posted
Every day at about 3:00, I need a break. I wander over to the vending machines and look at my options.
The first year or so, that meant I got a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups out of the machine. That turns out to not be a good idea, and I don't want to talk about it. In the last six months or so, I have switched to the pop machine. The only diet options are diet Coke (blech) or, this being the South, diet Dr. Pepper. Diet Dr. Pepper it is.
This is the only place I buy it - when I have my druthers, I get the 24 pack of caffeine-free diet Dr. Pepper from Target to stick in my refrigerator along with the packet of eggs, three packages of feta cheese, and three-week old bag of baby carrots that constitute the edible menu from my fridge.
Religion-wise, there's nothing that says caffeinated pop is off-limits, although wisdom should be used. So it's fine - as long as I'm not dependent.
I think I'm dependent.
I'm not addicted. I don't crave Dr. Pepper, and I don't buy it when I have any other options at all. But I fell asleep at 10:00 last night, and I've had a raging headache all day that went away only about an hour ago, when I had the first diet Dr. Pepper in four days.
Well, crap.
I don't want to be dependent, and I would be very happy with caffiene-free diet Dr. Pepper for the afternoon treat, and I'll get by with Advil until the headaches stop.
The problem is that it isn't just the drink - it's the ritual of taking a break, and the delicious snap when I open the so sweet, and so cold can of refrigerated pop.
Suggestions? How can I fulfill the need the diet Dr. Pepper fulfills without actually still drinking the diet Dr. Pepper?
posted
Usually the lack of caffiene headache appears within 24 hours of not having enough caffiene. It might be entirely unrelated to a dependence on DP. Instead, caffiene works as blood vessel constrictor, which may have played a part in killing your headache. Excedrin is a mix of aspirin and caffiene.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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MPH, not really. We have a tiny little refigerator, but it's usually full of condiments and one or two left-overs. I'd have to replenish every couple of days, and I just don't see that happening - too much of a pain.
Hmmm...
I wonder what it would take to get diet Sprite in the machine.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
Hmm...I suppose keep taking the painkiller of choice till the headaches pass. I mean, those are caused by the increased bloodflow to the brain because of the lack of caffiene.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Is it only dependence on caffeine that's bad? As opposed, to say, being addicted to the 3pm break?
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Dr. Pepper (diet or otherwise) can be very addicting.
They have pop machines in my High School, which was a big deal after middle school. It started by getting a Dr. Pepper everyday after lunch, and then I started grabbing one in the mornings when I arrived, and then in the afternoon before I left, and then between classes....
I wound up drinking 6-7 a day. I finally decided it had to stop (I was constantly broke), so I just stopped buying them. I had blinding headaches, sweaty palms, no concentration, and my hands shook so much I had a hard time writing.
I stuck with it though, and now I drink maybe one a week. On the other days after lunch, I just buy a lemonade.
Posts: 515 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I say stay on the Dr. Pepper for a few days, then go off for a whole day and see what happens. I'd be surprised if you have a sensitivity/dependence from 1 can a day.
Edit: HRE, I posted at the same time as you, hope it doesn't sound like I'm contradicting you.
posted
I hope the 3pm break isn't the problem. It's a manifestion of my mild, mild OCD, along with the file cabinet in my bedroom and the last fifteen years of correspondence carefully tucked into plastic protectors and ordered by date.
Um...sometimes its more than one can a day.
My options seem to be as follows:
1. Buy a 24 pack of caffiene-free diet Dr. Pepper and place it in the division refrigerator upstairs. Pros: In a different place, so the concept of the 3pm break is preserved. Also, the right drink, and it's cold. Cons: I have to restock regularly, I have to lug pop around my office and past the rest of the division when I'm wearing high heels, and there's a distinct possibility other people will drink them. That's fine, except it means I have to restock more often.
2. Decide not to think about it and keep doing what I'm doing. Pros: Easy and yummy. Cons: Vaguely against principles, and I crash at 10:00 on Sundays.
3. Figure out something else to do at 3pm that involves a slight change of scene and a visceral renewal. Pros:Might work. Cons:I have to think of something.
posted
Carrot sticks might be nice. I understand chewing is good for OCD. Provided you don't have TMJ.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
if you only have one caffeinated drink a day you are not chemically dependent on caffeine. If you had 4-5 cups of coffee, it would be possible...but it would take even more dr pepper to do it. It could be a coincidence, or it could be psychological, but I don't see any way that it could be chemical...unless you have something very strange going on in your body.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
I also got hooked on Dr. Pepper one summer. I was working at Quizno's and we got unlimited free pop. I thought I just liked it a lot, but when I was gone for a week, I'd get headaches.
