more diet coke questions

[Zoe Girl]

soooo I am wondering about this diet coke thing, I struggle with depression so that is one reason to address the diet coke deal (plus the overall health issues). I was thinking about how incredibly addicting I find this stuff, I quit smoking in early August so I know how that addiction felt. I am surprised that this is so hard. There are some psychological factors such as wanting an adult beverage (I don't drink) and affording diet coke as opposed to other drinks I like that are expensive. But there is just something about it, I can drink other caffienated drinks, other drinks with sugar or sweetner, and the diet coke still is about the only thing that really gets me through the afternoon.

So here's the big question, can the brain get addicted to being depressed? Can the combination of aspartame which affects serotonin and the caffeine which boosts you, create an addiction in the brain that is in addition to the regular caffeine addiction? I read about how diet coke withdrawal can cause nausea and other symptoms. Just wonderring,....

[Tussiemussies]

Think you should read up more on diet coke and aspartame at Dr. Mercola's website. He does sell things there and I am in no way a representative, but he is a leader in the holistic field and recently had an article on aspartame.

I am not positive but I think the brain makes neural pathways if a person experiences similar thought patterns/emotions for awhile. I think people with anxiety/constant stress get addicted to the adrenaline and people may get addicted to cortisol, but not sure. Maybe you should see a Dr. To get the correct answers. If your not satisfied with your GP try to find a wonderful psychiatrist.

Good luck! Christine

[Dhiana]

I have been struggling with my dt coke/coke zero addiction for years! Decades! I quit for a while, a couple of years, a couple of months, a day and then I'm back on the dt. coke again.
Didn't drink it for 4 months last year!! YAY! They I fell off the wagon and drank until Dec 31st. Stopped again Jan 1 and haven't had one yet this year. YAY!!
Keep trying to get away from it as best you can. All the symptoms you've mentioned many others experience also.

Wouldn't be surprised if they sneak real cocaine into their secret formula.

[Zoebird]

Several years ago now, i weaned myself off. I went from diet coke to sweet teas (like snapple or something) and then from sweet teas to plain iced tea, and then just to water and hot tea (which is pretty much all that I drink for pleasure/drinking). I consider veggie juice to be more in the food category. That juice is 1 cup per day with brekkie.

Anyway, the process took several months, and I was off it for a year. Went to africa, and soda (with sugar) was cheaper than water. So, i drank a fair amount of ginger ale (tangawizi) and orange soda. I came back and went straight back to coke. After attempting to quit multiple times, I just went through the weaning process again.

I think the last time I had coke/diet coke or soda in general (other than naturally fermented traditional sodas) was 2002? Maybe 2003.

It is really the weaning process. For me, it was about finding the alternative that worked.

[catherine]

I also never drink colas anymore. I used to drink diet Pepsi all the time. Not sure exactly why I stopped, but I just thought it was too much to pay for empty calories plus I have osteopenia and was worried about the phosphoric acid.

I don't miss it at all--in fact, sometimes if I'm thirsty and DH has his diet Pepsi, I'll ask him for a sip and I really just don't like that taste anymore.

I am really happy with either seltzer water or plain water with a slice of lemon for meals. I really can't remember how I weaned myself off.

[razz]

May I suggest that you drink from making a choice rather than a fear of consequences? Do I want diet coke or tea or ice water? I am completely and wonderfully in charge of the choice.

I found that my food intake changed when I approached the diet this way rather than fearing the weight or the feeling of being overweight or the food variety.

[Kestrel]

I love diet Coke (reg and caffeine free) but don't like the artificial sweeteners they use. So we've cut it out almost totally except when we eat out, and then don't have it very often. If we feel we have to have the "cola" taste we drink Zevia, which is sweetened with erythritol and stevia. It is more expensive, and not quite the same taste as coke, but we like it, and it works for us. And yes, we drink a lot of iced tea too, sweetened with stevia.

[Tussiemussies]

Hi again Zoe Girl, in case you want to transition, my husband has found a soda with all "real" ingredients and the sweetener is stevia. He loves them and there is a cherry vanilla and root beer that her has tried so far. If you want the name of them I will find out. He buys them from Amazon....:)

[Kestrel]

Zevia has other flavors as well as cola ...
I prefer caffeine-free, but he likes the caffeine. I told him we could buy caffeine-free for me, then get the caffeine pills (No-Doze) and cut them in quarters (which is just a bit more caffeine than a can of "coke"), but he doesn't want to do that for some reason. So he wins, or we buy both.

[Tussiemussies]

soooo I am wondering about this diet coke thing, I struggle with depression so that is one reason to address the diet coke deal (plus the overall health issues). I was thinking about how incredibly addicting I find this stuff, I quit smoking in early August so I know how that addiction felt. I am surprised that this is so hard. There are some psychological factors such as wanting an adult beverage (I don't drink) and affording diet coke as opposed to other drinks I like that are expensive. But there is just something about it, I can drink other caffienated drinks, other drinks with sugar or sweetner, and the diet coke still is about the only thing that really gets me through the afternoon.

So here's the big question, can the brain get addicted to being depressed? Can the combination of aspartame which affects serotonin and the caffeine which boosts you, create an addiction in the brain that is in addition to the regular caffeine addiction? I read about how diet coke withdrawal can cause nausea and other symptoms. Just wonderring,....

Hi again Zoe Girl,

I just saw on Mother Earth New that they have an article on how to make your own soda syrups from natural ingrdpedients. There were I think three recipes. I thought of your post so I thought you might be interested....

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/pop-culture-how-to-make-soda-syrups.aspx#axzz2SCFZ1SpA

[SevenSeven]

Hey,

I've just joined the forum, but not too long ago I read an article on the Diet Coke health risks (http://news.yahoo.com/diet-soda-linked-heart-disease-risk-221804346.html)...there are number of articles that talk about various aspects of the sweeteners that are added to many food products (most, actually) to make them...well, more so inclined for. Breaking a habit is life-time battle, even in the cases of legally acceptable substances not as demonised as alcohol - sugar was only permitted to sweeten the bitter medicines up until the XIX century.