Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Links

Journal dexterpexter's Journal: Addict. 18

Journal by dexterpexter

I made the decision earlier last week to kick the Pepsi habit. I will probably still allow myself the occasional reward of a tall, cold glass of carbonated crack whenever I join my friends at a fast food restaurant--because, let's face it, nothing goes better with a big helping of deepfried, greasy potato-like rectangles and a soggy burger than a refreshing papercup of high fructose corn syrup. But, if you believe everything people tell you, I will eventually find it too sweet to drink anymore and won't miss it at all. I would like to believe that, but it has been pretty rough passing by the fountain drink machines (my poison!), sporting my fake bottled water and a migraine. Six cans a day (or, at least two to three) owned me, and now I am paying for it ounce-by-ounce, migraine by migraine. Luckily, those seem to be subsiding. Would you believe that you can actually have migraines in the eyes?

Wow. I couldn't even imagine being a real crack addict.

After suffering through what I believe was a brief stomach virus (mmm...let me tell you that the post-Thanksgiving smell of rendered duck fat is the first thing you want to smell after praying to the porcelain gods and finally getting back on your feet), I found that caffeine withdrawal had kicked in. Afterall, I couldn't keep anything down for a day or so, let alone Pepsi. So, deciding that there's no better time to make one's self miserable than when one is already miserable, I made the move (again.) Sure, I have "kicked the habit" a handful of times now, but some sadistic need to remain awake for days-on-end (watching Cartoon Network? Just kidding.) has pushed me back to indulging in my own demons, and brought me right back to Pepsi (or worse). And right back to gaining weight. It is by no coincidence that I slimmed down each time that I gave up soda and then ballooned after picking it back up again.

Since my decision to kick the habit, I have had one glass of hot tea (it is practically genetic that I should have to drink some tea) and a few sips of someone else's Pepsi. The tea I don't mind so much (no sugar added to my brew!), but it is nonetheless caffeinated and will be kept to a minimum.

We'll see how well this goes.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Addict. More

Addict.

Comments Filter:
  • Coke was my poison (though I also used to drink Mountain Dew), and it's been three years since I stopped drinking it regularly. During that time, I have had exactly one (a medium Coke from McDonald's), and it made me quite sick to my stomach. I think that giving up the HFCS carbonated beverages has made me a lot healthier, and not just in terms of weight. Of course, I've also stopped eating most processed foods over that time, in favor of fresh fruits and vegetables, and relatively lean meats that I cook
    • Anything unnatural that makes my body sick as a result of not having it for a few days really ought to be eliminated completely from my diet, but realistically I think that I will just reduce it drastically (no more than one a week, at most.) I am placed in far too many social situations where sodas are offered as the main drink to give it up completely. There is only so much bottled water that I can take. I swear that I can taste chlorine in most water that I drink, and there is only so much that I can

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by OctaneZ ( 73357 )
        Apple & Eve [appleandeve.com] and Northland [northlandjuices.com] both make no sugar, no HFCS juice!
      • Ocean Spray makes several flavors of 100% juice drinks. They all have some grape juice, but no HFCS and no refined sugar. I drink the cranberry (pretty much a glass every morning), and the cranberry pomegranate is also good. I have not tried the cranberry/raspberry, or the one other flavor that the Target here carries. They sell it for about $2.60, while the Tom Thumb supermarket sells it for $3.99.

        They seem to put HFCS in everything these days. It's a nasty trend.

        We have an Ozarka water cooler at work

  • Me too (Score:2)

    by Otter ( 3800 )
    I've cut back to a real tea bag in the morning, a Diet Coke at lunch and herb tea, decaf coffee and tea, and Sprite the rest of the day. Not a huge sacrifice and I'm sleeping noticeably better.

    • My sleeping patterns are so unpredictable that I am not sure that I see much effect, other than a sluggishness in the morning and throughout parts of the day where I would ordinarily be pumping myself full of caffeine. I suspect--and have read--that the effects will subside before the end of a month. We shall see...
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion


    • Nice hearing from you, Sam. :) And thanks, I will try to keep it to a minimum although, as I explained to johndii, my habits are such that I don't realistically expect to give up Pepsi (and especially caffeine) completely. However, my goal is to drink it no more than once a week when I am at my worst, so that gives me a little wiggle room but mostly keeps me Pepsi-free.
  • caffeine and alcohol fight for the lead daily

    • I definitely enjoyed my Pepsi, too. It was the crippling effect of going off of it for a few days that stunned me into the realization that I couldn't continue at the level that I was guzzling the stuff. I will still allow for drinking it here and there, as I mentioned.

      As for alcohol, well I certainly enjoyed my margarita tonight. :) Fortunately there will be no withdrawal effects, though, if I decide not to have another for a while.

  • I will probably still allow myself the occasional reward of a tall, cold glass of carbonated crack whenever I join my friends at a fast food restaurant--because, let's face it, nothing goes better with a big helping of deepfried, greasy potato-like rectangles and a soggy burger than a refreshing papercup of high fructose corn syrup.

    Speaking from experience... I have kicked the soda habit a couple of times. I had gone well over a year last time, and ONE root beer totally boogered it all up - I had an ins

    • Same here. I seem to always find an excuse to build back up to the disgusting half-pack a day. It usually begins with an all-nighter, something stressful, or a situation where I am paying attention to external stimuli and have the opportunity to guzzle my drinks without paying to attention to the amount that I am drinking.

      However, I also realize that it would be silly of me to really believe that I will be able to stand water and non-HFCS juices alone, especially in social situations where sodas are the m
  • ... never looked back.

    Mine was caffeine, not just carbonated beverages. I still enjoy a sprite from time to time, maybe even a root beer (no barques!). Feel much better and I never looked back :)

  • Would you believe that you can actually have migraines in the eyes?

    Yeah, that's where mine always start and hang out. Feverfew seems to kick them out of commission, so I've only had light bouts a couple times in the past 10 years.

    Re the soda and caffeine; I used to drink a pot or more of coffee a day, along with 2 or 3 cans of cola, and stopped (cold turkey) because of stomach acid problems. Oddly, I didn't really experience any withdrawal or such from it. A few years later, I returned to drinking sodas at parties and such, and having coffee with friends once a week or s


    • Thank-you!

      Today I had one (first soda since I had the few sips at the grocery store to rid a dry mouth, and the first full soda in weeks) with my meal at a fast food place, but otherwise I've been clean. Since I have had my one maximum for this week (even though I was good and had none last week), and I felt guilty for having the one, I am not allowing myself any more this week, and possibly next. I still feel slight headaches (I really thought those would be gone by now), but they're not the full-out oh

      • I feel sorta silly being this way over soda, with there being people in the world with real drug and alcohol problems. But I was drinking such unhealthy amounts, and I have to admit that going cold-turkey is hard.
        We all have different monkeys, doesn't mean that you shouldn't be just as serious about fighting them as someone who's got bigger ones on their back...

Slashdot Top Deals

Genetics explains why you look like your father, and if you don't, why you should.

Close