The best thing you can do is just give up the pop. If it's not diet, the sugar is making you fat. If it's diet, the artificial sweeteners aren't a healthy thing to be ingesting daily. If it's straight up club soda, the phosphoric acid is eating away at your bones. Drinking soda on a daily basis is not healthy.
I finally curbed my habit of buying drinks and snacks by carrying a water bottle around. It's surprising how quickly the water starts tasting good. Maybe replacing the water with cold stuff from the fountain will be a good break for you.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I have a carton of water in my cubicle at all times, and I drink it throughout the day. For the Dr. Pepper, I like the taste. Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
If you normally sleep when it's dark, 3 pm is what dr. Pam Peake calls the "corti-zone". It's why people tend to fall asleep or otherwise crash that time of day. It's not a bad thing, I wouldn't try to eliminate it. But being aware of it and having a balanced snack might be the way to go, rather than a stimulant which will probably just cause you to eat more at night.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
According to an industry website, Diet Dr. Pepper has 41 mg of caffeine per 12 oz. This about 20% more than Diet Coke, but DC leaves something to be desired in the taste department.
But maybe you want to check the website to see if there are other soft drinks available with lower caffeine?
posted
I know that, but I've had days where I've had 8 shots, and 16 ounces of coffee with it. *shrug*
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
As an LDS convert I discovered that caffeine is a way way more powerful drug than I had ever imagined.
We grew up drinking coffee from early childhood. My mother thought a good cup of coffee never hurt anyone, and I think the truth is that it was an early form of ritalin. We all are were a little ADHD, and I think the coffee helped.
Also I always loved tea. I would drink it iced all the time and hot in the afternoons. So I got a lot of caffeine. It never seemed to affect me much at all. I guess I was very insensitive to it even at high doses.
So then I start thinking about joining the church and so I dropped coffee and tea to see if it bothered me. No problem at all. Never even missed it. But I was still drinking lots of caffeinated diet coke.
Later on when I switched to caffeine free diet coke, I started noticing that if I ever had any normal caffeineful diet coke it made a huge difference. I would stay up all night just flying. Hyperactive. Non stop talking. Then crash around dawn and feel miserable. This happened six or seven times.
Until I had been off caffeine for several months, I never even realized what a very powerful drug it is. There's a mechanism with many addictive substances where once you kick the habit, you are still left ultra sensitive to even very low doses of that substance for a long time in the future. That may be part of what's happening with me now.
But for now I'm just staying on the regular caffeineful diet coke, so that I don't have the headaches, the extreme sleepiness for days on end, and the terrible fatigue and lack of energy that I experience when I stop.
I hope eventually I can get off it altogether for good. I know I'd be better off if I could. But for now I have decided I can't afford the downtime while I'm going through detox.
Katie, I would hope if you could get off the stuff now you might have minimal withdrawals and then be back to normal. If you can do that, I sure hope you decide to try. Being addicted to stuff is just icky. I wish I could be free of the need for such a powerful drug as this. I wonder now if my entire brain chemistry is so fouled up that I won't ever be able to function well without it. Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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These diet sweeteners are also linked to headaches, mental slowness, etc. They tell pregnant women not to drink diet sodas at all, though they usually only suggest that you keep caffineated beverages to one a week or less.
Diet soda=bad
Maybe even worse than the regular kind, which are also bad. Take cheese crackers in your purse and drink water (bottled or tap). Seriously.
Sodas are nothing but sugar, mood-altering drugs and chemicals. Bad. BAAAAD.
Posts: 1664 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I suppose that caffeine doesn't bother most people, but it is definitely not my friend.
When I was in high school I had horrible insomnia. I also drank lots of caffeinated soda. I didn't connect the two, not even when I quit drinking the sodas for awhile and suddenly slept much better. I finally realized what was going on when I started drinking the sodas again and started not sleeping again.
So, I quit drinking things with caffeine and haven't done so in a long time, except very rarely. Those rare instances have shown me that I have no tolerance at all for caffeine any more. If I drink one can of soda with caffeine in it, I'll probably be awake for three days or so. And not just awake, but swinging from the chandeliers. I'm very sensitive to it.
