No, I am not in league with Kate Moss and Boy George. The Coke I am talking about is ostensibly more benign than cocaine. I am talking about good, old fashioned Coca-Cola, the kind that teaches the world to sing and brings us all together. A soft drink known around the world, even by pandas on the north pole.
I don't know what it is exactly about the sugary sweet, bubbly drink that entices me so. Is it the refreshment, the caffeine, the sugar rush? Whatever it is, I drink one 500ml bottle of Coke a day. I used to think I could get away with this, just one a day, not like drinking a six-pack, or anything. Still, I have come to the realization that it is bad, and my habits need to change. Sure, I could go for diet Coke (my husband and his family drink it exclusively) but I think I'd rather chew on an old shoe than drink a diet soft drink. No matter what people say, or what advancements have been made in flavorings, I don't think diet sodas taste good. Not at all. And they leave this nasty cottony aftertaste. Blech. Not to mention that a couple of days of downing diet Cokes leaves me with mondo headaches. Any food or drink that gives you bad headaches is suspect, in my opinion. Perhaps that artificial sweetener is safe, perhaps it is not. I'd rather not take chances.
I figured now was the time to try to curb my habits, since as the weather gets cooler, I tend to crave Coke less. When it is hot out I have a habit of consuming any cool liquid that is in a one mile radius. I'm trying a stealthy every other day plan for now, downing water on the off days. The trick to this is keeping up with our bottled water supply, as the city water here has a frightening amount of salts in it. Hopefully, within a month or so, Coke will be a once in awhile treat and not an everyday habit. It tastes so much better that way.
I think I can do it, as long as they don't introduce Dr. Pepper here in Greece anytime soon. Then I'm a goner.
13 comments:
I'm sitting here at my desk (just up north of you in Tirana, Albania) and I'm drinking a flat Coke-- that's all that was left in my fridge and a flat Coke is better than no Coke at all :)
Kim
I'm a coke addict too except I do go for the diet version or 'Coca Cola Light' as it's known in non English speaking countries.
Many years ago I used to be addicted to the 'real thing', the Coke Classic however when my dentist told me that he could tell I drank coke, I decided to stop because of the sugar. Also I was putting on weight because of the sugar.
Although I am and always have been worse than you. I drink at least 2 litres a day of Coke Light. Probably more because I'm sure I drink that much at home and then I'm forever picking up 500ml bottles when I'm out and about.
So yeah, when I switched to light, at first I hated it. I missed the sugar however now I have problems if anyone orders me a regular coke, simply because all I can taste is sugar and it makes me feel ill.
So if you want to move onto light, stick with it. It does get better after a few days of cold turkey!
Yuck. To me, flat coke is better than coke and no coke is the best. Can't stand the stuff. I'm a tea addict.
Bleugh... I can only stomach the idea of drinking tea when I'm sick.
What tea are you talking about. Chamomile, Mint or that disgusting Mountain tea stuff? Can't stand those either. I'm talking about Typhoo or Tetleys or Sainsbury's Red Label. The strong tea Tea where the spoon stands up in the cup. Brick red tea, no sugar. Great.
Hi Kim! Nice to see you here, even if you are drinking flat Coke. ;)
No, EllasDevil, I will never get used to diet soda. I tried it once about a year ago for a couple of weeks and I just cannot deal with the constant headaches. As soon as I stopped drinking diet sodas my headaches stopped. Never again.
I love tea myself, been using that as a bit of a filler to get used to no Coke. But making iced tea is a pita and I'm just as lazy when it comes to hot tea.
My favorite is Twinning's Earl Grey.
Flat Coke??! Ew. I beat my Coke addiction by moving to Korea, where the Coke cans are teeny tiny, the Coke is not as carbonated, and the refrigerators are too small to hold a large supply. Now Coke is a special treat and it really does taste soooo much better that way.
Yeah, I used to be a Dr Pepper junkie, and quit drinking it except for once or twice a week, and it really makes it better. Cuts down on all that stomach acid too...
I'm with you on the diet sodas, they give me huge headaches. And they just taste BAD.
I think we could attend Coke Drinkers Anonymous together. I have TRIED to stop, but can not. The Italians don't share in my love of coke (my husband is mortified by how much I drink). I do drink the diet stuff (which tastes MUCH better in Italy then the diet in the States).
I CAN NOT, however, drink flat coke. I must have TONS of bubbles. For some reason the coke in Italy goes flat quicker. Maybe it is just an Italian conspiracy to get me to stop drinking the stuff.
When I order coke with my pasta the waiter almost has to stifle a laugh. I just smile and say "Vino Americano"!
Cyn
PS. I great way to switch to diet coke (and avoid all of that sugar) is to start by mixing a glass of half coke and half light. Then slowly start using more diet and less reg.
My dentist also "called me out" on my bad drinking habits. He could tell by my teeth that I was an avid coke drinker.
Diva, my mom drinks 'Yorkshire Tea', whenever anyone goes to or visits us from England, they have to bring as much tea as they can fit in their cases.
I dont mind weak tea, milk and two sugars when I'm sick but the rest of the time, there's no way!
Oh, and I'm drinking Coke Light as we speak!
We actually had a 'Diet Coke' crisis when I got to the States. After a long flight, I needed some. They'd been serving Pepsi on the plane (urgh) so my fix had not been satisfied. So I went into the nearest 'seven eleven' and bought a 591ml (see, yanks do everything bigger) bottle of Diet Coke and it said "sweetened with whatever" on the label and I didn't think anything of it. I took a mouthfull and it was disgusting. I was in shock. Can I survive two weeks without Diet Coke. Luckily the 'sweetened with...' was a sideline product and they actually had normal Diet Coke. I do feel the Gods were smiling down at me at that moment in time because suddenly all became right with the world.
EllasDevil, I can relate to your mum.Yorkshire tea's good. We get friends to stuff as many teabags as they can into their cases. We get through around 5/6 cups each per day. But then I don't really do coffee. Maybe twice a week but not much more.
I just don't get the coke thing. Maybe it's because I didn't grow with as a constant. Deprived childhood eh?
What is it about coke that is so addictive? Do they put something in it? Like COKE?
Great, thanks for reminding me of root beer (another thing we can't get here in Greece).
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