It's my third day as a Coke-free citizen.

I've been drinking Coke for as long as I can remember. I can't think back to a time and place when I had my first sip-- it's been a constant in my life. A part of lunch, an integral part of the family table. There'd be my dad, my siblings and an enormous two-and-a-half-liter plastic bottle of Coke in the middle of everything. My dad and I would argue and quarrel over who gets to drink more, and lunch often ended with me scavenging for a few coins and squirreling away to the convenience store, where I'd buy myself as much Coke as I could afford and drink it in the safe confines of my room, away from the prying judgmental eyes of my family.

The habit stuck with me through adulthood. I'm 21, a full-time college student and an employee at an HR consulting firm. I live in semi-financial-independence (that is, I mostly provide for myself) and there are really no "grownups" around to tell me what I can and can't do, it's only gotten worse. One of the results of growing up completely pampered and catered to (my family had two live-in maids all the time) is the lack of responsibility and personal maturity-- my weight skyrocketed when I realized I could eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. And though I have cut back significantly on my porking out to varying degrees of success, the Coke bottle was a dark mistress I kept succumbing to.

It's ridiculous. I've had friends who've quit worse stuff. I've never understood the nicotine obsession, drugs don't do it for me and even alcohol is a temporary diversion that I can easily go without. Coca Cola is the closest I've ever come to really being addicted to something. It's become such an integral part of my everyday life that I don't even give second thought to the ridiculously harmful, near-toxic black syrupy stuff I chug every day like drinking water. I don't think of its possibly harmful effects on my teeth and kidneys. Thank the proverbial superior being, I haven't had any problems with either of those yet.

Because this addiction is more psychological than it is physical. I don't get the shakes when I don't get my regular fix-- I know some people do. And I don't go through strong urges. I've stopped drinking Coke for several days in the past, just to test myself, and I've been fine. Maybe it's because I knew that, eventually, I would return to it. But this time, I intend to go through a radical change. I intend to take it all the way to 2009. And judging on how I feel by then, I might cut back to a can a day. I might not even have another Coke in my entire life.

See? It's so ingrained in my day-to-day minutiae that that thought-- never having another Coke again-- seems completely foreign and unlikely.

Let's see.

Good luck! I think a lot of people might be able to relate to this. I quit drinking Diet Coke. I've been aspartame free for a handful of years. Occasionally I'll have a pop, but only as a 'treat.' And even then the thought of drinking a pop makes my stomach turn sometimes.

Soda pop is bad stuff. You can kick the habit if you replace it with something like distilled water.

i drink about 12 diet coke 20oz at work each day

You'd be better off quitting it here in the States. We don't get the good stuff made with real sugar like you guys do.

Florida sugarcane and Iowa corn man, its a terrible combination.

I could say similar things about Mt Dew. But alas, I have a bottle right here. Almost empty. Lately I've been trying to limit myself to one a day. The thing about Dew is the caffeine content. If I drink a few a day for a while then I really need it or I get headaches, so if I limit to one a day I know that I can go a day or two without it without withdrawing.

So is Coke Zero harmful too? Coz I drink me a can a day of that.

i'm trying to shake the diet coke/aspartame habit as well

Our soda vending machine at work is free. You'd have a field day.

I couldn't turn down free mt dew. I just couldn't.

Yikes....there must be some teethless/fat mofos around your work. I'm with cutup, incidently. I'd turn yellow and have my balls shrink, as are the common rumours around Dew consumption.

they're myths

Good luck man. I quit drinking soda a few years ago and I lost quite a bit of weight.

bleh. That makes me feel ill just thinking about it.
When I was drinking diet coke like that (not even 12 a day really) I didn't feel well overall. When I quit drinking it, I started to drink more coffee. I've also quit drinking coffee. Now I drink tea and distilled water. I like beer though. And that I've had to cut back on as well. It's not good for the hips and thighs!

tell me about it sister!

It's just not fair! Someone needs to invent a negative calorie beer. A good tasting one.

i couldnt never do this

I love coke, but now I moderate, I never drink more than 1 can in a day, except if im in a restaurant.

oh me too and it doesn't help that i use this as a mixer for spirits

How many mls is this? I get the feeling this is a ridiculous amount, but I can't picture it.