How To Overcome Soda/Soft Drink Addiction

Are you a soda/soft drink addict? Well, I was on top of the "soda addicts list" once and I can tell you at no cost that overcoming my soda addiction didn't happen in a day. Back in my "excess soda consumption days", I could drink as much as 6 bottles of soda everyday. One for every meal, one for any boring moment and just to satisfy my addiction. I was so addicted to soda that my mum thought my favourite brand ought to have made me an ambassador. 

Excess soda consumption has a major role to play in weight gain and if you're a weightloss journey, you might want to evaluate your soda consumption.

So how do I overcome my soda addiction?

1. First you need to understand why you're quitting soda, for me it was simply because I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and also save up the money I spent on soda. Back then I spent at least 10,000 Naira monthly on soft drinks, (calculating the cost of a bottles at 100 Naira ).

2. Look for healthier substitutes for your favourite soda/ soft drink. Water is the healthiest and cheapest substitute, but making the switch and adapting could be likened to climbing mountain Everest in an hour. You could try natural fruit juices, iced green tea or lemon water. I chose water because I wanted to make a drastic change so I just conditioned my body to adapt to it as rapidly as it could.

3. Try to track your soda consumption and develop a quitting schedule. When you realise the amount of soft drink you consume weekly, try to cut that amount by 25% and gradually increase it the next week. Ensure you also increase the consumption of the substitute you choose and increase it as you reduce your soda intake.

4. If most of the soda you drink contains loads of caffeine, you may experience slight headaches for a few days or week. You may also feel tired sometimes, but after a week or 2 weeks your body will be more stabilised.

5. Finally you need to realise that overcoming any addiction is never a walk in the park. There's always going to be the temptation to go back to where you used to be, but you need to overcome this temptation. You can liken this temptation to a love relationship gone bad. There's always that temptation to try to rekindle things, but if all you got from that relationship was everything but good, why go back? 

Bottom line is you need to love yourself enough to make the right decisions even when they seem like the toughest ones.

Are you battling soda addiction or did you battle it once? Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

Life is beautIFU!