Question for those who have given up soda

[thunderchicken]

Ok I have been trying to give up soda ( both regular and diet). I first tried going cold turkey but I went through serious withdrawals in the way of a massive headache for 3 days. So then I decided to try and ween myself off but I just end up drinking more than I want to. So the question is how long will it take for the headache to stop if I go cold turkey again? Or should I give up the soda and take a caffeine supplement to prevent the headaches?? BTW the headache was pretty much debilitating, I couldn't work after the first day.

 

[jd4320t]

I've done it a couple times. From my experience you were almost over the hump at three days but everyone is different. Personally, I wouldn't substitute anything else for it and allow myself to become dependent on it. Slowly cut back and phase it out. You can do it.

 

[Bigtanker]

I quit pop cold turkey a little over a year ago. I do water, home brewed tea and coffee now. The tea and coffee supply my caffeine all though I've cut way back in the last few months. Now I have about 20 oz of coffee and 32 oz of tea a day. The rest is water.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I quit about 9 months ago. I've had one Diet Coke since then and that was on a long drive when I was exhausted. It tasted awful. I used to drink 6+ a day.

never got withdrawal headaches though. I felt really tired for several days and then fine. I had to break the habits of stopping at a gas station to buy one if out and about. And they have it on tap in our refreshment room, so it used to be a habit to swing through there and get a drink several times on my shift.

cold turkey is the only way to go IMO. Switch to coffee for the caffeine headache issue and then wean down if you want.

 

[wtburnette]

Yep, coffee or tea to make sure you get enough caffeine to avoid the headache and go cold turkey. Good luck!

 

[edwea]

I gave up soda more or less as a change in taste...I just didn't really like it that much anymore. I have found seltzer water (either flavored or unflavored) to be a suitable replacement. It feels bubbly like soda and is pretty refreshing but doesn't have any sugar or caffeine. Does ibuprofen not help the headaches?

 

[shibumiseeker]

I gave up soda more or less as a change in taste...I just didn't really like it that much anymore. I have found seltzer water (either flavored or unflavored) to be a suitable replacement. It feels bubbly like soda and is pretty refreshing but doesn't have any sugar or caffeine. Does ibuprofen not help the headaches?

Ibuprofen doesn't help much with caffeine headaches, the pain mechanism is different. Some people may get a placebo effect, lucky them.

2-3 days is typical, but if your primary hydration has been soda it is important to replace electrolytes as well as water as that will help. Caffeine withdrawl headaches are caused by dilation of the blood vessels surrounding the brain, but dehydration causes a similar effect because the brain actually shrinks as one gets dehydrated, causing a similar headache. If you are a long time soda drinker who drank mostly soda your body has adjusted to having your fluid balance that way. FWIW, though caffeine tends to increase your kidney output, the large amount of sugar in non diet soda causes your body to retain fluid more than the caffeine causes you to lose it. So someone quitting coffee can have a different response than someone quitting soda.

For the OP, a can or two of soda a day is no big deal, but at one point I was doing 6-8 cans a day every day (one Big Gulp is like 3-4 cans) and even switching to diet was not much better as aspartame still triggers an insulin response. My daily limit is now two cans and I usually only do one and often none. This is a lifelong soda habit which I had tried to kick before. I'm going on six months now with the cutback this time and it seems to be sticking.

 

[femurphy77]

I cold turkeyed cokes several years ago but replaced it with a large glass of kool aid, one per day. I gave that up for water but several years ago got back into the coke habit that grew into multiple 32's per day. I'm now doing a single Mexi-coke per day but regularly go several days between without. I convinced myself (easily) that most fountains didn't have the mix right, then I gave up on everything but cane sugar sweetened drinks and took that to my current infrequent schedule.

You were close to being free of it after 3 days but you'll be able to do it again.

 

[HoughMade]

Once you push through the first few days, you're golden.

My personal motto in this arena (you have to have a personal motto) is: "No drinkable calories".

It's water (sometimes carbonated) and iced tea for me (obviously not the hummingbird nectar sweet tea). I tossed the pop because I have gone NS/NG (no sugar, no grain) and i did not want to feed my cravings for sweet, even through artificial sweeteners.

