Tiny Bubbles (huge struggle!)

Today I am going to discuss something deeply personal and slightly embarrassing: my Diet Soda Addiction. Okay, okay, that may have been a bit melodramatic...but seriously, I've been a soda drinker for as long as I can remember. It was Diet Coke in high school and college; then when Pepsi One debuted a few years ago, that became my drink of choice. I always seemed to have a soda in hand--at home, at parties, at restaurants...but only in the last few years did I start to feel it was getting out of control. I found myself wanting to taste those sugary bubbles first thing in the morning. I craved the sweetness after each meal. I was buying 2-liter bottles, and finishing one every 2 days. Driving home from work, overcome by my usual sluggish, late-afternoon stupor, I would feel my spirits lift, just knowing I had Pepsi One waiting for me in the house. I considered trying to quit many times, but even the thought of giving it up actually brought down my mood whenever I contemplated it. Then I DID make an attempt...and missed it so much I caved and bought a bottle after lasting a day or two at the most. I was ashamed of myself, but a bit incredulous as well. I mean really, this is nothing but Carbonated Flavored Water, for crying out loud...so what the HECK makes it so difficult to banish? I found myself physically and mentally attached to drinking soda, so much so that I stopped and re-started my Pepsi One fixes over and over again without success. I don't think it's the caffeine, since I often choose decaf coffee, and could not care less about the absence of that particular stimulant. Could it possibly be the artificial sweetener?  If so, and if my experience is at all typical, the soda-producing companies are (whether they know it or not) marketing a perfectly legal, delicious Controlled Substance to the unsuspecting public! After all, aren't my symptoms the very definition of addiction? Cravings; elevated mood when "using"; feelings of sadness when deprived; compulsion to consume more and more...Jeez Louise, this stuff is downright dangerous! It should come with Warning Labels--Drink at Your Own Risk, May Be Habit-Forming!

At long last, I decided I had had ENOUGH of Diet Soda-dependency, so I devised a plan that seemed workable, and prepared myself for what I hope is The Final Round. First rule: Pepsi Purge (i.e: no "Emergency Stash" in the pantry). Next: when I do go out somewhere to get a soda, make it a maximum of every other day. (It sounds simple and straightforward enough, right? Yet I still had to pep-talk myself into it before taking that initial Baby Step.) So I've been following the Program for over a week now, and I noticed changes right away. The first couple of days were the least pleasant (Fake Sugar Withdrawal?) But almost immediately, the compulsion to have the fizzy stuff lessened a bit. Today, for example, while out running errands, I decided to stop by 7-11 for a Big Gulp...but I honestly thought I could just as easily have foregone it. It feels like a choice now, not an obsession...which means I can actually enjoy my soda break without the guilt.

If I sound like I'm making too much out of this silly little struggle, rest assured that I am aware of the Big Picture here...it's JUST SODA. To the best of my knowledge, even when I've chugged WAAAY too much Pepsi One, the worst thing that's ever happened is my hands get shaky and I chatter much, much too fast for a while, until it wears off. So, I recognize that even if I don't manage to leap off the Soda Wagon for good, there are worse things in life than being addicted to Diet Drinks. Everyone will just have to continue putting up with a motormouth, speed-talking, jittery person. I believe this calls for a toast: let's all raise a glass...of good old H2O...to winning the Battle of the Bubbles!