I never thought I would type or say those words, not in a million years. But in February of 2006 Alvin was admitted to the hospital. Over the next six weeks my sweet husband underwent so many medical procedures to save his life. It was touch and go so many times that I feared falling asleep or going home. Every time I did, he crashed. Two weeks into this hospital stay is when I went down to the vending machine and purchased my first Mountain Dew. When I say first, I mean that I'd had one on occasion when driving on long trips, but at this point, I hadn't had a soda pop in ten years. But I needed something to keep awake and Mountain Dew did the trick.By the end of the six weeks I was downing six to eight a day just to stay awake, just to keep moving forward. Time went on and Alvin recovered and life resumed in a normal fashion . . . kind of. The end result is the situation I find myself in now.
Now I need it to get through every day. There are no more emergencies. Nobody dying. Nobody needing surgery. Nobody needing constant care and attention. And I'm still drinking Mountain Dew every single day.
I'm not stupid, I know how bad pop is for me, not to mention caffeine.Carbonation leaches the caclium from your bones.
High fructose corn syrup (which is in every blessed thing by the way) is linked to obesity (especially in the belly), diabetes type 2, Parkinsons and more
Caffeine overuse includes side effects such as: dizziness, tachycardia, blurred vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, flushed dry skin, diuresis, loss of appetite, dehydration . . . do I need to say anymore?
And yet, here I am in all my stupidity, trying to kick an addiction. While I like to think I wake up looking like this every day . . . okay, obviously I'm delusional (do you think I can blame that on the caffeine too?) I don't look like Cindy Crawford, I just wish I did. She probably drinks coffee every day too and still looks like that! Really, nobody wakes up looking like that in the morning!
Nevertheless, I digress. I'm more like this guy come mid-morning. Trade the coffee out for Mountain Dew and that would be me.So I made a pact with my girlfriend, we were kicking the caffeine habit. She did. I didn't. I fell off the wagon.
I decided to give myself a little accountability. So I'm writing about this today. I am now 48 hours, and counting every agonizing, excruciating second, without caffeine.
Over on the righthand column you'll find a section dedicated to the kicking of this habit. I just wish Mountain Dew didn't taste so dang good! But I am relegated to water and milk, which I love! Wish me well.
And last, but certainly not least --- BYU faces Air Force today as is the lone team standing between them and an undefeated season. GO COUGARS! Don't forget to cheer for our boys. This is a must win.
Kicking the Mountain Dew Addiction
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Rating:
You can do this! I'll be sending some positive thoughts and prayers your direction. Hang in there. These first few days will be the worst - but I know you can do it.
ReplyDeleteGO COUGARS - and
GO CANDACE!!!
Hey Woman!!
ReplyDeleteYou can do this, I promise! Eat lots of fresh salads -- they will help keep you awake while you're kicking this.
Hey, if I can get off chocolate, there is hope for a great many things in this world. :)
I'll be rooting on the Cougars today (on TV), let's kick some butt!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals! You can do it!!!
About 8 years ago, I quit a lot of addictions--sugar, milk, fatty foods, cookies, cakes, blah, blah, blah. The absolute hardest one to give up was the Diet Coke. I can watch people eat hamburgers, french fries, desserts of all sorts and hardly bat an eye. But someone with a Diet Coke Big Gulp? After 8 years I STILL want to knock them down and steal it. Especially on days like today when I'm half way through a UB marathon--four workshops in 24 hours. But the abstinence gets easier. Really, it does.
ReplyDeleteI have a thing on my fridge that says, "Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels." I chant that as a mantra when the temptation is strong.
Good luck on letting go of the MD. I know you can do it. It does get easier after the first couple of weeks.
I'm feelin' ya! I am addicted to Dr. Pepper. It was an addiction created in the past year or so- the reasons aren't as good as yours- but I'm in the same boat. It's HARD isn't it? grrrrrrr
ReplyDeleteKeep trying! You can do this Candace!! {but can i? hehe}
Good for you! Mine is Coke (real, not that diet garbage) and I haven't yet been able to do it. I'm going to take my inspiration from you!
