My First Day Off Junk
Posted on September 16, 2004 at 7:01 pm | No Comments
No, don’t worry, folks. Not that kind of junk. I’m talkin’ about the caffeinated, nutrasweeted, diet cola variety. I’ve tried before, unsuccessfully natch, to kick my three-can-a-day Diet Coke habit cold turkey. Got myself worked up into mild paranoia after I googled all the supposed Aspartame side effects.
I mean, it’d be tough to name a Aspartame symptom not listed here: headaches, migraines, dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, memory loss, depression, irritability, aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia, trouble with contact lenses, phobias, tinnitus, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, itching without a rash, hives, menstrual changes, gradual weight gain, severe PMS, excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, bloating, increased susceptibility to infection, death, irreversible brain damage, birth defects/mental retardation, peptic ulcers, aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets, hyperactivity in children, suicidal tendencies, and…. death. Just plain old death.
Um, yikes? Me, I don’t really buy all that. And neither do the fine folks over at Snopes.
Still, every once in awhile I get in the mood to take a break from the stuff, stop the daily diet coke addiction, cleanse the system a bit. Lasted about a week last time, and now I’m trying something even more difficult: No caffeine whatsoever. Yes, I’m foresaking my morning Dunkin Donuts large coffee (cream & sugar, please), struggling through withdrawal headaches. That’s one of the reasons I’m quitting for awhile, actually. I don’t like the idea of being hooked on something so much that it hurts when I don’t have it.
So I’m supressing the urges, walking by the Dunkies, avoiding the soda machine in the room next door, drinking lots of ice water. There’s a dull pounding behind my eyes, my body trying to persuade my brain to give up the fight. One day at a time, right? At least, that’s what the bumper stickers say.
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