Drinking too much soda

  • Thread starter Thread starter la_petit_fleur
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
la_petit_fleur said:
Thanks for this perspective. I think I do rely on it for comfort and stress relief, and it seems like only God should be the one I turn to for those things.
Click to expand...
This isn’t true.

Many people who experience stress are faithful Christians who turn to God, but also require medications, therapy, deep-breathing exercises, a walk in the outdoors, a romp with their pet, poetry or perhaps humor, etc. Children use teddy bears (I have one, and I’m 62!), blankets, and other comfy objects to help them with stress.

There is no sin here.

I am a soda fiend, and I honestly find a cold Diet Coke so relaxing and delicious!

Years ago, a wise older Christian woman told me, “Be very careful of anything that will steal your joy.” I advise you to do the same.

To me, the only “sin” of soda consumption is that the money to pay for it could be given to better causes. On the other hand, soda is one of the very cheapest beverages, and if you have the option of buying it on sale, it can cost as little as 25 cents a can for the REAL soda (not the cheap generic brands). No way does beer, wine, or coffee cost so little.

Also, in many restaurants, there is an option for unlimited free refills of soda–not so for wine or beer. In diners and family restaurants, they will usually refill your coffee cup, but not in the trendy coffee shops.

I say, “Enjoy” one of life’s simple pleasures and don’t obsess over it.

And yes, I have driven out in a blizzard to re-stock my Diet Coke supply!

The other possible “sin” of soda consumption is the sugar–you really have to be diligent about limiting the sugary sodas once you start getting older, and even when you’re younger. Back in the early 2000s, there were medical reports of active young women in their mid-20s being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and the cause was attributed to a diet that consisted mainly of drinking Mountain Dew all day long, with no food! After all, five 20-oz Mountain Dews is only 1500 calories, and that’s what these young women were doing, which wreaked havoc on their pancreases and caused them to become diabetic!

So be careful. I know a lot of people claim that the artificial sugars are just as bad, and perhaps they are, but I think a lot of the science for this is kind of dicey. One thing to be careful of if you switch to diet sodas is compensating for the lack of sugar by eating more sweets, or consuming hidden sugars in foods like breads and pastas.
 
By the way, several years ago, I cut my “sugar” sodas to one 20 oz Mountain Dew a day (first thing in the morning), and constant diet sodas during the day–and lost 80 pounds.

So it’s possible to drink sugary sodas in moderation and remain at a normal healthy weight, and even lose weight.

Again, be careful of anything that “steals your joy.”

I know some people consider it pathetic that a bottle of Mountain Dew can bring joy to my life. Well, that’s the way it is. I come from a teetotaling hillbilly family. Soda is our “alcohol.” My husband and I just spend around $70 last night for a supply of soda for a family party today.

And I don’t drink coffee, and only drink hot tea in the winter when I’m sitting by the door and shivering in a restaurant. And carbonated water is really icky–it’s like a medicine!
 
Last edited:
I kind of “weaned” myself off sodas by telling myself that before I could have a 12 or 20 ounce can or bottle, I had to drink the equivalent in water first. Sometimes I decided I really didn’t want the soda and it became few and far between the times that I still wanted the soda afterward. I did this because my doctor told me (after I’d been in the ER for kidney stones) that I had to up my water intake.
 
Here’s why it’s not healthy:

www.telegraph.co.uk

This is what happens to your body when you drink Coca Cola

A new infographic reveals exactly what happens when fizzy drinks enter your system
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

I had gestational diabetes for my last pregnancy so I stopped all added sugar to beverages like coffee and tea.

I like real Coke. Not diet, although Coke Zero tastes more like real Coke. I’ll have a can over ice a couple of times a year as a treat.

But during the day there are just so many calories that I can consume. I’d rather eat something tasty than drink a soda.
 
Hi ! I started drinking soda to stay awake on long road trips. I progressed to drinking two 2 liter bottles of Coke Zero a day !

I was severely addicted. During 20 years of soda addiction, I kept feeling the gentle “tugging” of the Holy Spirit to not drink so much soda. I knew soda was not good for me; and I felt powerless.

Over time, I tried switching to Green tea, or Gatorade, or Powerade…just anything else besides soda!

Pray specifically for help/assistance to wean off of soda. This worked for me! One day I was driving and the thought came into my mind - stop and get a soda - and at the same time I felt a tiny, tiny, amount of strength from The Holy Spirit to withstand this temptation…! Thanks be to God!

Like any temptation, the power of our Lord can assist us. I am 2 years “clean” ! ! 😀
 
Caffeine can be addictive in large quantities. Moderate use of caffeine is permissible, but it is important to break the addiction.
 
It can be a fairly small amount in short term exposure that causes caffein withdrawal.

I am highly tolerant of caffeine and other stimulants (dentist, confused: “You should not have felt that!” [I need multiple novocaine shots for them to work]).

I can drink a pot of coffee and go to sleep; it kept me awake once in my life, I believe, and several evening iced teas one other time. It does not keep me alert or make me jumpy. Eventually, though, the caffein makes my bladder uncomfortable.

That said, I switched entirely to decaf at one point in grad school, keeping a little pot in my office and leaving the coffee club in my suite–even though it doesn’t phase me directly, a couple of pots a day, sipped on throughout the day, run my body down after a while.

Anyway, I noticed I had Tuesday morning headaches, and finally figured out why: I drank the coffee that my wife made on the weekend, and Tuesday was caffein withdrawal headaches.

So I took too having a single cup of caffeinated.

These days, it’s all caffein again, but a single pot shared with wife and kids.

Anyway, the point is that relatively small short term exposure can indeed cause mild addiction to caffein.
 
la_petit_fleur said:
but I feel like it might be an idol in my life,
Click to expand...
If you really feel it’s an idol, flee from it like you would from a venomous snake. Sacrifice it to God.

Scott Hahn once explained why God demanded animal sacrifices in Old Testament times, it’s because at the time people were worshipping those animals, so God demanded His people to prove their love for Him by killing those animals that others worshipped. Scott Hahn likened it to an alcoholic choosing to turn back to his family and away from drinking he might take a bottle of alcohol and smashing it every day as proof to his family he’s never going to forsake them again. Perhaps you could pour down the sink a soda everyday until it’s chains over you are broken and you know it’s no longer an idol and Jesus is first in your life?
 
dochawk said:
It can be a fairly small amount in short term exposure that causes caffein withdrawal.

I am highly tolerant of caffeine and other stimulants (dentist, confused: “You should not have felt that!” [I need multiple novocaine shots for them to work]).
Click to expand...
I’m the same way.

If I can’t sleep, I’ll get up and make a cup of black tea. I’ll finish it and go right off to bed. (No coffee for me, just black tea.)

And like you, I also need that extra shot of novocaine. And I’ve also found out that I need more propofol for sedation than most folks.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top