years now, and I am sooo thankful!!

The pinnacle was waking up unable to move my arm after consuming a 2 liter bottle of DC the day before (this was 3-4 years ago.) I am not certain I can blame it on the DC. My doc said Lyme disease or Lupus… “No one will ever know for sure…”
- Sarah says
  
  August 4, 2016 at 8:32 pm
  
  Good for you that you’ve gone 3-4 years! That’s amazing!! 🙂