to ask if anyone here has beaten a diet soft drink addiction?

[whothehellknows]

Although I gave up when breastfeeding both of my children, I've somehow landed myself (again) with a full-on Diet Coke habit. I drink at least a liter each day and I'd be seriously distressed if I ran out. I'm sure I'll have at least a week's worth of headaches when I quit.

I know it costs a fortune. I know it's not good for me. But somehow it keeps creeping back in, and I honestly find it harder than I did to give up smoking.

So has anybody else kicked a diet drink habit? How did you do it, and do you actually feel better for it?

I'm in.

I can easily do 3 or 4 cans a day in work. Plus a small bottle at lunchtime. I bought fizzy flavoured water yesterday but that wasn't great so cold turkey it is.

Okay. Welcome all. Giving up we have
Ginger
Esme
Whothehell
Reward
Mmmicecream
Binary
Dragon
Watching waves

We can do this. I have none in the house so will be easy until I go out. I usually want some if I drive past the petrol station.

Honey, do you know what drinks contain SB? Interesting, I will google.

12 step fellowships do it a day at a time, don't all be looking to forever...just get through this day.
Best to everyone. Here is the 'just for today' reading.

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once.

Just for today I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said, that "most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I wiil take my "luck" as it comes, and fit myself to it.

Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways; I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out; if anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don't want to do - just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit, not find fault with anything, and not try to improve or regulate anybody but myself.

Just for today I will have a programme. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests : hurry and indecision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.

Just for today I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.

Good luck everyone. I'm not addicted to fizz but do like it. I do, however, notice that I get a really irritated bladder when drinking diet fizzy. Think this is quite a common thing. I feel like I want to pull my bladder out. Horrid feeling.

I like the quote Jack!

I am a bit nervous ...

I was addicted to Coca Light (like diet coke) when I lived in France. I realised I had a problem when I woke up in the morning and reached straight for a can. I stopped buying them the next day. Funny thing is now I don't even like fizzy drinks and can't drink them.

I'm addicted. I cut down whilst pregnant then I gave up normal diet Pepsi while breastfeeding as I thought the caffine was affecting my baby. I now drink caffine free diet pepsi. We (me and DH) go through 2 or 3 bottles a week. We normally just have one glass a night each with dinner.
I got God awful caffine withdrawal when I gave it up.
I'm not ready to give up yet. I used to drink so much before I got pregnant probably a bottle a day and at least 2 cans whilst at work.
I don't smoke or drink so caffine free diet Pepsi is my only vice!

I gave up over the summer, it was fairly tense but doable. I drank coconut water with ice and water, a generous inch of coconut water in a 500 ml glass topped up with loads of ice and water. The cravings for Diet Coke were very strong but the diluted coconut water seemed to have some of whatever it was that my body was craving. A glass of it completely killed off the cravings for at least an hour.

I did also slightly increase my coffee consumption to get the caffeine I wanted.

Pepsi Max.

At one time I would drink 6 cans a day. In the car, in secret, often on the way home from work or to work.

I still LOVE it. But I only buy 1 can at a time, and limit it to once a month.

Day 11 of the pepsi max withdrawals today.

I am sleeping better, concentrating better, waking up better in the mornings (used to need 4 cans just to start the day).

I am still not 100%, functioning at about 95% though and should be fully recovered by next week.

I'm down to about six cans a week. Diet coke for me.
Gave up totally when pregnant with DC4 as it tasted like sawdust (my first pg symptom - how bad is that), and it was the first thing I went back to once I had him!

My tip: I keep it in the boot of the car.

At this time of year it's ice cold, and I have to make a concious choice to go and get a can. I used to keep a box at home and a box in the back of the car, so I could reach round for one while driving.
Dp thinks its funny (and annoying as I ask him to get me the odd can), and keeps his diet pepsi in the fridge, he'll have 3 cans when I might just have the one now. But if I have one every day or so it's so nice, tastes better and I really look forward to it, like a proper treat (not much going on in my life then!!)

