I'm addicted to soft drinks! Please help me.

[MamitaM]

I'm really addicted to drinking coke, well the cheaper non name version of coke, but it's still bad for me. I'd like to find something to replace it with, something healthier. When I crave it I like the sweetness and the bubbles on my tongue and in my mouth. I've thought about trying sparkling or carbonated water instead, but I hate bubble water! What's worked for you if you've stopped drinking coke and other sift drinks?

[Amandamarie]

It's been 4 months since I've been off soda and I still miss it. What I do is combind sparkling water and a small amount of juice. ( I like organic fruit punch or mixed berry) That way I get the carbonation and flavor. I also drink lots of plain water too.  I think the soda industry puts something in their drinks to make it so addictive. I haven't had a drink in about 17 years and quit smoking 15 years ago, but the longest I been off soda is a year.

[Sol_y_Paz]

What worked for me was researching the why behind my decision.  The more supporting evidence, the better.

Plus, when I was in high school I was a serious athlete and the difference giving up soda made was so huge it could not be ignored.  

[annethcz]

When I gave up soda, I switched to drinking kombucha or beer/wine (with dinner or at night). Kombucha is very easy to make at home, and has the advantage of being fizzy.  Kombucha can be as sweet as you want it to be, and you can experiment with different flavors by adding fruit or fruit juice when you bottle it.  Of course you can also buy kombucha, but it's a lot more expensive to buy it ;)

[Toolip]

I agree with the "why" being important.  I used to crave soda but now the thought of it just disgusts me because I believe that it is poisoning my body. 

I make fizzy water kefir and llooooove it!  pm me if you want some starter grains!

[MamitaM]

I want to stop drinking it mainly b/c I don't want my son to want to drink it later on when he's old enough to ask for it. I'm also nursing and donating my milk so, even though none of my milk babies have had issues with me drinking it, it is gross! It's also super bad for my teeth!

I'd be interested in learning more about the water kefir.

[MamitaM]

Oh yeah another reason to get off the soft drinks is my bladder! It often feels like I'm getting a bladder infection if I drink to much of it at a time. I'm pretty sure that IS the cause of the weird UTI like pain I have from time to time.

[Dot-to-Dot]

I agree with the sparkling mineral water and a little juice.  I love to add cranberry juice.  The carbonation + sour taste is so refreshing and quenching.  Maybe you could start by at least switching to the R.W. Knudsen or Izze fruit drinks.  At least they are sweetened with fruit juice.  I think R.W. Knudsen even has a cola flavor? 

Also, sometimes when I crave that cold carbonated coke, I will drink a tall glass of ice water with 1/2 of a lemon squeezed in.  It's so refreshing.  Mineral water and lemon water will also help you stay a little more alkaline - if you're too acidic you are more susceptible to becoming sick so it's always beneficial to sneak in some alkalinizing foods when you can.

[outlier]

I used to be totally addicted to soft drinks too, as in I routinely drank 64 oz of it a day.  What finally worked for me was to make it a New Year's resolution to not drink any soft drinks for an entire year, and I was just stubborn enough to tough it out.   Whenever a hard craving would hit, I repeated my motto "No pop in 2009!" and drank something else.  Many, many times I got crabby and mad at myself for making such a "stupid" commitment.  Tea and coffee helped with the caffeine addiction part, though I have to say I was still having huge cravings for 4-5 months.

Now that I've been away from it so long, my teeth are whiter, I don't fart as much, I can hold my pee much longer, and soft drinks don't even taste good anymore.  Now they taste like the weird concoction of chemicals they actually are.

Best of luck to you!  If it helps, remember that the soft drink companies are not your friends.  They do not have your best interests at heart by offering this highly addictive product; quite the opposite in fact. 

[mamalex23]

I strongly suggest trying Kombucha and or Water Kefir. These are both bubbly and delicious and can be made at home for cheap, as pp's have said.

