It started out fairly innocent. Our garage was detached from our house growing up which is where the soda was stored in the second refrigerator. My mom would pack my lunch for high school and on my way out to school, I would grab a can of Safeway Select Cola. I would drink at least one per day during school and often choose to drink soda rather than most other drinks of choice in high school.
My affection towards soda did not slow down in college. There was a fountain soda machine in the dining commons, and I quickly became accustomed to RC Cola. The dining commons were positioned in a central location on campus and I would often swing by for a to-go cup on my way to or from class.
My junior year of college is when I became an intern at my current firm. A perk of the job? A stocked refrigerator with all the Coke I could ever want. I got three cavities after that tax season.
Not to be deterred, I would try to brush my teeth more regularly. When friends or family said I was addicted to soda, I would brush it off. I only had one a day, what’s the harm? They all drank coffee like it was their job. How was soda worse?
What’s worse is that when I really looked at how much I was drinking, it was always more than one a day. A lunch or dinner out always required a soda. A fountain soda. A fountain soda is usually bigger than twelve ounces and always gets re-filled. Lunch at my desk always required a soda, and a twelve-pack was usually at home. I always heard stories of people who drank a six-pack a day. I justified my drinking habits (I sound like an alcoholic) because I was not one of those people.
The truth is, I was twenty-six and highly addicted to the caffeine and sugar. January 24th, 2010 was the first day I stopped drinking soda. I can’t even tell you why. Part of it was I had just watched Food, Inc. and I was totally disgusted by High Fructose Corn Syrup. Part of it was trying to see if it really DID affect me since I was trying to become more serious about running.
(post-it at my desk to remind me of the date. yes, it’s ridiculous.)
I was just heading into the craziest time of the year, a time of year where I relied heavily on soda to get me through the day. I remember telling the two people I ran with on that Sunday that I thought I was going to quit. Go cold turkey. I didn’t even tell my husband until a week later.
I drank soda consistently for at least ten years. The month after quitting cold turkey was the worst experience. I can’t even imagine what it is like to stop actual drugs. Seriously. I craved soda ALL THE TIME. I had the worst headaches. I was tired all the time. I would see fountain machines (my personal favorite) and want to run up and stick my head underneath. Any Coke sign reminded me of the drink I knew and loved. It took a solid month before I finally began to not crave Coke all the time. I had made a lot of changes in my life with running and some other things and I was starting to feel like a new person.
I only crave Coke on occasion. Usually, I treat myself. I try to have authentic Coke if I indulge, you know, with real sugar, not HFCS.
I can’t believe it’s not a normal part of my daily routine. I’ve never felt better.
[…] year ago I decided to stop drinking Coke. That’s right, I was going to stop drinking the good stuff. I went cold turkey for a very […]