To ask if this is a possible addiction? (Not drugs!)

[Cornana]

I’m addicted to Diet Coke!

Been 2/3 years now, I drink at least four cans a day. I crave it. Eight sometimes.

It’s six pm and I want to go out and get some.

How bad is this? How do I stop? It seems crazy, but I get headaches and mood swings from not drinking it.

Yes it's an addiction physical as well as psychological to the caffeine.

There was a guy on "eat well for less" was having loads and it's the one time on there I've seen a person NOT advised to quit a favourite food/drink cold turkey.

I was consuming a lot of caffeine many years ago and after doing some research was concerned and decided to quit for health reasons but had NO idea how much I was consuming and massively underestimated/didn't know how it would affect me

I quit cold and quickly felt very unwell, so much so I thought I had flu or something.

Luckily the dr I saw knew straight away what was wrong, asked the right questions and advised me how to reduce slowly, took several weeks to wean myself off.

I had:

Headaches
Aches & pains
Anxiety
Extreme fatigue
Irritability
Nausea
Palpitations
Dizziness
Constipation
Stuffy nose

So you can see why I thought flu.

Once I was off I stayed off for a few years and even when I did return to having caffeinated drinks I kept to a minimum, I still do.

I strongly feel there should be large, clear health warnings on such drinks.

I do find the more I have it the more I want it. If I go a few dats without I don’t miss it. I would try to cut down half the amount you have week by week, then only have it for a treat?

This is why we tend to drink a mix of fizzy drinks and try to avoid caffeine based ones. We get caffeine free diet coke and orange fanta. Think irn bru is the only one we drink with caffeine in it. Dh has caffeine free coffee but I drink normal tea - about 3 cups per day

I have a can of pepsi max, if I go a few days without o get a huge migraine. I don't drink tea or coffee or eat chocolate so it's really my only caffeine drink. I am trying to lose weight so I am trying to wean myself off.

With both scenarios I mentioned, it was to do with the sweeteners.

It's the sweet taste. It triggers a release of dopamine and makes you feel good. Dopamine is addictive. You can easily get the same hit from bread, chocolate, , biscuits etc. Sugar (and pseudo sweets) are addictive. Binge eaters don't binge on steak!

I have been addicted to Diet Coke on and off for years. I think I've finally beaten it this year. I could get through up to 6 cans a day.
I've given up a few times but always fallen off the wagon.
But haven't had one at home this year (only had around 3/4 this year - only occasionally when eating out).
Going cold turkey at home is the only way for me. I've got a soda stream so have fizzy water and drink green tea in the morning to get my caffeine fix.

Thanks @randomMess
Definitely need to cut it out plus my DS who is 10 is also drinking way too much of it.

I have one can a day and I think that's bad enough. I buy a big case every week and I really need to just not buy it.

My mate had this and he had to go to hospital in the end cos his stomach was so fucked by it

I had to go cold turkey about 3 years ago as I was definitely addicted. Occasionally I still think about a cold Diet Coke on a hot day but haven't touched it since.

Diet Coke used to make me crave sweets and I eat less sugar now.

I occasionally have a soda water and lime if I want fizz but otherwise stick to tea or water. I know there's caffeine in tea, but I'm nowhere near as addicted

I feel like this with chocolate too the headaches I have when I've not had caffeine or sugar!!

I have 3 Coke Zeros & sometimes one Fanta Zero a day, I know I'm addicted & I'm trying to cut down.
I tried swapping to fizzy water but I ended up just drinking a bottle of that as well.
I also drink at least 3 hot drinks a day.
Plus still water.

I get a very dry mouth from my meds so I'm always wanting a drink. I'm now trying to chew gum instead... but that's got sweetener in too...

I'm better than I was though.
I was drinking over 4 cans of Coke Zero daily, & before I switched to diet drinks it was lots of full sugar Coca Cola. I've lost weight through switching.

What is frustrating is that so many squashes have the same sweetener in it, really hard to buy stuff that uses sugar instead these days.

You need to cut down first- don’t stop completely but reduce your intake and over time stop altogether-it will help

I got like this. Small bottle at lunch every day, maybe an afternoon can. Eventually found myself buying a bottle from Boots in the morning on the way to work. Seriously, I had a relative who get addicted so I knew it was serious even though it sounds funny.
I weaned off it by replacing with coffee, then downgraded to tea, and lots of fizzy water to hand.
I keep an eye on the tea too, as same relative went on to tea (35-40 cups per day) after ditching Diet Coke!
In fairness I have quit smoking as well. Baby steps.

I was drinking 4L a day for way too long, rotted all my fillings, was a terrible addition, evil stuff, hardly touch it now, maybe one can a month, if that. Also apparently the body reacts as if you’ve had sugar so I couldn’t lose weight either

Me too, but Coke Zero. Years. My dad is also addicted.

*Can Coke Zero make you gain weight?
No. Coke Zero Sugar is a zero-sugar, zero-calorie cola.

We understand, though, if there are questions about a diet soda/weight gain link. What we’ve found is when you look at the mix of science and research on this topic, sugar substitutes, like the aspartame we use in Coke Zero Sugar, do not make you hungrier or cause weight gain.*

Found this on the Coca Cola website, it could be all lies. I don’t know. But when I diet and still drink Coke Zero I do lose weight 🤷🏼‍♀️

Craving sweet things does not equal feeling hungry...

It makes you crave sweet foods and the dieticians are pretty united that a carb filled diet is not healthy even if you aren't overweight!