Posts: 2454 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION
Awwww. (Hugs lime diet coke tight) You guys are giving diet soda a bad name. In moderation I don't see a problem. I don't know anything about the dependence issue for LDS, but you're talking about a purely physiological response, a headache, not a psychological dependence. I mean, if you don't eat for a while, you'll get a headache. If you don't drink for awhile, you'll get thirsty. If you stop a medication suddenly, you can get rebound effects. So what if you do get a temporary headache by stopping caffeine? Why is that so terrible? Why does that have to suggest a sin?
If you truly stick to one diet caffeinated soda a day it seems unlikely to to cause any physical dependence in any case. If you're still worried, stick to having one on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm not aware of any permanent changes to a person's brain chemistry from use of caffiene, btw.
And I don't feel like giving a medical opinion on this subject. Diet coke is a wonderful invention, and that's all I have to say about that.
Oh, and I've gone off all caffeine for several weeks, on a dare, without any trouble. I've also gone from LOTS of caffeine to no caffeine quite suddenly several times in residency, when I was too busy for 72 hours or more to grab anything with caffeine, and I think the headache I sometimes got could be just as easily blamed on the lack of any calories during the same time periods. As for tiredness, who knows. I could and did fall asleep on the floor for hours at a time, leaving food in the microwave to go bad, when I was overworked enough. And usually overworked=too busy for timewasting things like caffeine intake.
posted
Our machine only stocks Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. I can tolerate Diet Coke, but if I'm going to drink diet, I prefer Pepsi One.
I buy a 12-pack at the store, bring it in to work and put one in the fridge. When I decide to drink that one, I take another one from my office and replace it with a new one. It's not a pain at all.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
btw if you do leave things in a group refrigerator, a Sharpie is your best friend. The trick: Only put one can in at a time with your initials on it then replace it from the flat at your desk when you go and get the first one. If there are two cans in the fridge with your initals people think you have enough to spare. With only one, they won't dare touch it.
posted
Theca, it's good to know that there's no permanent effect on brain chemistry. (Or rather, to know that there's no reason now to believe there is.) Maybe I can get off it someday.
It's not such a big deal to be addicted to things, really. I mean, right now I'm also addicted to breathing oxygen, and daily food intake. I can't go without urinating for more than six or eight hours, and I absolutely have to spend a quarter to a third of my life sleeping. So I have a lot of addictions. But having unnecessary ones is kind of disconcerting. Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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I can totally relate. We have regular DP in our machine at work, not diet. I have the double whammy of regular soda with caffeine. I've been drinking DP for over 20 years. So, I want to try to quit. I've even switched to diet caffeine-free for a short time. Then I went back.
So I'm trying this - I only buy diet when I buy bulk (12 pack or better). I try to only buy one at a time. I'm trying to cut down on quantity by making it harder to get (if I have to walk around the corner to get a single can of pop rather than walk to the fridge).
I have a headache right now. I've had one can today and there is one can in the fridge.
I would have to agree with those who say to bring your own soda to work. Good luck.
Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I am really sensitive to artificial sweeteners. They give me horrible, pounding headaches. (Yes, I have experimented on myself to verify this.)I gave them up totally 8 years ago and the migraines I had suffered all my life disapearred.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Kat, I am caffeine addicted for sure. I remember a time a while back when I quit caffeine. I figured, hey, no problem, Dunkin Donuts' decaf tastes just as good as regular.
After a few days, I stopped drinking any coffee at all. I realized that it was the caffeine, not the taste, that I wanted.
I wonder if people would think burning tobacco tasted good if it did not have nicotine. I doubt they would.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Another thing about coffee. I remember when I read the Anne McCaffrey Dragon series. I thought klah was so cool. There was a certain ritual involvd. I think you might be addicted to the ritual as well as the caffeine, but the caffeine started the ritual addiction. As has been mentioned, try to make a different ritual. Herb tea and cookies? Something that you can look forward to.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
OJ has the same issue as caffiene-free diet Dr. Pepper - I have to bring my own and restock it on a regular basis.
I have no problem with artificial sweeteners. Diet soda is the only place I get it, and it isn't that often.
I have to admit that my current method has been to stick with what I was doing, although I am drinking more water. I'm not of the source of the headaches - the caffiene didn't do anything for the second day. Maybe there's something else going on?
I started excercising again, and that seems to help.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I didn't really mean a formal ritual, just that the act of drinking it usually had some sort of social context. I think there are mini rituals involved with addictions, which often makes the habit harder to break. The cigarette after dinner, Kat's 3 PM Dr. Pepper, my coffee while reading the paper, that sort of thing. That is all I meant.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Is the headache worse on the side of the raised eyebrow? If so, try to alternate which eyebrow you raise. (Good luck -- many people (me included) can only raise one properly.)
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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