“Nothing is certain in life apart from death, taxes and withdrawal symptoms when giving up Diet Coke…” – Old Saying (probably)
The first day of my new life without Diet Coke is coming to an end. It is now 11pm on New Year’s Day and it has been 22 hours since my last drink (queue round of applause as though I am in rehab).
I am in a state of unhappiness and despondency – as LSFOADCA (Long Suffering Fiancée of a Diet Coke Addict) will testify. Clearly, my body is missing what it has become accustomed to: carbonated sweet chemicals.
I have had a constant headache since this afternoon and painkillers are having minimal impact. I am feeling drowsy and finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than the pulsating throbs at the front sides of my head.
Why is this? A quick glance at the ingredients of Diet Coke offers two main suspects – aspartame and caffeine.
Aspartame:
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is used in Diet Coke to replace sugar. In short, it enables drinks to be sweet without having any of the calories that are inevitable with sugar. Due to chemical biology, aspartame is highly addictive and the human body is ‘tricked’ into wanting more and more. Not good!
Caffeine:
Caffeine is a stimulant to the central nervous system. Regular consumption causes physical dependence (as any coffee addict will testify!). If you have caffeine regularly and then stop abruptly, the human body will experience withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, anxiety and irritability. Not good either!
I will explore the relationship between Diet Coke, aspartame and caffeine in much more detail throughout this blog – however at the moment I simply must go to bed!
Roll on day 2…
Diary of a Diet Coke Addict 