how do we quit the soda(pop) habit?

abstract

abstract

Dagobah Resident
hey all,

i've been getting better with this but i really wanna stop drinking soda once and for all, i don't need the sugar, and the carbonation makes my stomach feel uncomfortable on some occasions. it's just a pathetic waste of money to buy these products, i've never heard anything good about drinking soda, although if someone can point out to me some article(s) about soda maybe i can get a better grasp on the reason why soda is so hard to kick out of daily habits.
 
Hi abstract. I have a brother that was addicted to Mountain Dew for many years. When I looked at the sugar content (48 grams a can??) and the caffeine, I think I saw why.

Anyway, he finally stopped by going cold turkey out of concerns that he was damaging his kidneys or liver or something. He said he got headaches for awhile, but they eventually subsided. Now, everytime I see him, he has a bottled water.

You could try cold turkey, but it might also be good to ease off of it with lower 'doses'.

Maybe someone can offer an idea how to gently come off caffeine/sugar?
 
I'm a fan of the substitution method. Always keep water handy or my personal favorite - an honest tea. Their just a tad sweet, so the sugar content is wayyy lower, and they're high in antioxidants. They usually come in glass bottles, and the plastic ones they have are a non-toxic leaking variety, PETE i think it's called.

Anywho I used that method to get outta the drinking soda habit and to stop eating unhealthy snacks (i always keep nuts/granola or fruit handy).
 
Good for you, Puck....the substitution method is usually the only thing that works for me. (a little short on the willpower department so i prefer the path of least resistance.)

It may take a while to acclimate, but green tea made with distilled water is great and healthy, even.

good habits
glen
 
Hi Abstract,

I can sympathise, though my drug was lots of very sweet coffee with lots of cream. All the food groups!

Will power is great, but the more support you can give your body the better. Check out the threads in the Diet and Health section of the forum, especially theUltra mind quizzes

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=10573.0

and the thread on detoxifying your system.

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=10573.0.

As I was following the diet and taking the supplements that were appropriate to the profile indicated by the quiz, I was able to cut out first, the honey, then the cream, then the coffee itself. Other than a short head-achy weekend when finally quitting completely, it all felt quite natural and easy. The cravings were mostly emotional or stress related. And for that we have the Eíriú-Eolas breathing program

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12837.0 !

Rather than beating yourself up for something that at least for now, fills some need for you, maybe try working around it with positive changes. As you detox, you will likely find that the soda just doesn't appeal to you anymore. Your body will crave more natural foods.

As for why soda pop is so bad for you, here are a few threads:

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=1581.msg8376#msg8376

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=3155.msg19976#msg19976

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=13551.msg101099#msg101099

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=2215.msg13906#msg13906

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=8963.msg64323#msg64323

Good luck

Herondancer

modified for clarity
 
I'd just like to throw this in. My ex-wife was/is addicted to soda pop. I never really considered this a "real" addiction until I lived with her. She did try on many occasions to kick the habit, only to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms. I thought these types of symptoms were relegated to the realm of heroin or cocaine addicts, but I was mistaken. It would often start by a headache, followed by an entire day on the bed and then eventually several hours in the bathroom throwing up. After this, she would typically go get a soda just to calm her nerves. So much for quitting cold turkey! :rolleyes:

I think if you can't find you're able to quit cold-turkey, try the substitution method like Puck suggests. This sounds like a reasonable method, although I've never personally seen it put to use.

I recall you recently made a post about not remembering your dreams that I responded to. Do you happen to drink soda later in the evening? If so, that might be another reason why you have a hard time remembering your dreams from the previous night. Just a thought.

Ryan
 
RyanX said:
I'd just like to throw this in. My ex-wife was/is addicted to soda pop. I never really considered this a "real" addiction until I lived with her. She did try on many occasions to kick the habit, only to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms. I thought these types of symptoms were relegated to the realm of heroin or cocaine addicts, but I was mistaken. It would often start by a headache, followed by an entire day on the bed and then eventually several hours in the bathroom throwing up. After this, she would typically go get a soda just to calm her nerves. So much for quitting cold turkey! :rolleyes:

I think if you can't find you're able to quit cold-turkey, try the substitution method like Puck suggests. This sounds like a reasonable method, although I've never personally seen it put to use.
Click to expand...

In addition to the substitution method that Puck suggests, try taking magnesium and lots of vitamin C (to bowel tolerance level) to speed up the detox. That really helped my wife to overcome her coffee withdrawal.
 
Puck said:
I'm a fan of the substitution method. Always keep water handy or my personal favorite - an honest tea. Their just a tad sweet, so the sugar content is wayyy lower, and they're high in antioxidants. They usually come in glass bottles, and the plastic ones they have are a non-toxic leaking variety, PETE i think it's called.

Anywho I used that method to get outta the drinking soda habit and to stop eating unhealthy snacks (i always keep nuts/granola or fruit handy).
Click to expand...

Fwiw I also kicked the habit of soda pop with substitutions, but for me it was a bit of a longer process. I used to be heavily addicted to coke...(the drink)
and when I decided to quit drinking it, I replaced it with ginger-ale. I mostly liked the fizz and the sugar level was lower so it was a good substitution and than I eased my way through to water and tea like puck. I still drink ginger-ale from time to time but not coke. I only drink coke when I'm having rum with it (on a VERY casual basis) It's funny because after six months of not drinking coke, I had a sip once and I HATED the taste. It was SO sugary and just really gross! So after that, I didn't have a problem stopping myself from drinking it, because I found it revolting.

Just wanted to share my experience. :cool2:
 
Another possibility:

Turbo Tapping: How to Get Rid of Your Soda Addiction
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/05/04/turbo-tapping.aspx

Has anyone tried this?
 
