I've had it. I am done. D-O-N-E. Diet Coke detox has begun.
So, I've been an avid consumer of DC for well over a decade. I don't remember when it started, but I do remember the feeling of glee upon realizing that the cafeteria at my [first] college had a pop fountain and that I'd always have unlimited access to the sweet elixir.
Cut to 28-year-old Dana, complete with compromised nervous system, pursuing her first real big-kid job. This is how my DC dependency works: I'll have at least 12 ounces of it, and I'll get a low-grade headache, and then I'll feel sleepy and sort of off-kilter. If I DON'T have any, then I get a debilitating, day-ruining, mother-of-all-headaches kind of headache. You read that right: I get a headache either way. I've been circling the idea of quitting for probably 4 years now. I tried once, and it sucked-- for a solid 3 days, I couldn't focus, I couldn't shake the headache regardless of how much Motrin or Excedrin I took, I had a really hard time controlling my temperature, and nothing tasted good. (Pizza, fries, burritos, movie popcorn, sandwiches, salads, Thai food, chicken soup, Indian food-- all of the things that I LOVE to eat simply demand the accompaniment of a cold DC.)
So, I'm giving it another try. I really hate drinking DC. I don't like supporting the Coca-Cola Company, I don't like supporting Monsanto [oh, the horrors], I don't want fake shit coursing through my veins, and I don't want to be addicted to anything. I swore to myself that I'd treat myself better after getting through my neuro shit-- consuming fake sugar, synthetic flavors and colors, chemicals that maintain fizz, all laced with a known excitotoxin, well, it all seems like a massive middle finger to everyone that got me through the past 2 years. It stops here. I quit smoking; it stands to reason that I can quit the sauce, too.
Stay tuned. (And if you live in the greater Detroit area, and see a 5'6" brunette running down a street, pounding on random doors, yelling, and demanding aspartame, don't be alarmed. Hand her some Cheez-Its or maybe some broccoli, and then walk away calmly.)
Soldier on....Even when you've been off it for a while, the idea of a blast of icy cold DC may sometimes sound appealing, but the good thing is that it won't take much more than a swig or two to realize how awful it is. Eventually it's enough to convince yourself 99% of the time it's just not worth how crappy you'll feel afterward. And if you do give in that other 1% of the time, the residual feeling of malaise will reinforce why it's worth it to keep swearing it off. Hang in there.
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