I got into the very, very bad habit of drinking Diet Coke. What was once an uncommon occurrence became a daily occurrence. I always knew that the carbonation and caffeine weren’t good for me, but what I didn’t realize was how poisonous Aspartame is. Yes, yes, I know that there is controversy that swirls around Aspartame and that the FDA swears that it is safe. Yet at the same time, it’s hard to not question their assertion when you experience symptoms that other people claim to suffer by drinking large amounts of a drink that contains the sweet, unnatural stuff.
I have tried to get off Diet Coke once before, about a year ago. After thirty days of increased food consumption and gained weight, I got mad and went back to drinking it because—face it—Diet Coke is a good appetite suppressant. But my addiction grew and I was consuming it on a daily basis.
Last week an acquaintance told me that she got off the poison and has been off for three months. She feels great! Her headaches are gone, she doesn’t experience heart palpitations anymore, she has more energy, she sleeps better… Hmmm, it all sounded too familiar.
So I decided right then to get off Diet Coke again. I haven’t had a drop of the poisonous elixir for nine days. And I am feeling the pain. I wondered if there is Diet Coke detox effects, and sure enough, after Googling it, I found a website with some very interesting comments from other people about the health effects they are facing through diet drink detoxification. Notice I didn’t specify Diet Coke. Nope, it’s any diet drink that uses the common ingredient of Aspartame.
I don’t care what the FDA and their studies say. If there are many people out there experiencing the same problems by using the same product, then there is something wrong with that product. And anyways, wasn’t it the U.S. government that included tobacco in their military rations to servicemen during WWI? I rest my case.
Update: After three weeks off the poison, my stomach is flatter, my love handles are smaller, and my headaches are not constant.
Diet Coke is number 7 on my Connections Student Aid’s top eight ways to survive finals week. Right before sleep