Dry (soda) January - anyone in?

[rubytue]

In the thread about Dry January, several of us talking about needing to do that from the other nectar of the gods, Diet Coke. If, you were like me, it was first said as a joke, because gosh, you’d never give it up. But, I’m going to try. Really. Anyone else want to join?

I already have a soda stream. I splurged on some new flavor squirts, with caffeine, because I know part of my addiction is the caffeine.

Some inspirational reading: www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/well/eat/diet-coke-addiction.html and www.today.com/health/how-stop-your-diet-soda-habit-without-being-miserable-I540635

there are more out there, but, wow does it get diet culture crap and chiropractic woo. So, I won’t post the other links. 

This morning, I’m drinking cold brew coffee, with milk and chocolate protein powder. Not sure what this afternoon will be, my caffeine packets aren’t here yet. 

there are about 12 sodas left in the fridge. I can’t decide if I should finish them off in my regular manner or keep them and maybe, one per day? I’m leaning toward the latter. Cold Turkey or weening?

[sent]

I'm in because why not. I was in bed last night thinking about how little water I had drank during the day,that I had 2 bottles of Diet Pepsi instead and that can't be good for me. And it's become more expensive to fuel this habit whereas water is basically free.

I think the addiction is the taste for me. I used to drink only Diet Dr. Pepper for like 17 years but in the last year I went back to Diet Pepsi.

I do drink coffee usually in the morning and I could go with drinking more tea to get through the day.

[formerlyak]

About a year ago I switched from the regular cans to the Mini cans. 7.5 oz instead of 12. The number of cans remained the same but the number of ounces is way less. For anyone who doesn’t want to give it up completely, but wants to cut back, that was an easy shift.

[Deleted]

I’ve done this several years for Lent! The first week is hard, but then it gets easier.

[AJL]

I'm in! I have a feeling I'll be drinking A LOT of coffee. lol

[fernweh]

Yes I’m in. I gave up soda probably about 10 years ago but for some stupid reason started drinking it again a few months back and now drink waaaay too much of it.

[heygrey]

I’m in. I would like to break up with Diet Dr. Pepper. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I do like tea. I still choose ddp for a drink first thing in the morning. I’m tired of the expense, of the bottle or cans taking up space in the fridge, of managing the recycling when the cans are empty.

I’m also going to do a dry-ish January for alcohol. We have a couple social events that I will have a drink at, but none at home for the month.

[stemmie]

Good luck. You got this. I mostly weaned myself off diet soda early in the pandemic. Part of what made it easier was when Coco Cola changed the sweetener in Coke Zero-- I am one of those folks who find Acesulfame K nasty tasting. (Aspertame for life!) I subbed out iced tea initially to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches but mostly drink unflavored seltzer or raspberry herbal iced tea now. I might have a fountain Diet Coke or a Fresca once or twice a week.

My DS quit Diet Coke about 5 months ago. He did it cold turkey and had a mild headache for about a week and fatigue for about a month. He drinks flavored seltzer exclusively now.

DH had been hitting the Diet Coke hard until his dentist told him his tooth enamel was almost gone. He still drinks ~3- 12 oz cans daily. He also drinks a liter of tonic water nightly. I think DS and my cutting way down has forced him to see just how much he was drinking. I was buying 3 cases a week until DS quit.

I am sick of buying the stuff. It's become so expensive (even at Costco) and hauling it aggravates my bad left knee.

[lilac05]

I’m in! (My H is, too…though his drink of choice is Dew products)

We both ran out of soda right before we left for Christmas, so that will make it easier. I have one 20oz Diet Coke that is waiting in the garage for whenever I feel like I really want/need it. I think that’ll actually help me stick to it.

I’m not sure what I’ll have as a non-water beverage now. I don’t drink tea or coffee. I don’t care for sparkling water type beverages. I might just be plain water…but that sounds like it’ll get boring quickly. Time will tell. Caffeine is usually my self-medication for ADHD, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen there, either. I don’t need it to wake up/stay awake, but I feel like it helps calm me. Could be interesting, but I’m in!

[katfco]

I’m going to ease off, rather than go cold turkey, because I think the lack of caffeine might cause headaches. The only things I drink are water, Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, so I’ll be drinking lots of water.

[rubytue]

stemmie, the cost has gotten out of hand. It feel like it goes up $1 or 2 every time we go to Costco.

Sometime tells me I will sleep like a log tonight.

[shopgirl07]

I gave up Diet Coke 3-4 months ago. I started drinking greens that have stevia and I was able to give it up on day one. I have to say though, I don’t think I really notice any difference? The greens are good and I’ve had benefits from drinking those, but I really don’t think the Diet Coke was that detrimental for me. I did only drink one per day so maybe that has something to do with it. Anyway, I’m glad I’ve given it up. I’ll still drink one on occasion but that will be it.

[rubytue]

shopgirl07, what do you mean by drinking greens? I was thinking green tea and an autocorrect last the tea, but it says it twice.

[shopgirl07]

Jan 1, 2023 15:31:43 GMT -5 rubytue said:

shopgirl07 , what do you mean by drinking greens? I was thinking green tea and an autocorrect last the tea, but it says it twice.

I’ve been drinking these, highly recommend.

betterdaysco.com/product/bettergreens-no-caffeine-30-count-flexible-subscription/

[stemmie]

Jan 1, 2023 14:54:19 GMT -5 rubytue said:

stemmie , the cost has gotten out of hand. It feel like it goes up $1 or 2 every time we go to Costco.

Sometime tells me I will sleep like a log tonight.

I know. I used to pay something like $9-10 for a case at Costco for a long time-- it even went on sale a couple times a year. Now it's almost $16+tax and Costco never has it as a sale. Initially the increase was blamed on high sugar prices around 2016 but 1) Diet Coke doesn't contain sugar and 2) when the commodity price dropped the retail price continued to rise. 

