Me and Pepsi

So, I am an addict.

That’s the first step, I think. I never put a label on it, until I was a grown up and considerably heavier than I’d ever been in my life.

But, yep, I am a Pepsi addict.

This kind of thing happens all the time now. Little kids, who grown up on sugary sodas, gain all this weight, picked on, behind on their health for the forseeable future. I was one of the lucky ones and had extremely slow metabolism. I weighed 80 pounds in 7th grade.

But when you drink at least, AT LEAST, 3 sodas a day (typically always a Pepsi, unless I’m eating somewhere that serves Coke and what the hell is wrong with them?), it will add up and get you one day. But, when you’re an adult and have grown accustomed to this sweet treat at every meal, when you can’t imagine eating certain things without this drink accompanying them, when it’s part of your palette for half the things in your life, how do you turn away? It’s not easy.

This is not a self-help diet, pity party post. It’s an illumination on one of the strange things I’ve done in my life (for there are many).

One particular New year’s Day, after the snacks and screaming and card playing and terrible musical performances, that next day, when the fog clears and it’s time to make those resolutions you just know you’ll break, I saw a vision of what I wanted to do. I wanted to show my allegiance to this wonderful drink that I loved so much. I wanted to show everyone this was my drink and nothing would ever replace it. In fact, I would drink nothing else but this for a full year. How would I proclaim this? What measurement would I make to show this loyalty?

I WOULD DRINK 1 MILLION PEPSI’S THAT YEAR!

Did I mention I was 12? Ok, once I actually did the math, I completely backtracked on my resolution.

Whoa, slow the cart- not happening!! Over 2,000 Pepsi’s a day and I would melt into a sugary puddle. Ok, hard stop. I need to find a much more realistic number. So, my 12 year old brain started pondering: how many Pepsi’s a day seems realistic?

7

Seven pops a day- that was what I came up with- roughly. I calculated if I drank 7 Pepsi’s a day, that would put me over 2,500 for the year. So I rounded that number down and felt satisified with my answer. But, how is a twelve year old supposed to pay for that much pop? Luckily for me, I lived in a house that routinely had 24 pack pop cases all over it’s kitchen, crowding the shelves along the basement stairs (where my room was) and even in the extra storage downstairs. Those things came through like we were a distributor for soda- we were a necessary stop on the way to fill a Kroger shelf. And we always had it. If were even close to running low, out to the store my Dad would go.

Now, feast your eyes below to a rude recreation of the notebook sheet of paper that was taped to the wall at the edge of my bed:

(Not my actual paper)

As you can see, I drank around 165 Pepsi’s and got the first week or so of February and felt eternally sick! Another resolution abandoned. But this time for good reason. You see, most everyone knew back in those early 90’s that too much soda was good for you- but we didn’t do anything about it! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made (with my wife) as a parent was not introducing soda to our girls. At this point, Savannah is 15- she’s had one drink of Mountain Dew (from a dumb and unapproved drink from Uncle Butch) to a handful of times with Fanta Orange or Crush to now having, by her own choice, a Diet Coke here and there. Sydney has had maybe a sip of Fanta and hated it and we’re okay with that. When they become adults, it’s their decision.

And me? Well, I still drink Pepsi- I’m 41 now- and I’ve been able to- with great focus and concentration, gotten my habit down to just drinking one at dinner, and maybe if we’re out for lunch somewhere with the family, having one then. But, it’s water for me at most lunches now and I’ve finally gotten past the crippling headaches. (I’ve tried this before several times and gave up from the lack of caffeine and headaches it produced). But the worst is behind me.

Will I ever give up Pepsi truly? I want to and I don’t- I want to get to a place where it can still be my choice but doesn’t hurt me too badly, weight wise. I’m far off from there and may actually be kidding myself. If anyone is out there struggling with something their addicted to, even if it’s minor like a soda, I feel you and I’m here for you.