"It won't make a difference"

[WaywardTraveller]

My DP has a diet coke addiction. He gets through 6-8 cans a day. Beyond the expense of this (and we do not have joint finances or children, so I have less say on this front), I have raised the following concerns:

1. Surely it can't be good for him, guzzling all that chemically, artificial sweetener laden crap every day? - he claims there is no conclusive study yet that proves that diet drinks are bad for your health.

1. The amount of waste these 6-8 cans plus their plastic wrapping creates on a daily basis is, to my mind, extraordinary. He must be one of Coca-Cola's best individual consumer customers. Surely cutting back on the coke would make an (admittedly tiny) dent in the company’s revenue, with a knock on effect on demand and supply? – He says that changing his personal consumer habits “won’t make a difference” while fossil fuel combustion and the like continues. He points out that my car (he doesn’t drive) is far more damaging environmentally than his diet coke. And he finds the idea that his giving up coke could have any effect whatsoever on Coca-Cola laughable.

So… AIBU to worry about this? And if IANBU, how can I counter his arguments? Just to be clear, I will not LTB over this.

People love to hate on Diet Coke. I drink loads, I guzzle gallons you might say. But I don’t drink alcohol and I’m vegan. I get more shit about the coke than anything else. I think it’s like marmite and coriander, as in it tastes different to different people.
Also I have no desire to cut down and someone suggesting it wouldn’t be welcomed.

Everybody worrying about his teeth - suggest he drink through a straw. It helps massively. Preferably a stainless steel washable set of straws.

Cans are recyclable so at least he isn't drinking it from plastic (def cheaper).

I drink a lot of Diet Coke too, it's not overly healthy but it's not crack!

If you're really worried about environmental impact, get him a Soda Stream and Cola syrup.

I was addicted to the stuff, drinking a lot more than 6-8 cans daily, rotted amalgam fillings in teeth and don’t know what it did to my insides, awful stuff, went cold turkey to give up and would honestly encourage anyone else who drinks it to excess to do the same

Stop buying it if he can’t control his greed. It should be an occasional treat not 8x per day. Greed is incredibly unattractive and as his wife I wouldn’t be willing to sign up for being married to someone who’s going to rot all his teeth or gain loads of weight, nor would I want to care for someone who has illnesses caused by drinking mountains of sugar and sweeteners. People saying it’s none of your business fail to consider that it’s you who’ll have to deal with the aftermath!

In response to other pp, i drink loads of Diet Coke, far too much,but my teeth are absolutely fine & strong according to my dentist who I see regularly (every 6 months). Only 1 filling in all my 39 years, which was from years before I started drinking pop.

It definitely says something about his taste buds, that stuff is rank.

But he’s old enough to decide whether he likes having his own teeth or not ‍🤷🏻‍♀️

...and you’re old enough to tell him you don’t find men with black or missing teeth attractive 🤣

Diet Coke tastes like aspirin, I couldn’t get through 1 let along 6 a day. But that is an addiction and if he just stops he will get a strange withdrawal week. I used to drink a vitamin drink everyday, but I stopped to save money, the first three days I had really bad headaches and felt sick.

Greed! Would t be greed if they were drinking 6-8 coffees a day? Or tea? It's a drink of choice, hardly a massive cheeseburger or hard drugs, or alcohol.

Stop buying it if he can’t control his greed.

Yes - that's a good point, seeing as he clearly couldn't buy it for himself on account of spending all his time guzzling that sugar-free drink down!

And it's right for one adult to forcibly 'limit' another adult to an occasional treat - anything more would be outrageous profligacy and demonstrate a frankly disgusting lack of self-control. Have any of you coke fans seen the 'aftermath' of drinking diet coke? All those people wandering around looking perfectly normal, with their healthy bodies just waiting for the moment at which they become instantly obese and their teeth fall out within hours of one another and they develop a raft of diet-coke related diseases?! It's DISCUSTING!

My DH doesn’t do the weekly shop and doesn’t have the time or inclination to trail to the supermarket for extras. If I don’t add something to the weekly shop it isn’t available. And if he was drinking 8 cans of coke a day then I wouldn’t be enabling him by buying it. Apart from anything else it’s blooming expensive! At £3 a day he’s spending a grand a year on coke! Let him drink water, it’s free and healthier.

I drink a 2l bottle each day, off brand though. Yes, it's shit for you, but it's not your business.

It's bone health that has been proven to be damaged by carbonated drinks.

Not as important in Men, as Women, though.

That's as well as the other issues, teeth, kidneys and increased blood pressure. Then there's the effect of a high caffeine intake.

But, as he says, it his his choice and some of the effects can be counteracted.

Diet drinks are terrible for gut health apparently. Tell him to swap to kombucha

Look, he’s a grown man and can make his own choices. It’s not a habit that impacts on you in any significant way so I would give this a pass.

Anecdotal only but my energy levels and general health have massively improved since giving up Diet Coke (and I didn't drink anywhere near that much). My brother drinks similar amounts and I'm convinced it contributes to his weight gain and depression. It's horrible stuff.

If it was booze then maybe you would have a point but you would still not have the right to dictate to someone else
You always have the right to decide that you disagree with your partners habits enough that they can no longer be your partner, you can always leave.

It does sound alot and not good for him at all. But I don't think you can dictate to someone like that.

I am irrationally annoyed myself by people who treat fizzy drinks (or even squash /juice) as a "basic" to have every day rather than an occasional treat. However I think that's probably my issue!

I drink a lot of tea and would find it annoying if someone tried to tell me not to.

I used to drink about 4-6 cans a day and now 2-3 and the only times I haven't drunk it at all is because of an abusive ex (had control of the finances etc.) In winter I drink hot drinks but in summer I want something fizzy instead. I don't drink alcohol and only occasionally have juice/squash etc. And honestly think it's nobody else's business.

I have had so many people judge me, especially when I'm pregnant, for having a nice cold Coca Cola or lilt. I think people should mind their own business. Would you say something to somebody drinking a coffee with syrup in it? No? Well why does my can offend you so much or is it just not middle class enough

Ah lilt. Can you still get those? I used to love the totally tropical taste.

David O Doherty has a very funny bit in his standup on lilt.

Sorry for derailing.

or is it just not middle class enough

Yeah there’s a bit of that. If you were horsing down the fentimens or whole earth cola, I don’t think people would have so much of a problem.

I finally weaned myself off it after Christmas. I'm pretty sure it had started bringing me out in a rash. The withdrawal headaches were hideous.

Does he have any health issues? I suppose if he's healthy and it's his only vice it could be worse. Maybe ask him to start cutting back instead of stopping? Just stopping cold when he's been having 6-8 a day could make him feel quite ill.

Diet drinks are terrible for gut health apparently. Tell him to swap to kombucha

Or at least take a good probiotic. (That's what I had to start doing when my DC habit was in full swing.)

He must sound like a rocket when he farts if my dp is anything to go by!

His an adult and it’s diet cola, it’s not like his having a bottle of vodka a day or smoking 20 cigarettes. Leave him to it

Why is it greed to drink 6-8 cans of diet cola? Maybe people drink that amount of tea or coffee in a day 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why is it revolting to drink cola? revolting? We have some weird posters on here

I drink diet cola daily along with many coffees and I’m not toothless yet, infact my teeth are pretty white and apart from check ups I haven’t needed dental work in sodding years. I’m not going to be stopping my diet cola anytime soon