ReplyDeleteJeri - thanks for dropping by and for the support. And was that a kickin' game today or what? GO COUGARS! Thanks for giving me the equal GO CANDACE. I'm trying hard.
ReplyDeleteTristi - thanks, I'll take your advice. Good thing I love salads. I just got home from watching the game and am exhausted (long couple of days and still Jeff Savage's class to teach tonight.) Hopefully the salad will pull me through.
Jen - Oh yeah, our Cougars kicked some serious butt!
Karlene, you inspire me with all you've accomplished. I'm so proud of you. Thanks for the support.
Ajoy - Dr. Pepper is my poison of choice when I can't get Mountain Dew. So I'm going off pop all together. I mean really, why drink pop if you can't drink the previously mentioned?
Holly -- good luck. I'm cheering you on!
My husband struggles with Pepsi but he's pretty good about not bringing it into the home. It just helps him get through work. He's in law enforcement and so I have not bugged him about it because I couldn't do what he does on a daily basis so if Pepsi is only bad habit, I'm okay with that. I do worry about his long term health though. My children are getting old enough now though that they are begining to choose Pepsi or other caffinated drinks and I'm not so sure about that. I hate to see them make choices that could cause them grief someday. Anyways, You can do it! I'm cheering for you. It will be so worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laurie. It's a good solution when you have to stay awake, unfortunately it becomes a habit and then you're stuck with having to kick it. Believe me, I understand that better than most. I was desperate when I started drinking it and now, here I am.
ReplyDeletehi candace:
ReplyDeleteYOU CAN SO DO THIS!! you can also drink juice, not just milk and water. these are my three main drinks.
i used to drink 4 cups of coffee every single day before i would drink anything else. i was so addicted. i loved it, i loved how it smelled, i even loved how it tasted. but finally, i decided this is not good for me, i must stop (mainly it was because of my stomach upsets ... and this was also before i chose to join our church). so, i just decided and that day or the next, i went completely cold turkey. i have never drank another cup since. and funny thing is that now whenever i smell the rancid stuff, i am gagged. i now think it smells DISGUSTING and i try to hold my breath a little when i get a whiff of it, cause i can not stand the smell of it at all. the smell makes me feel sick.
YOU CAN SO DO THIS! and you will feel so much better i am sure of this. take care girl and glad that nobody is hurting or in the hospital who might tempt you to resume your MD habit.
i'm rootin for you candace!
blessings,
kathleen :)
Thanks, Kathleen. I appreciate the support and look forward to the day I don't long for a sip of MD. But right now, I'm holding strong.
ReplyDeleteMy addiction was to Coke. But after an intense sugar and caffeine withdrawl, I honestly don't much care for it anymore. Thank heavens, I never went for Mountain Dew. Isnt' it a ghastly yellow? Reminds me of something else if that helps you avoid it. I know you can do this. Now if only I can overcome my addiction to junk food.
ReplyDeleteFramed,
ReplyDeleteThese addictions are nasty things aren't they? Thanks for dropping by.
Good luck with this! You can so do it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big believer in the reward system...how about for every Mountain Dew you don't drink, you put the money in a jar, and save it up for another book, or a date night with Alvin, or a great pair of shoes... This gives you another action to obsess over. I know, brutal, isn't it?
Good luck!
What a great idea, HipWriterMama. I'll start that today!
ReplyDeleteI've quit Mountain Dew about 4 times now. sigh.
ReplyDeleteCameron -- I'm in the throes of withdrawal wishing I'd never started drinking Mountain Dew. But I sure love the way it tastes! I really feel terrible today. Four times, huh? This is my third time.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a bit late on this - I've been working insteading of perusing blogs as much as I'd like this week... I'm a Diet Dr Pepper addict also. I switched to caffeine free when my ulcers acted up, and I just can't stop! Good luck to you! I hope you're holding strong. You can do it! I stopped smoking cold turkey and if I can do that... Anything is possible.
ReplyDeleteMindi - thanks for the encouraging words. I'm hanging in there. I don't feel well because of the withdrawal, but hey there's always a price to pay when you do something you know you shouldn't have, right?
ReplyDelete