Waging War on Soda

Who here likes soda? I'm definitely guilty.

I mostly drink Vitamin Water, fruit juice, milk, etc. But soda creeps into my diet sometimes. I cut it out about a year ago in the first place because the acid in soda is terrible for tooth enamel. And because I have a serious weakness for Coke... not the Diet variety. I definitely didn't need an extra 140 calories per diem, consumed by drinking, no less. (If I'm going to drink my calories, I'd prefer them to come from a gin and tonic or a Woodchuck on tap, thank you very much.)

So why am I even writing this post if I rarely drink soda anymore?

Well, during my Play Therapy class the third week in May, I was up and at 'em at 6:45, an hour I don't even want to think about. I was in class from 8:00 until 5:00 for a full week. I definitely needed a little caffeine boost to kick-start my day, but I couldn't do as so many of my classmates did and bring coffee. Coffee makes me, ahem, go. You know what I mean. I have a staunch rule against going in public restrooms, particularly those which are within earshot of an entire class, and which 20 women need to share for five days. Other people, I learned, have no such rule. You're welcome.

Anyway, I wouldn't have stayed awake through the history of play therapy or hour-long videos of Terry Kottman without DP10. Yeah, yeah, "it's not for women," but it sure as hell did the trick for this woman.

Please note the koozie, compliments of Miss Liz Ries of Epsilon Chi chapter.

I drank one soda every day for a week, which segued into buying a six-pack of real Coke in glass bottles in OBX. That led to fairly heavy consumption of soda because I was without my beloved Vitamin Water and skim milk. Last week was essentially my "detox" week, during which I think I drank two Dr. Pepper 10s. Monday, during my weekly Kroger visit, I bought a case of DP10. I keep telling myself (and others), "Oh, I don't drink soda anymore, I do V8," or "I'll have tea instead." The fact is, whether I'm willing to admit it at Secret Cokes Anonymous, I've become a soda-drinker again.

Granted, I'm drinking diet soda, which has zero to 10 calories per can. I'm drinking one a day, and certainly sweating out more than that each morning at the gym. The carbonation, however, is wreaking havoc on my body... I'll spare you the deets. My teeth sure as heck aren't getting any whiter, despite my best brushing and flossing efforts. And that tooth enamel? Let's just say it's weeping at my blatant disregard for its well-being. Obviously, soda has NO health benefits, and it affects the body, whether I have one a day or one a year. It also makes me feel falsely full, replacing nutrients and more healthful beverages I could be putting into my body instead. Don't worry, I already know I'm preaching to the choir.

Sigh. It looks like I've fallen back into the trap of relying on soda for flavor and open eyelids. The good news is that such a condition is not permanent, nor was it forced upon me by Coca-Cola, Inc. All I need to do to remedy this is pour myself a glass full of cold, delicious milk/water/juice! All this writing has made me thirsty...

P.S. Are you a soda-drinker? If so, what's your pleasure? If not, why? How long ago did you give up the good stuff?