BTW- if anyone thinks switching from pop to sweet tea is a good move...I beg to differ:

 

[gregkl]

I have never consumed a LOT of soda but when I decided to stop completely I was already drinking very little as far as I know. Here is what I did:

Drink soda out of the fountain, not a bottle/can. Fill the cup all the way up with ice. Fill with soda. Drink that only while eating. If any is left over, throw it away. Don't refill it, don't cut back on ice.

I never measured it, but I would guess I was consuming 6-8 oz of soda per sitting.

Now I drink ice tea. Same program. Full cup of ice. Pitch what doesn't get consumed while eating. Never refill. (But I do mix half sweetened with unsweetened at times).

When not drinking at a meal, it's always water. No pop, no tea. I do drink the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee in the morning.

Cane sugar as femurph says is the way to go if you absolutely have to drink soda. Diet is not any better than regular and I would say is worse for you. There are all kinds of physical and physiological things that happen when you drink diet that I won't get into here but trust that diet is not the way to go.

I guarantee that after some time you will start to feel better when you are not drinking the stuff. Soda has to be the worst fluid that is sold as food to drink.

Beer, wine, liquor, coffee, tea all offer at least some health benefits. Soda offers none.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I wish I could dislodge that monkey from my back!

Diet Dr Pepper is my weakness.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I wish I could dislodge that monkey from my back!

Diet Dr Pepper is my weakness.

My wife generally does all the shopping. I had her stop buying it. Then I had to make an effort at work do not drink it. I bring my own water container and that helped a lot.

You should do a weeklong camping trip where you don't bring any. And by the time you get back you are through the withdrawal.

 

[M67]

Quit drinking soft drinks 13-14 years ago. I was lucky, I didn't have withdraws or headaches or anything. One day I just decided it was something I needed to quit drinking. I had 0 caffeine for a long time then picked up coffee on a regular basis.

Only things I drink now on a normal basis is water, coffee, beer, bourbon/whiskey

So since I didn't have withdraws I guess I'm not much of a help but I can tell you once I quit it and forgot how it tasted, I never missed it

 

[Tactically Fat]

My wife generally does all the shopping. I had her stop buying it. Then I had to make an effort at work do not drink it. I bring my own water container and that helped a lot.

You should do a weeklong camping trip where you don't bring any. And by the time you get back you are through the withdrawal.

I regularly go entire weekends without it... And I'm OK. Not like I suffer the DTs or anything. I just really really really like it.

I've TRIED replicating it and replacing it with other stuffs - I just can't do it. Flavored water... Gets old to me. Plain water? I do drink plenty of that. Coffee? I TRIED switching the addiction to that and couldn't do it.

I really like the cold sweet-tasting bubbly nature of a soda or two in the morning as I sit at my desk.

 

[d.kaufman]

Gave it up about 5 years ago. Like others have said try tea.

 

[SwikLS]

I never really "gave it up" but I just dont drink it much. Usually I drink coffee or tea or water and milk for meals.

 

[Spear Dane]

Understand here what you are really doing. You aren't giving up pop. You are giving up SUGAR and that is a for real addiction. It might take you a number of tries but don't give up. Maybe try next when you can arrange 4 days off..so a 3 day holiday weekend and add in a personal day so you can be home. 3 to 4 days really should see you over the hump.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

I'm down to off/on 1 per day. You can do it. I was hitting the middle age lb gain and went to the NS/NG like houghmade. I do like an ice cold Dr. Pepper though...

 

[CountryBoy19]

BTW- if anyone thinks switching from pop to sweet tea is a good move...I beg to differ:

I think that only applies to the "Southern Style Sweet Tea" that you find in the homes of many southerners, along with some restaurants that have bowed down to the "fad" of Tea that is so sweet it has the consistency of syrup.

We used to have sweet tea at home when I was a kid; it was NEVER that sweet, I have no idea where that crap came from except people that just didn't care about their health wanting more and more and more sweetness (like my wife).

Personally, I like unsweet. I've never completely given up sugar, pop, etc, but a few years ago I decided I was going to be more mindful of those things. I drink pop maybe once a week now. The things I drink is order of what I drink the most: water, beer, tea and in the order of what I actually prefer the most: beer, tea, water. I'm just too lazy to make the tea; I can easily drink a couple gallons a week if I'm not feeling like water and I'm trying to watch my beer intake.

 

[Dino Bravo]

I too gave up soda. Only coffee, tea, and water now, other than juices, milk or lemonade. In addition to those to help with withdrawal headaches when I gave it up I took Excedrin.