My drug of choice....

I love am addicted to Diet Coke. I'm not kidding. I usually start the day with a McDonald's run for a 32oz. (because McDonald's has the BEST Diet Coke EVER! Really! Not all Diet Coke is the same you know.), then I usually get another one around lunch time and I continue to drink more at home throughout the day (in between all that I am lucky if I drink one, maybe two, glasses of water all day). Most days I consume around 44 oz.- 60 oz.-WAY TOO MUCH! I drink it with caffeine and without because I've had heart palpitations in the past and had doctors tell me I needed to cut back on the caffeine. I have read all the articles on how bad aspartame is (it's been shown to cause a whole slew of bad stuff from depression (hmmm...) to ALS to MS to memory problems (again, hmmm...), to weight gain (yeah...let's blame Diet Coke-not my donut addiction) to vision problems etc.) and I still drink it. I've been drinking it since High School when I would get a can in the morning before class, another at lunch and another before I left for home. After High School I quit for a few years and then one night I got a Diet Coke at a restaurant and it all came back, like an alcoholic falling off the wagon. At this point it is a true addiction, my drug of choice. I crave it! If I don't have any I can't stop thinking about it and when I finally get some I savor the first few sips as they run down my throat. Mmmmm...  For me Diet Coke isn't just a drink, it's an experience. It's a an indulgence when I don't have money to shop (I get one everytime before I shop too). It's my coffee when I need to wake up (although the caffeine doesn't seem to affect me anymore. The bubbles are what do it for me...I crave the carbonation!). It's an appetite suppressant when I don't have time to eat. It's the feel of the plastic cup in my hand and the straw between my lips. It's the coolness and bubbles on a sore throat or an upset stomach when I am sick. It's the perfect compliment to any meal, pancakes at Village Inn, a burger at Chiles, fajitas at Cafe Rio. It's my non-alcoholic tonic when the kids are drivin' me to drink. Honestly, it's my woobie (Mr. Mom anyone?).

Seriously. I need help.

So, I've decided it's time to kick the habit. The Diet Coke demons need to be exorcised! I've tried before. I have to stop cold turkey this time because in the past I have tried to ween myself slowly and I always end up back where I started when even a sip crosses my shameful lips. So, starting tomorrow (I can't start today because I just finished my first 32 oz. from Mickey-D's...the shame!) I will be a recovering Diet Coke-aholic. I'm putting up one of those cutesy little countdown thinga-majigers on this here blog so that you all can see how many days I remain sober (or how many days I don't....I'm such a pessimist!). The only problem is I've heard that in order to kick a habit you have to replace it with another. What's my replacement? I don't like juice. I don't drink coffee. I don't drink alcohol. Plain water is not high up on my list of favorites. Gum has aspartame in it too. Obviously any suggestions would be much appreciated. Maybe after this we'll work on my other addictions like sugar, and shopping.

One thing at a time guys...one thing at a time.