Trying to give up Diet Coke feels harder than giving up alcohol

[Toppl]

Not sure if I am being over dramatic. But alcohol I can take it or leave it. It makes me feel so awful the next day that there is a clear benefit to not drinking. But currently trying to give up Diet Coke and struggling. I get so tired in the afternoon and really crave it. I struggle to manage a day without it. Luckily I don’t drink it all day long just one or two cans a day. I am trying to give up completely as I dont like feeling addicted to something. Anyone feel the same? Got any tips?

It has a protein in it called phenylalanine and it's this that you are craving. Up your protein intake and the craving will go away.

I gave up my daily can of diet fanta or Sprite last year. I switched to sparkling water and squash, then just the water and now I have a cup of herbal or decaf tea instead.
You’ll have to fight the headaches for three days and then they’ll stop.
I feel so much better for it, it’s been really helpful for stopping my sugar cravings.

Are you drinking other caffeine too? 1 or 2 cans a day shouldn't have such a strong effect that you're describing. (I cut out caffeine altogether a few years ago).

Why don't you just cut down gradually? If you had 2 cans yesterday, just have 1 today and over the next couple of days, then half a can for a few days (chuck the rest when you pour it, or give it to someone else). Then after a week or so just have none.

Or start replacing it with something else - maybe another canned drink initially, mixing it up with different drinks each day so you don't create a new issue, and gradually changing this to healthier options.

Some of your addiction may just be habit, so it's about changing that as much as anything else. 1/2 cans of diet coke each day shouldn't be too hard to break the habit of.

I feel like I often see articles about people's attempts to give up Diet Coke. So I believe it must be addictive. Quite glad I've never liked the taste.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/feb/02/the-real-thing-my-battle-to-beat-a-27-year-diet-coke-addiction

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/well/eat/diet-coke-addiction.html

Or switch to something like green tea, they recommend 3 cups per day (I try and drink those in the morning) - you will still get the caffeine, but a lot less of the nasties (in Diet Coke), and the green tea has been reported to have lots of other health benefits. I do feel your pain though, I am now not allowed fizzy drinks due to gastric problems, and I am sad that I can’t have an occasional coke (I think they are quite addictive!)

I had this and went cold turkey in the end. I still crave it several years on but having a rule of not having it at all stops the slippery slope and I'm happy I cut it out.

Yes I also drink tea a lot and realised that I am probably drinking too much caffeine so switched to decaf tea. Which I am finding easier than giving up coke. But perhaps it’s all related as the decaf is a new change too.

I hadn’t heard about the phenylalanine that’s interesting. I definitely get headaches when I don’t drink it.

Do it in stages, switch to decaf Diet Coke first and then try ditching that.
Or try again in a month when giving up caffeine isn’t such a new thing.

It is hard but you will get past the craving. I had a huge diet coke habit for years until my teeth became sensitive as it had damaged the enamel so I had to stop cold turkey.
These days I don’t even like the taste of it anymore if I am occasionally given one and there is no alternative.

It is really hard for me like a proper addiction. Yes waterlooville that’s interesting you crave it still years later. I have never tried cigarettes and I feel like I can understand a bit of what it’s like for people trying to give up cigarettes.

maybe I need to cut out completely rather than moderate

I don't think the caffeine is the culprit in coke as I could manage variable amounts of coffee easily in my diet coke phase. It's something else in it.

I exclusively drank Pepsi Max until Monday this week, when I had to start a liver shrinking diet ahead of weight loss surgery next month

It's been hard, and I went cold turkey as I can't have fizzy pop after the op

The headache is easing off a bit now and I do feel better for all the water I'm drinking (though I'm wearing out a path in the carpet walking to the loos!)

I've no real advice @Toppl but I do feel your pain and understand the struggle

Op I feel your pain, I've been drinking at least two tins of diet coke/coke zero/pepsi max a day since I was a teenager (I'm in my 30s now). I've started cutting it out recently and satisfied the initial craving by having a bottle or two of fentimen's cola in the fridge (just knowing it's in there is enough for me funny enough - it's dearer and more 'treat' like so I'm far less inclined to just guzzle it like I did with the coke) and drinking loads and loads of water/decaf tea and coffee.

Same as pp i went cold turkey. Drank up to 3 cans a day in the end, for years. Realised one day I hadn’t had one by lunch time and decided that was it, no more. Yes I still thought about having one, but once I’d made that decision that was it for me.

I'd tried cutting down gradually. Planning I'd give up next week etc. none of it worked, just that split decision for me, no more.

I do still enjoy a 7up / lime & soda / sparkling water etc but don’t feel the need to grab a can of Diet Coke every few hours now.

Good luck! You can do it.

DH gave up on spring 2020 and started back in the occasional glass end of last year. Is now full out addicted again

Oh no randomness it’s terrible isn’t it. Like falling off the wagon

I keep promising the kids I will give up as I am not setting a good example as they aren’t allowed fizzy drinks.

What we have done on occasion (for the kids), is buy in a stock of really cheap, really large bottles of sparkling water (really cheap at Lidl / Asda etc), and get some cordials in, (there are some really lovely flavours out there now, and you can avoid artificial colours etc) so that you can make up your own fizzy drinks, and depending on the type of cordial, they will potentially have fewer additives in. You can always add lemon juice (from a bottle) to sparkling water to give it a bit of flavour as well. I think sparkles do make drinks a bit more special…
Having fizzy cordial / squash may help you wean off Diet Coke, then you can gradually wean onto still cordial if you want, then other things.