[mrsukyankee]

I can't drink soda due to Covid taste/nose, but I have been addicted to what we call fruit squash in the UK. (like a low sugar version of Cool-Aid but better) I'm going to cut it out and just drink water.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I'm going to try to cut down, but not quit. The plan is to replace one can per day with one 32 oz tumbler of water with a sprinkle of some crystal light powder in it for a touch of sweetness.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jan 1, 2023 14:18:43 GMT -5 katfco said:

I’m going to ease off, rather than go cold turkey, because I think the lack of caffeine might cause headaches. The only things I drink are water, Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, so I’ll be drinking lots of water.

I found that weaning off the fake sugar gave me a headache, and now I can’t consume fake sugar at all without getting a wicked headache.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jan 1, 2023 14:18:43 GMT -5 katfco said:

I’m going to ease off, rather than go cold turkey, because I think the lack of caffeine might cause headaches. The only things I drink are water, Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, so I’ll be drinking lots of water.

When I tried a few years ago, the headaches were *intense* and no pain killers even touched it.

I was surprised because I was about a 2-3 can a day person and that didn't seem like enough to trigger such a reaction but 🤷

[spindle92]

Jan 1, 2023 20:31:23 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I'm going to try to cut down, but not quit. The plan is to replace one can per day with one 32 oz tumbler of water with a sprinkle of some crystal light powder in it for a touch of sweetness.

This is me.
I know my love of diet dew is not going away no matter how hard I try but I think I need to reduce my consumption of it a bit.

[rubytue]

9:30pm and I think I’ve survived day 1.

Tuesday, I have a big presentation at work. I’ve decided I will take one for this. Since I’m already stressing my poor planning. I scheduled it in early December and didn’t process that Monday was the holiday. So, 9:30am after the holiday. Yeah, I’m going to take my comfort item into that with me.

[lilac05]

Jan 1, 2023 21:31:18 GMT -5 rubytue said:

9:30pm and I think I’ve survived day 1.

Tuesday, I have a big presentation at work. I’ve decided I will take one for this. Since I’m already stressing my poor planning. I scheduled it in early December and didn’t process that Monday was the holiday. So, 9:30am after the holiday. Yeah, I’m going to take my comfort item into that with me.

Hooray for Day 1!

Good luck with your presentation! Take a water with you, too. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself by choosing to have a water instead to keep your streak going. (But also, no shame/guilt if you decide to have a soda!)

[quesyrah]

I gave up soda almost 15 years ago because it was wreaking havoc on my GI system (I only like Diet Coke so assuming it was the artificial sweetener).


I replaced it with sparkling water. I drink probably 40 ounces a day. Well, I’m having major GI issues again and my GI doc wants the sparkling water to go 😭 I only drink naturally flavored waters, no artificial sweetener or flavor, but she says the carbonation is the issue.

So now I need to wean off that. Bonus is I’ll save around $50 a month on my grocery bill 😬

[secretagent]

I drink a ton of water but also just ADORE Diet Dr. Pepper (I'm extremely well hydrated, lol). I drink Diet Coke when I can't get it. I won't even admit how much I drink. I know I need to cut back. I don't think I will realistically give it up but maybe I can commit to one a day max for now. Baby steps?

[buckeyegirl]

I don't drink soda but am giving up alcohol for the month. My consumption is way too high. My DH is on board to give it up as well. We drink fancy, expensive craft beer so I'm hoping we'll save a few bucks too.

[katfco]

I only had 2 yesterday, as opposed to my usual 3 or 4. Today my goal is to have 32 ounces of water before I have any soda at all.

[rubytue]

Jan 3, 2023 11:24:05 GMT -5 katfco said:

I only had 2 yesterday, as opposed to my usual 3 or 4. Today my goal is to have 32 ounces of water before I have any soda at all.

I had 2 today. For comparing, I use to pack 6 in my cooler for a day at the office. 😔 and zero Sunday or Monday. 

as expected, the caffeine drop is really hitting me. Yesterday by mid-afternoon, I could hardly think. And I just slothed on the couch all afternoon. But, a bit of coffee in the morning has kept the headaches away. 

[madringal]

I do this ocassionally as like a bet on myself. Like, let’s see how long we can go. Currently, my last pop was Oct 2021. Not my longest run (yet) but I’m getting there.

Th hardest part is not replacing it with caloric drinks. It’s so easy to want a sweet drink to replace my Diet Coke that I end up with a 500 calorie iced coffee!

[spindle92]

Jan 3, 2023 19:20:28 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Jan 3, 2023 11:24:05 GMT -5 katfco said:

I only had 2 yesterday, as opposed to my usual 3 or 4. Today my goal is to have 32 ounces of water before I have any soda at all.

I had 2 today. For comparing, I use to pack 6 in my cooler for a day at the office. 😔 and zero Sunday or Monday. 

as expected, the caffeine drop is really hitting me. Yesterday by mid-afternoon, I could hardly think. And I just slothed on the couch all afternoon. But, a bit of coffee in the morning has kept the headaches away. 

Not proud but we are pop/soda sisters.   The amount I consume at work is outrageous.
The worst part for me is that caffeine has no effect on me, it is the sweetness that I crave.

I'm going to save a fortune if I can reduce this addiction.
 

[Patsy Baloney]

Replacing soda is so hard. I’ve managed to replace much of my soda consumption with carbonated water (Bubly, LaCroix, whatever is on sale). I really hated it when I started, but it didn’t take long to acquire a taste for it.

And now I’ve just replaced alllll those diet soda cans with carbonated water cans.

I got a soda stream as a gift for Christmas, so here’s hoping I can save a little $$$.