I like to use stevia as a sweetener. It is expensive compared with table sugar, but it is so nice to feel no guilt about how much flavored beverage I drink.

One satisfying drink is iced tea. You can make it the regular way, but I have been using the fast-brew bags. I think I usually use three of the (large) bags per gallon and it only takes three to five minutes in cold water. Then I add one tablespoon of liquid stevia extract (per gallon) and it tastes great!

I also use stevia when making Kool-Aid. Actually I usually buy the ten cent generic packets but it works the same. Instead of adding so many cups of sugar per gallon, I use two tablespoons of stevia extract liquid. The stevia actually costs a lot more than the Kool-Aid powder, but it is still cheaper than soda pop. It really tastes good, better than sugar sweetened in my opinion.

Finally, my last drink recipe may sound really strange. When I feel like getting a good burst of vitamin C, I make a drink that makes it pretty easy to get it down. I start with two or three teaspoons of ascorbic acid (about four to six grams) and mix it with just enough water to get it dissolved. Then I fill up the rest of the glass with carbonated water. Then I add eight to ten drops of stevia extract liquid. The drink tastes like a really bold citrus soft drink, perhaps something like Fresca. It is not flavor balanced like a store bought lemon-lime soda, but it is an easy way to drink four to six grams of vitamin C quickly. (If you don't have carbonated water handy, you can use your favorite lemon-lime soda instead and leave out the stevia.)

And sometimes I just like a nice glass of plain carbonated water. It has a good "zing" to it and I find it satisfying when I feel like having a soda.
 
curious_richard said:
I like to use stevia as a sweetener. It is expensive compared with table sugar, but it is so nice to feel no guilt about how much flavored beverage I drink.

One satisfying drink is iced tea. You can make it the regular way, but I have been using the fast-brew bags. I think I usually use three of the (large) bags per gallon and it only takes three to five minutes in cold water. Then I add one tablespoon of liquid stevia extract (per gallon) and it tastes great!

I also use stevia when making Kool-Aid. Actually I usually buy the ten cent generic packets but it works the same. Instead of adding so many cups of sugar per gallon, I use two tablespoons of stevia extract liquid. The stevia actually costs a lot more than the Kool-Aid powder, but it is still cheaper than soda pop. It really tastes good, better than sugar sweetened in my opinion.

Finally, my last drink recipe may sound really strange. When I feel like getting a good burst of vitamin C, I make a drink that makes it pretty easy to get it down. I start with two or three teaspoons of ascorbic acid (about four to six grams) and mix it with just enough water to get it dissolved. Then I fill up the rest of the glass with carbonated water. Then I add eight to ten drops of stevia extract liquid. The drink tastes like a really bold citrus soft drink, perhaps something like Fresca. It is not flavor balanced like a store bought lemon-lime soda, but it is an easy way to drink four to six grams of vitamin C quickly. (If you don't have carbonated water handy, you can use your favorite lemon-lime soda instead and leave out the stevia.)

And sometimes I just like a nice glass of plain carbonated water. It has a good "zing" to it and I find it satisfying when I feel like having a soda.
Click to expand...

I drink several cups of tea a day - with xylitol because I don't like stevia. Sometimes, I pour it on ice (depending on the ambient temperature).

Your Vitamin C drink sounds like a GREAT idea! I'm going to try it! (With xylitol, though).
 
for many years i drank diet sodas exclusively.
then i became aware of the rumsfeld connection to aspartame.
that same week i stopped drinking them completely.
i have substituted them with fruit juice mixed with water. MUCH better, MUCH tastier!
(favs: banana, strawberry, pineapple)

luckily i didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. and i was fortunate that my two favorite sodas (diet sprite, diet dr. pepper) were unavailable in europe, otherwise it would have been harder! ;)

since then i've spread the word about aspartame to my friends and several have quit/severly cut back their soda habit.
 
As a temporary substitute for soda pop try carbonated water with a small amount of fresh lemon juice, or just add a lemon wedge. You may find the small amount of lemon will not require sweetening, but if you still crave sweets, Xylitol, as Laura mentioned, is great stuff.
 
MC said:
As a temporary substitute for soda pop try carbonated water with a small amount of fresh lemon juice, or just add a lemon wedge. You may find the small amount of lemon will not require sweetening, but if you still crave sweets, Xylitol, as Laura mentioned, is great stuff.
Click to expand...

I'll add that carbonated water has been a great substitute for soda for me. I prefer San Pellegrino, but you can also get other kinds like Perrier. I usually add freshly squeezed lime to mine. If you miss the carbonation of soda, sparkling waters are a great substitute, IMO.

Note: some brands do contain flouride, so make sure to read the ingredients!
 
I am mostly a water drinker...and herbal teas for the winter season. However, my husband and I recently discovered bottled kombucha tea. I don't know if you can find it where you live; we get ours at the local farm/health market. It has amino acids, antioxidants, probiotics, its carbonated (fermented) and has a sort of kick to it. It comes in different flavors and is supposed to be quite beneficial to one's health. You can also buy the mushroom starter and ferment it yourself. A quick search on line will give endless amounts of info about how to do that. I plan on doing it when I move into a home more suitable for such projects.

Also, I had a client addicted to sugar...I told her that apple cider vinegar can help stave off sugar cravings. So she started using a few tablespoons of ACV in water mixed with stevia, and that became her beverage of choice! I haven't tried it myself, but maybe its ok?

If you can manage to fast from all sweets for 3 days (including fruit), your cravings for sugar should decrease significantly. Soda will taste too sweet if you can recalibrate your taste buds! Willpower required.

Best of luck!

Tree
 
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