My last 30 box lasted over a month! I consider this real progress (I used to have 3, sometimes 4 cans a day).

Aaargh. I have cravings already! I have put a fizzy water in the fridge on case in tempted.
I'm also breastfeeding and up 3x every night. May be clutching at straws but maybe it has an effect on baby .

I have a Pepsi max habit. I drink about 2 cans a day.

I stopped for 2 months but felt no different.

Ginger it would definitely have an effect on baby imho. I don't mean that in a judgemental way. I found out the hard way. I remember having pancakes with lemon when DS was 4 weeks old. Didn't even think about the neat lemon juice going through my breastmilk. OMG he was up from 4am to 8am screaming with tummy pain (unusual for him and he slept through really early on). It was defo the lemon. Bless him. DC, especially caffeine must surely have an effect...

Esme, he slept well until 3 months when I think I was drinking less. Now have a major sugar & fizzy juice addiction. Do you think fizzy water is ok?

I had a serious Pepsi Max habit. One of those 2 litre bottles a day. Plus small bottles at work.

Went cold turkey for two reasons
a) worried about the effect on my teeth. The fizz damages them (so the sugar free versions are just as bad), and my teeth are getting to the point where if I don't sort myself out, I'll be in dentures in a few years time.
b) New DP who didn't know about my Pepsi habit to the extent it existed, so wasn't ever nasty about it to me personally, but was pretty scathing about fizzy soft drinks in general; childish, taste foul, bad for you. He's right.

I don't drink them now at all. I had a glass of diet pepsi the other day, first for about 18 months, as I was hot and thirsty in a pub and didn't want alchohol. It tasted awful. Once you properly lose the taste for them/addiction, they really are foul. And make your teeth hurt. It's the equivalent of eating one of those disgusting things kids like and adults don't, like Monster Munch crisps, for example.

I do feel better for it. I get fewer headaches and I sleep better. I'm sure my teeth will last out better as well. It's nice not to have a mouth that feels sort of sticky and syrupy all the time, and a tongue that doesn't have a dark syrupy film on it, and teeth that feel clean.

Quite like Monster Munch ??. Think I'm a lost cause.

I don't drink as much as I used to- sugar free squash still has aspartame but still probably better for you to drink weak than DC. If you need fizz, bottles of sparkling water are quite cheap.

I love Monster Munch but I have a lot of problems with addiction and when I got off all the illicit drugs 4 years ago turned to food and gained 6 stone. I am still proud of myself as crisps and cake are a far less serious problem than illegal substances but my aim when I have finished the caffeine withdrawal is to tackle the carbs as I hate being fat. My low carb diet is starting Monday as I think the caffeine withdrawal should be finished by then

Marking place....

Its not diet coke particularly for me, but just any coke. Cherry/normal/diet.

Not sure why.

There was once I went through a stage of a can for breakfast

I whittled it down to a couple a week when I was working, but now Im out of work again I can feel the coke habit (the fizzy drink variety not the drug) kicking in again. I have a can a day (unless Ive been drinking the night before and its back to a can for breakfast and a few more throughout the day)

I don't mind saying you ladies fecking ruined the coke zero hit I was enjoying up until I opened this thread. Seriously though I the same. I limit myself to 750mls per day (hardly limiting really is it) and I rarely have it at the weekend because I don't get around to the shop but in work I can't go without. My teeth are in bits, I must have 10 fillings at least, I have been drinking diet coke for 20 years plus. I am totally ready to give up.

Have managed a goodish day of cutting down. Not sure how much exactly cause we have run out of cans and only have a big bottle. Almost six o'clock on a Friday and I'm just coming on to check - it doesn't count if you mix it with alcohol does it???

How did day 1 go for everyone?

I stand corrected on the Monster Munch :-)

Good luck to those giving up the fizz. I honestly don't miss it at all now, and I was a real addict. You can do it.