Reader Comments
The evils of drinking Diet Coke: Addiction and objectification
Published: Monday, October 14th, 2002
My roommates and I eat a lot of Jello and Diet Coke. I always have a diet coke in my hand. I drink six or seven a day. I drink a lot. I love it.
Diet Coke sometimes almost seems a ...(back to the article)
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Thank you! While I wouldn't say my consumption has been as excessive as some of the posters on here (rarely more than 3 cans a day - but for the best part of the last decade, not counting a 7 day and a 3 week period without). I can 100% relate to this bona fide addiction. Stress: diet coke. Need to concentrate: diet coke. Need to forget: diet coke. Need something to do: diet coke. Nothing else will do. I've never smoked nor drunk tea or coffee. Ever. These are common factors between many fellow 'diet-coke heads' I've known. So is this our 'only' vice? Some may say it's a tame one to have but it is a f***ing vice - a vice-like grip! I was particularly affected by the comments you made about it being 'pleasing to the senses but entirely useless to the body'. Totally. I've known that for ages, just haven't acted like I've known it. I've had a 'light' day today: only one 500ml bottle (just less than 2 cans - for those non-Europeans a can is 330ml). I was doing so well but then the headache seemed like it was going to start...plus I had a slightly stressful class to teach. So I reached for it as my crutch. Silly girl. I don't kid myself that I'll never drink it again, but for the first time in ages there's none in my fridge. A great tip is never to have it in the house. Let's drink more mindfully from now on.
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I am fascinated by the posts I have read on this topic. I decided to kick my habit after finding out that I had stripped the enamel from my teeth so badly it hurt to eat cold foods and hot foods at the same time. I have always drank lots of liquids. I guess I drank about a 1.25 litre of diet coke a day. Mostly in the evenings. Since giving up, headaches and crabbiness and a general feeling of unwell. But most peculiarly, I have trouble going to sleep now. I'm just not sleepy. Now you would think after 6 weeks this all would have wound down a bit. But it's only getting worse. Why after cutting off a major caffeine intake would I now have sleep problems. By the way, I had no sleep problems while drinking my favourite drink.
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I drank regular Coke from around 1976 (6 years old) until 1998 when I couldn't get a coke so had to have a diet coke and I stuck with diet coke....until February 2008. That's 32 years of pouring acid, sugar and aspartame into my body. People naggedme for years to stop but I ignored them. Then for no known reason I dcided one day that I didn't want to drink it anymore and I stopped. The first 3 weeks were hellish with severe migraines caused by caffeine withdrawal. I haven't touched a coke or diet coke now for nearly 4 months. In that time I've seen a huge difference in my skin and I'm now hoping my weight will drop. I've noticed something since I stopped drinking it.....I'm no longer constantly thirsty! Drink anything with aspartame in it and 2 mins later you're thirsty again! I now drink water and squash. If I can do it after 32 years then anybody can...I drank around 2 litres a day!
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Same for me, I think I have a symptom found with alcoholics called polydypsia, where I have a constant thirst and need to drink it. I've switched to tea and water and have headaches and bodyaches. I'm going to stop all together, even though tea has some caffeine, I'm drinking tea with no sugar or sweetner added in hopes to take out the caffeine withdrawal edge. I've never had a headache like this before it's a real BIT**, but I'm going to make it. I feel like nothing else in my life would have caused the kind of craving and now I wonder what is in the stuff. I guess all the poisons are detoxing from my body. I hope with each passing pee that the pain in my head will let up. Peace to you all who have struggled also!
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Hey Layla1976, Believe me I understand what you are going through. Read my post right below yours. I was drinking 7-8 cans and many times bottles a day for nearly 10 years. I tried to quit so many times without success, I just couldn't take the withdrawal symptoms. Check out my site and read my full story on how I quit in 5 days, and no withdrawal symptoms at all, and I haven't had a Diet Coke since. Read my story and tell me what you think, www.dietdrinkaddiction.com Thanks, Mike Witt
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I never ever thought that i could get addicted to a SODA! But i am. And it's a lot worse then i thought. I just can't understand how my best friend could be so bad for my heath.. There is nothing like it. Whats funny about this is i use to drink Coke. Never craved it like diet Coke and drank it a hell of a lot less. Funny, i was starting to get into my health and watch my weight so i switched. My weight is not so bad. But my love for diet Coke is strong.. Im at like 5-6 cans a day, that's with control and being concious of the amount i consume.. It's just recently that i found out that this not good for you. So to be honest it's going to take me a little while to kick this habbit.. I UNDERSTAND DIET COKE LOVER'S...
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Hi Aileen, Thanks for your comments on Diet Coke. I too have been a 7 plus can or sometimes bottle of Diet Coke drinker a day for many years. I have tried many times to kick the habbit, but all without success. As soon as I tried to cut down my body would react, mood swings, migraines, and overall just feeling terrible, so I had to return to drinking it. That was until just five days ago. A friend of mine, Bill, knew how much of the stuff I was drinking and knew how bad I felt when I tried to kick this habbit and brought me something that has replaced my addiction once and for all. After the third day of replacing Diet Coke with this product my need for the fix went away. The best thing of all, I have had no withdrawls, no headaches or migraines, no craving, nothing. Plus the healthy feeling and energy has been fantastic. Energy drinks are a very popular thing today, but all of them have huge amounts of caffene and sugar. This drink however is the first all natural, no bad caffene and no processed or artificial sweeteners at all. Not only this, it has the nutrtion that other drinks don't have, giving people a natural long lasting energy release and healthy feeling to boot. The stuff is call ACT Energy Drink. ACT stands for Advanced Cellular Technology and advanced it is. I have never tried an energy drink until now but if it can break the severe Diet Coke addiction I had in just 5 days, I know it can do the same for anyone. I love sharing this with everyone, I am extatic about what it has done for me. Thanks for letting me tell my story, Mike. www.drinkactweb.com/mikewitt
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I've now gone 20 days and i'm committed to kicking this evil. I am very over weight but don't eat that much. This is the diet coke i know. I wonder if one day this will all become public - just like when my parent smoked cigarettes and were unaware of the terrible damage they were doing to their health. Spread the word everyone. THanks
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I am about to try and quit diet coke and this article was exactly what I needed to help me make the mind/body connection that needed to happen. Thank you, Aileen!
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