really coke zero

Last week I made a decision that I have tried to stick to many, many times before. I am giving up drinking Coca Cola. I’m not sure why I was never able to commit to quitting. At the height of my addiction I was drinking more than a 2 liter a day!! Every day!! I was living with room mates that were just as addicted as me if not more. We used to buy between ten and twenty two liter bottles every week. But it didn’t start there; I have been drinking it since I was little. The romantic notions of summer and world peace in their commercials always got to me. Around Christmas time I would always get the cans with Santa on them and watch with a sigh as the polar bears drank from their bottles. It was all such a nostalgic notion of an America that I really wanted to belong to as a child. I wanted the life they were associating themselves with and although I did not drink it because of the images, I think I stayed loyal to them because of it. During the Cola wars of the 80’s I always chose the side of Coke. Pepsi commercials always made it look like Pepsi was the choice of the cool kids with money or the sporty kids. I hated those kids and so I hated Pepsi. I could always tell Coke from Pepsi. I know Pepsi beat Coke in the taste tests but I was never fooled. I could always tell it was Pepsi because it lacked the acidity that I liked, and it was sweeter, which is why most people chose it. It wasn’t just the drinks either I was one of those people that began collecting all things Coca Cola. I have Cans from all over the world, and whenever they change the can. I have a polar bear that plays Christmas songs on a Saxophone. I even visited the Coca Cola museum when I was in Atlanta . I used to fantasize about buying a pool table covered in red felt with the Coca Cola logo emblazoned on it. Yeah, I was truly brainwashed.
I always found it difficult to disassociate the good times that I had while enjoying Coke floats or Frozen Coke or even enjoying Pizza with a Coca Cola from the tap with the sugary soft drink. This is why I have tried so many times before to quit but always go back to it. Even right now as I write this I was trying to rationalize making exceptions for certain circumstances because of nostalgia, but I won’t. I have been getting better at it; a few months ago I decided to stop buying Coke for the house. I could only drink it when we ate out. That made it a lot easier. In addition to not having it around I substituted Limeade for Coke. I bought lots of limes and made fresh limeade whenever I was really thirsty. It was so good that I didn’t feel like I was giving anything up. There is little that compares to fresh limeade for refreshment.
It might get hard to not have a coke when the temperatures climb but I have lots of ideas for substitute thirst quenchers that I hope will do the trick. But still there are some temptations. The kitchen at work is 15 feet from my desk and a two liter of Coke has been sitting on the counter since Thursday. It is there available for anyone to drink. I haven’t so much as twisted the cap, although I do look at it when I pass the kitchen. Addiction is a weird thing for me. I don’t like to consider myself addicted to anything and that is part of the reason that I am giving it up. But of course that is not the only reason. The things that the company has done to harm the environment, to labor and to independent businesses are pretty well known and its health effects are also pretty well documented. But if you need a reason to quit yourself, here is a quick and incomplete list of some of the ones that I know:
Coca Cola has been linked to bad labor practices and union busting even killings in Latin America
They have been linked to bad labor practices and water privatization in India
They have been sued for racial discrimination
Coca cola has been linked to low bone density and many other health detriments, but you should do your own research.
I should also note that I am quitting Pepsi as well for the same reason and I am quitting all of their subsidiary products. It might be hard but I have a strong feeling that this time I can do it. Man, so much of this language sounds like I am a two pack a day smoker. UGGHHH! I should have done this a long time ago. Wish me luck! I will let you know if I fall off the wagon. Oh and by the way they just recently bought Glaceau so Vitamin Water is now a Coca Cola product.