I hate to hear about the Coke addition, even if you admit it. There are likely ways to drink something else, even carbonated water.. and yeah, it will not have the same effect. Maybe go to 1 coke per week and then 1 per month and then maybe no cokes for a year or more... and then maybe you might consider if you want to come back to them.. It's like people drinking redbull and knowing that they are addicted and knowing that there are harmful ingredients.
I did not really drink coffee in my youth, but then I did go through some phases in my 20s and 30s, but then I would also get irritated when I was around people who insisted that they had to have coffee before they could do anything, and so maybe that was not nice behavior from me.
I did go through many years that I was drinking coffee but I was adding Bailys to it and butter and heavy whipping cream.. and then I started to NOT add bailys to it and then I started to think that drinking so much coffee was turning my teeth yellow... and maybe messing with my sleep.. so I stopped the daily coffee around June, and it seems to be better for the teeth.. and using that whitening toothpaste... .. but surely my teeth mouth and breath are not as nice as it was when I was younger, so sometimes it is tempting to just go back to drinking coffee, but I am going to stick it out a bit longer.. and just consider it as a once in a while thing rather than part of my used-to-be daily routine.. and by the way, I probably was doing the baileys, butter and heavy whipping cream for close to 10 years..and I was thinking that it was good for me.. but I think there was too much of a glucogenetic effect.
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Yes, I agree with you about Coke. It's an obviously bad habit that I should try to kick. Fortunately, my health is fine so far, and my teeth are in perfect condition, fully white and healthy (a genetic thing, I guess, took it from my father). I take good care of them, of course, visiting the dentist every 6 months for cleaning, always brushing twice/day, etc.
Carbonated water is a good solution to the Coke addiction, coupled with coffee for the caffeine effect and the taste, or maybe ice tea and other natural stuff. In this way I can get the tingling effect of the carbonation (the main attraction to drinking Coke for me), while avoiding the bad stuff (sweeteners, flavorings). It's a matter of discipline and determination. Got to take it seriously...
There may be zero calories in Coke Zero but the artificial sweeteners in diet/zero drinks are more difficult for our body to process. It's advisable to take carbonated drinks as little as possible.
You can do mineral water that is carbonated, and that is o.k. It is the ones with sweeteners (or non-sweeteners or whatever extra flavorings) that are bad for you.
Agreed, as explained above. I've tried to do it in the past, worked for a while, then I relapsed. Maybe this discussion is a good opportunity for me to give it another shot. Well, at least it's not as harmful as alcoholism (I don't like alcohol, I do drink on occasions, but there's no alcohol at home, not even beer -- no need for it, no desire to take it). Also, I've never smoked, and never wanted to.