Introduction
Overcoming an addiction is a complex task that requires a person to pay attention to his or her psychological, physical, and emotional states. In many cases, it seems that addictive behaviors can be stopped easily, yet the reality is more complicated. Along with drug and alcohol abuse, addiction can be developed regarding eating, gambling, shopping, and so on. This paper reflects on my experience of quitting diet coke drinking within two weeks.
Identifying Reasons for Choosing Diet Coke
The first reason for selecting diet coke is my mental addiction since I cannot imagine my day without it. The evidence includes no official definition for such addiction, but I feel that excessive amounts of diet coke make me dependent and change my behaviors. For example, I have observed that my nervous system is impacted by this drink: I experience strong cravings and the inability to control my soda intake. Also, it seems that I have a thirst that can be satisfied only with this drink, not even water. My addiction appeared slowly, and I noticed it recently while buying another couple of cans.
The second reason for choosing diet coke to quit is uncertainty about its impacts on health. Addiction to diet coke is similar to substance use since it makes a person drink it every day due to the presence of caffeine and sugar. These habit-forming ingredients make soda especially enjoyable, which causes the associations between mental and physical pleasure and the drink (Zafar et al., 2017). In turn, diet coke also contains caffeine, but sugar is supplemented by aspartame (phenylalanine) which leads to some side effects. Among them, the anti-aspartame activists list depression, weight gain, headaches, cancer, seizures, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and so on. The truth about these risks is that the American Heart Association, the World Health Organization, and authoritative bodies endorse the use of 40mg aspartame per one kg of body weight. In one can, there is 190 mg, and to exceed the limit, a person should drink more than five cans daily (Zafar et al., 2017). Nevertheless, some studies report that the systematic use of aspartame is likely to escalate the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Examining Self-Awareness
To monitor my progress, I documented my psychological, biological, social, and spiritual reactions for two weeks. When I have started this assignment, I was optimistic about my ability to do this, but the second day showed that it would be much more difficult. The psychological dimension of my well-being was probably the most pronounced since I had a range of feelings. For example, several days went by without any changes in my mood, but the next days were full of struggle and thoughts that even one can help me to feel better. After more than a week without diet coke, I lost weight, and it gave me more strength to continue. The last days were marked by the understanding that I did it.
From the biological point, I have noticed two changes, including weight loss and clearer urine. In total, I lost ten pounds, and it made me feel happier. In terms of the social area, there were no changes within the first days of my attempt to quit drinking diet coke. Smiles from my wife, and the fact that she noticed changes were the most positive issues. I did not communicate much with my friends, but their encouragement was useful for me to achieve my goal. The spiritual dimension is associated with the beliefs and religious aspects that often help people. I also referred to God, asking Him to guide me on my way and get through this. During these two weeks, I continued to rely on God, and, ultimately, I felt that everything is possible since He loves people. In general, paying close attention to all of the mentioned dimensions allowed me to consider a full picture and better understand my behaviors and attitudes.
Discussing My Experience Regarding Other Substance Use Addictions
When the alcohol intake becomes constant, the hangover state sooner or later is replaced by a withdrawal syndrome. It includes several symptoms of a hangover, but with this syndrome, a small amount of alcohol drunk the next day improves well-being, reduces or even removes weakness and headache (Jesse et al., 2017). As a result, alcohol withdrawal syndrome leads to a severe multiple-day drinking spree. The manifestation of alcohol withdrawal syndrome reliably indicates that the patient has developed alcoholism. Similarly, I felt something like the withdrawal syndrome at the psychological level as I was sure that diet coke will provide me with energy and better overall well-being. Since my substance was not as toxic as alcohol, my withdrawal was less difficult.
Often, a person is inclined to regularly drink alcohol as it is related to a false association between pleasure and relaxation or communication with friends. Such a need develops gradually, mainly in socially-disadvantaged communities against the background of economic turmoil (Rhemtulla et al., 2016). In a general sense, the positive image of alcohol is to be gradually replaced by the ideals of healthy leisure, sports, and family values. Comparing these statements with my experience, it is possible to note that becoming healthier was one of my goals, while weight loss turned out to be an additional positive outcome. At the same time, I believe that by quitting my addiction, I became more aware of myself, which gives me greater opportunities for managing my behaviors and remaining conscious of my reactions to substances. The evidence shows that there are people who can use substances without developing addictions, as reported by Jesse et al. (2017). However, my diet coke drinking indicates that I am prone to addictions and that it is better to be alert regarding other substances as well.
Many people tend to see the advantage of drinking alcohol or using drugs in their antidepressant effects. Substances do not have such an impact; it does not relieve depression but disguise and hide it (Rhemtulla et al., 2016). The mechanisms of the formation of depression are quite complex: it has both underlying and external causes. The changes in the body during depression relate not only to mood and behavior, but also to the functioning of certain parts of the brain, as well as nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. Thus, depression after giving up alcohol is often not a primary outcome, but a relapse of depression since before this, the manifestations of depression were successfully masked by alcohol intoxication. Accordingly, I felt some slight expressions of negative thinking, anger, and weakness. During some days, my negative thoughts were overwhelming, but it is not possible to reduce depression to such thoughts only. Nevertheless, I believe that my experience was similar to those of other people quitting alcohol and /or drug use.
Speaking of my plans on the use of diet coke, I would like to emphasize that I do not plan to drink it. In my point of view, the complete abandonment of substance use is not an easy task, and it will require the strength of the person and his or her environment. For those who are addicted to alcohol and drugs, the intervention of doctors and psychologists, as well as support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, may be necessary. In my turn, I will try to find such a group in social networks or I can create one. Changing my usual way of life and going beyond the existing comfort zone is always difficult. However, there is life after quitting substance use, and it seems to be more positives. There is an improvement in physical condition, the establishment of personal and social relations, opportunities for professional, career, and personal growth. Finally, I want my life to be without pathological dependence, while I believe that one’s greater awareness of self is beneficial for both personal development and relationships with others.
Conclusion
To conclude, this paper reflected on my successful experience of quitting diet coke use. The dependency journal helped me to document my biological, spiritual, social, and psychological dimensions to understand the occurring changes. I found that the majority of difficulties were related to psychological issues since I felt that it could be only a can of diet coke that would make me feel better. Asking God to help me and noticing my wife’s smiles were also important. The comparison of the withdrawal syndrome that is experienced by those stopping drug and alcohol use showed that I had similar problems in a milder form. I plan to continue living without diet coke to make my body healthier and increase my self-awareness.
References
Jesse, S., Bråthen, G., Ferrara, M., Keindl, M., Ben‐Menachem, E., Tanasescu, R., Brodtkorb, E., Hillbom, M., Leone, M.A., & Ludolph, A. C. (2017). Alcohol withdrawal syndrome: Mechanisms, manifestations, and management. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 135(1), 4-16.
Rhemtulla, M., Fried, E. I., Aggen, S. H., Tuerlinckx, F., Kendler, K. S., & Borsboom, D. (2016). Network analysis of substance abuse and dependence symptoms. Drug and Alcohol dependence, 161, 230-237.
Zafar, T., Naik, Q. A. B., & Shrivastava, V. K. (2017). Aspartame: Effects and awareness. MedCrave Online Journal of Toxicology, 3(2), 23-26.