The Lure of the Soft Drink

Hi. My name is Aaron (hi Aaron!), and I'm addicted to Soda.

It sounds silly, but soft drinks have proven time and time again that they will not be ignored by me. I've gone for weeks, perhaps months without having one, but I always come back. Always.

Pshhht...You know the sound

I've tried everything to quit. Water, ice tea, lemonade, coffee, but nothing seems quite as satisfying as the sugary bubbles that can be found in a soda. I'm even particular about the mix. I buy from the bottle or can because the fountain stuff is too watery. and I always get little or no ice, as the reduced concentration of syrup seems less satisfying.

The effect seems cumulative as well. After a proud week or two of not having a soft drink, sometimes I'll wander back into it's carbonated clutches and have just one can, but I find myself sad when it's finished, which thanks to "wide-mouth" cans doesn't take too long, and then just a few minutes later I want another. And once you're thirsty for Soda, nothing else will do. Try as you might to quench your thirst with other beverages, only soda hits the spot. So I start drinking 2 cans a day, and then 3, until I eventually give myself a migraine headache and swear off soda forever...which is usually about 2 weeks.

It Does Have Water In It

Aside from some questionable articles about it's health benefits, as far as I can tell, there are absolutely no positive qualities of soda other than it's taste. There's no protein, and I'm pretty sure the calories are the bad kind. The label alone informs me that it's "not a significant source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium or Iron." Meanwhile, it might be the single largest source of sugar in my diet. According to About.com, a teaspoon of sugar is about 4.2 grams. So while I might feel guilty heaping a 3rd teaspoon of sugar into my morning coffee, a single can of Soda has almost 10 teaspoons in it! I may as well snack on a sugar cube.

Less Calories, Bigger Appetite

Diet soda is no better. Aside from the awful taste, which likes to ruin the taste of everything else you eat that day, most modern health sites say that you're actually far more likely to gain weight from diet soda than lose it. This is because fake sweeteners screw your brain's "how much sugar do I need" gauges, and makes you want to eat even more sweets then if you hadn't had any sugar at all.

I can't be the only who's been affected by this nagging addiction. Soda sales are declining but I don't see them disappearing anytime in the foreseeable future. I see a lot of new sodas popping up in the supposedly healthier stores that have less sugar in them, so maybe that trend will continue. In the meantime, I'll try to concentrate on the next 11 steps of my program.