Let’s break our soda addictions together
Wanna join me in quitting soda?
Why do this together? I know I’m going out on a limb by asking here (especially since I’ve just started this blog), but I’m doing it anyway – this would be SO much more fun to do with others! We can talk about crazy/fun ideas to motivate this, remind each other why it’s a noble goal, and then celebrate a small victory together, too. Kick the habit once and for all if you’re like me, and have tried this a few times already. 
Why is this worth the effort? My reasons: soda is expensive, and it hurts my stomach. It’s staining my teeth. When it’s not diet, it’s high-calorie; when it is diet, it’s a mystery food. Whether or not the caffeine, chemicals, and aluminum is causing higher risk for cancer and Alzheimer’s is all debatable, but it’s probably safe to say that Coke is at least not a health food.
Finally, it’s a good, reasonable goal, and one that many people probably have. So a good one to do together.
I’ve tried to quit. I’ve quit cold-turkey before, and it works for a while – until I forget why Coke was really all that bad to begin with, and when a friend grabs a Coke or offers me one, I think I can enjoy just that one. Soon one leads to two, which leads to maybe four a day, and I’m back in the same place again. Yuck. It’s time to finally achieve this goal and move on with life.
I go right back to it, because Coke represents so many wonderful things: community, a nice break, summertime, happiness, vacation. Delicious fizziness. So this time, it’d be super totally cool to replace this fuzziness with a new goodness: a small group of awesome people with the same healthy goal.
Jeez, soda’s not that bad, why the big deal?
Drinking one soda is not that bad. It’s all relative, but in my opinion, even drinking four sodas a day is in itself not that bad. However, I’m a firm believer in the fact that lots of tiny little good decisions pave the way for more good decisions. To do big things one day – build meaningful businesses, end malaria, give water, empower girls – I think you’ve gotta conquer smaller things first, so you have something to give later. I want to start with the little personal stuff – quit soda, lose weight, exercise more – knowing that these things will give me a happier, healthier life with more to give. Win-win-win.
My goal with this post is to draw out people who already have the same goal – not to convince you it’s a good goal to have. It’s your choice; there’s a ton of stuff on Google to help you decide. Heck, I saw a post yesterday somewhere arguing that caffeine fights depression, even, there’s plenty of stuff supporting all sides. It’s my personal opinion that soda is a net negative to me, but that may not be the same for you. If so, totally cool.
So, calling all colleagues with the same goal: who’s in?
You’re a fellow scientist, not the experiment.
I’ll define the goals I have in my head, just as a baseline – but these need not be your goals, too. I’m just looking for people with the same overarching goal: drink less soda.
My rules (subject to change based on discussion):
- Try to drink as little soda as possible, at least til Christmas.
- I’m allowed to drink a soda, but I have to donate $20 to Charity:Water for each drink. So, soda’s not 100% off-limits, just severely moderated.
- Discuss good strategies for this with you guys. What good stuff can we replace soda with, that would be just as exciting? What other benefits/motivation is there for drinking less of this?
That said: who’s with me? Holla on Twitter, PM me, email me, whatever works. Maybe we’ll find ways to add on to the experiment, to make this super fun. Let’s conquer this!
Update: 10/6/11
It’s been over a week! (Yeah, I started a little early ). Giving up soda this time has been much easier, because I’ve done well to isolate the goal. In the past, I’d try to replace soda with water only, trying to cut calories AND cost, at the same time as breaking an addiction. This time, I’ve totally treated myself – surrounding myself with delicious Naked smoothies, coconut water, lemonade, tea, and ordering lemonade or something fun each time I’m out to eat and my company orders soda. It’s working pretty well!
[...] concrete goals. Yes, I have a lot of them – photoblog at k8ee.com, 1×52, and lately giving up soda, along with lots of other small pursuits – but I’m finding that the [...]