So as you may recall, I decided to give up Diet Mountain Dew for lent this year. Which has been extremely challenging for me. I was typically consuming a 2 liter a day sometimes more. So needless to say the last 311 hours, yes I have counted, have been some of the hardest of my life, or so it seems. I have passed out from exhaustion, been unable to sleep for nearly 5 days, laughed, cried, ached, you name it. It is like I have become a whole new person. I donno if any of you have ever been so addicted to something and then tried to live without it, it honest to goodness is crazy how different I feel although I am mostly getting used to the non-soda self again.
But as this has been a challenge like no other I thought I would pass on some survival tips that have helped me thus far. If you have any additional suggestions please share.... as I am not quite a third of my way there, and it certainly is still a struggle at times.
---After the first day I pretty much thought I was gonna die I was experiencing major caffeine withdrawals; major head-aches, depressed thoughts, fatigue yet restless nights, and constantly had to fight off my urges and sub- consciousness that kept drawing me to my delicious dew. I fought them off trying to focusing on why I was doing this in the first place. To go without to get a since of what Jesus did on that cross and that humbled me big time... Here I was barely able to give up soda a few hours and Jesus never even tasted the stuff, let alone all the beating and sacrifices he made for me I am pretty sure dew is nothing in comparison.
--- As for fighting some of the symptoms themselves I felt the need to counter act them slightly hoping to find a viable alternative I went to the drug store and decided to get some 5 hour energy hoping that could at least get me through work. Yet to my surprise they now card you for buying them, and since I still can pass for 12 at the buffet and had lost my licence somewhere admits the laundry, I was lost for hope. So I had to stick to drinking tons of water to keep me having to pee aka unable to sleep, and taking aspirin for the headaches.
---Also to help boast the energy and moral I played DDR whenever I got the chance...getting mighty good too as a result...see good things can come from sacrifice.
---To help reduce the cravings I would supplement them with Shamrock shakes!!!! Which are pretty much the best things on Earth.... Now up to 25 for the season!!!
Some other things that have helped me as I fight to stay true to my lent commitment are reading all the negative things about caffeine addictions and soda intake. As it turns out there is a lot of research out there to suggest that moderately high doses of caffeine (more than a few cups of caffeine-containing beverages per day I think a 2-liter of dew classifies) can lead to fertility problems, tachyarrhythmia (abnormally increased heart rhythm), high cholesterol, boost a woman's risk of osteoporosis and aggravate fibrocystic breast disease, heart rhythm abnormalities, high blood pressure, ulcers and premenstrual tension and cause panic attacks.
Yuck nothing I want... If you like me are addicted to caffeine I would suggest a more gradual reduction in your amount as going cold turkey was a real bare at first...yet I am doing a whole lot better each day and starting not to even miss my dew. Well at times any how.
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