I too loooove the taste of light, sweet bubbles in my mouth and find it soothing to my stomach also. Replacing soda with these healthy bev's has been a very enjoyable and positive step in my life, it may take some adjusting, but it is so worth it. Now I never miss soda if I have water kefir or dh's yummy apple/ginger kombucha! I like them so much better than soda it is ridiculous! I make water kefir flavored with fruit juice, lime and papaya are two of my favorites. 

Plus, in addition to having a delicious and satisfying replacement for soda, you can enjoy the wonderful health benefits of these ancient tonics, such as increased energy and slight euphoria while/after drinking, good digestion/bm's, weight loss (they are appetite suppressants), no more acid reflux, stronger hair and nails, and no hangovers! (not that hangovers are a problem now that I'm a mama, but this is a great bonus for those not preg/BFing)

Good luck kicking the can! Hope this helps.

[Momsteader]

I only really like ONE kind of soda. I like bubbles, but I also really like the way that one kind tastes. So, I just quit cold turkey and went to water or iced tea (no sugar added).  Now, once in a while when I really want bubbles, I'll drink something non-cola like a Sprite or 7-up. I do not like those at all, but I get my bubble fix and think...ewh...I soda doesn't sound good after all.  LOL

[mercy589]

We have a Soda Stream (or your could just use carbonated water) and we have come up with recipes for cream soda (sooooo good!) and ginger ale, and sparkling juice.  Mmmmm... no need for soda.  ;)  Here's the ginger ale recipe - http://onelittlewordsheknew.blogspot.com/2010/10/homemade-ginger-ale.html

[Arduinna]

I don't drink much soda but I do like italian soda drinks sometimes. Just sparkling mineral water with syrups and topped with a little milk. yummy. I make homemade simple syrup and making flavored ones with juices are pretty easy. Although I'm not above buying Torani sometimes too.

[Lucy Alden]

My DD had a corn intolerance for the first 4 or so years.  One book I read recommended carbonated water and pure maple syrup.  Its sweet, bubbly and has the same color as cola.  The taste isn't quite the same but isn't too bad for a substitute.

[wannabesmc]

I finally went cold-turkey off of caffeine back in October when I realized that weaning myself was not working. For a while I ended up pretty much replacing it with Sprite, which was at least caffeine-free, even if it wasn't really any better for me. I've recently gotten hooked on lemonade. I drink either Simply Lemonade or Newman's Own, they're both all natural - probably too much sugar, but at least no HFCS. For me it's all about baby steps. Not sure what rec's to give as far as the carbonation goes, or even if you like lemonade, but that's what I've done to get myself off of soda.

[MamitaM]

I've been tempted twice, but I didn't give in. I made a nice smoothie instead last night with coconut milk I had no use for and a little pineapple juice and banana! It was soooo tasty! I saw a bottle of Kombachua, but didn't buy it b/c I'm a little afraid to try it. I don't know why, I just don't think it will taste good, I'm afraid it will taste weird and be a waste of money. I should gather up some courage and just try it though then maybe think about making my own. I looked for water kefir grains but all I could find were the milk ones so I'll keep looking. I drank Horchatta this week and liked it, but it's a bit to sweet if I drink it to often during the day. Tomorrow I'll make another iced tea. Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Kim Allen]

I never tried any of these but found it interesting...... http://www.homemade-dessert-recipes.com/effervescent-soda-recipes.html

I guess If it got to that point it might be better?

As for Kombachua I have heard alot about it lately but I am too scared to try it as well. lol.

[trixiekiddo]

This thread caught my eye, as I'm wanting to kick pop too!

This blog had good motivation for me:

 http://kellythekitchenkop.com/category/soda-pop-dangers 

[Lakeeffectsnow]

I like to drink seltzer water instead of soda.  Sometimes I add 1 part juice (or juice or peppermint ice tea) to 3 part seltzer water.  No caffeine, no corn syrup and low or no calorie.