Ask Lemmy

I like the other suggestions people are making. Another tip is to keep the sodas not always easily accessible. So if you tend to drink them at work, keep them at home, or if at home, at work.

But I think more importantly, I suggest making a habit of taking 10 breaths each time before you open a can. This isn't an exercise in willpower, where you try to wrestle the can out of your hand. Instead, you are simply taking ten breaths, and noticing whatever feelings or emotions are present around the desire to drink a soda or the anticipation of drinking it, or whatever else comes into your awareness. If you want to drink the soda after 10 breaths, drink it. If you no longer feel the need, then don't. And if you discovered a really interesting feeling, you can take another 10 breaths before deciding. It is all about noticing and becoming familiar with and accepting the feelings and emotions that are creating the impulse to drink soda. You noted that coke is your emotional support food, and I totally get that - so the way to improve is probably going to be by becoming deeply familiar with the emotions driving you to seek cokes, which will release their power over you.

Another suggestion I would make is to use ✨The Power of Friendship✨. Talk to friends, family, or partners about your goal of quitting sodas. They might have even better tips than we do. But more importantly, they can help you in ways we can't. For example, if you struggle with having soda at home, you will need a partner's agreement to remove it from home (assuming they also drink soda). They can be a sounding board for both your practical ideas and emotional struggles through the process. And they can act as accountability partners - one of the most powerful things you can do to break bad habits is to have a friend on speed dial so you can call them and say "hey, I'm really craving that third soda right now. Can we talk?"

Another suggestion - this may sound a bit dickish, but it would probably help if you just improved your life in general. Coke is your emotional support food - so it would be easier to give up if you needed less emotional support. What are the things in your life which are driving you to drink coke? Stressful job? Find ways to make it less stressful, or find a less stressful job. Hate commuting? Move closer to work. Financial trouble? Find a way to make more or spend less. I'm rattling these off like they are nothing, and they aren't - these could be some big hairy beasts of goals in your life. But you eat an elephant one bite at a time, and if these problems are causing you to be more stressed and drink more coke, it is worth getting started on them now, so that your life will be better later - even if later is a few years from now.

One final thought - I don't think giving up vices should ever be the top most important goal in your life. One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard about kicking bad habits was to try your best to fill your life up with good habits instead. If you are spending your time chasing after goals that inspire you, hanging out with good friends and meeting new people, having fun doing things you enjoy, then you will may find that the impulse you had to drink coke simply evaporates since you were always focused on something else that was more fun or interesting.

Coffee or tea? For me the caffeine addiction was a big part of it and I couldn’t kick both the caffeine and sugar at the same time. Coffee or tea are less problematic, as long as you don’t put too much cream or sugar.

Never buy soda bottles even though they’re much cheaper. Cans are smaller, pre-portioned. If I buy a bottle, I’m going to finish it, but if I buy a can then finishing it is a moderate amount.

Now I’m in a better spot where my caffeine comes from coffee, black, and my soda is one can of diet (except recently I’m discovering all these interesting sodas from other places.)

I started alternating between coke and water. Now on 2 glasses of water for each glass of coke. Hoping to get that down to 1 glass a day, then nothing, but it still seems I'm far off :)