Battling my coke addiction
No, not that kind…
Italy, 1960
I have a can of coke everyday. When did this start? Not a clue - but definitely due to two factors: a.) they are half price at my place of work, and b.) because of my place of work. After all, as their 1963 slogan suggests, “things go better with coke”, and I need all the ‘better’ I can get considering the largest aspect of my job is customer service (no offence general public). My job is also very physically exhausting, which may be surprising to some given that I work in a bookshop, but it is, and I have my coke addiction to prove it. Everyday, come hell or high water, I will crash, and crave that sugary caffeine fix. Unfortunately I suffer with the coffee jitters on more than 1 cup a day, so coke has been the answer to my prayers, ‘the best-friend thirst ever had’ (1938), ‘my passport to refreshment’ (1945), my ‘ice-cold sunshine’ (1932). I’ll stop with the slogan references now, but that is to say, coke has come to be my saving grace on tough days and favourite treat on good ones.
I have now gained consciousness, but actually it wasn’t until I was asked by a friend about how often I drink soda that I was forced to think about it, and admit that I drink a coke at least once a day. The reaction I received was not a positive one - because let’s be real, this is an unhealthy habit. Yet even then my reaction was along the lines of, ‘I don’t need to drink one all the time, I just like it, I can stop whenever I want, I just choose not to’. It’s giving addiction 101. So I accepted the challenge of not drinking it for a week. Easy, or so I thought. The next day I was leaving the supermarket with my shopping when I found myself doing a full 180 back into the meal deal aisle. Next thing I know, I am scanning the red can and walking down the street in the sun with a faint sizzling sound of bubbles to carry me along the road. The first sip was like heaven, and that’s when I knew I had a problem.
The thing about my relationship with coca-cola is that it is tied to my relationship with my best friend. We live and work together, and going to the shop, grabbing a soda and coming back to sit on our sofa and stare at the wall has become a sacred ritual. It truly is one of the few things in this life we look forward to. A little slice of happiness, a sweet treat. It’s the least we deserve. However, I do worry often about my sense of happiness as derived from someone or something else. To be self-sufficient with my emotions is a long-term goal I continue to strive towards. And this now applies to my reliance on sugar.
There are undoubtably associations between sugar and womanhood in popular media. This can be seen perhaps the most apparently in the marketing of chocolate and ice cream. From the stereotype of women crying into vats of ice cream in bed to the sexualised campaigns of women eating chocolate, from the infamous ‘Flake Girl’ ad by Cadbury’s which first aired in 1985, to high-end chocolate brand, Godiva’s ‘Diva’ campaign in 2004. Perhaps it is no surprise then… my propensity for enjoying a sugary sweet treat is bound by my womanhood? I don’t wholly agree to this, but I do often wonder and worry about the extents to which I have been socially conditioned.
Although interestingly, the soda market has its roots firmly planted in male demographics - I found consumer stats in Australia, Ireland and within the EU revealing that men are more likely than women to consume fizzy drinks, and in greater amounts. However, when it comes to coca-cola, there are mild discrepancies. For example, in the UK, it was founded that over 12million people were drinking the original coca-cola, with another 9million people drinking Diet Coke (2021). But surprise surprise, Diet Coke was more popular amongst women than men, but that’s a whole ‘nother article.
I won’t say my aversion to Diet Coke is a feminist act. It’s really not. In fact, I recently found out that the original taste coca-cola with its high sugar content could be a wiser and more healthy option than a Diet or Zero alternative since those alternatives contain aspartame in replacement of sugar which has been reported to cause cancer - as I always say, a win is a win?
Writing this today, I feel like I am winning. I have made it to day 4 of my detox without a drop of a single fizzy drink. To knock myself down a peg, I’ll admit I have been feeling a little fatigued in the afternoons and have been tempted almost everyday. It takes a while for your body, and your mind, to acclimatise to change.
But ultimately, it’s never a bad time to make a change, especially when that change is a healthier choice. As I continue to avoid coke at all costs for the next three days, and lower my general intake moving forwards, I will commit to creating a happy and healthy lifestyle for myself - whether that be to cut out sugar for another week or (highly unlikely) altogether, or to listen to my body and its cravings and pick up the sugary snack I so crave. All will come in good time - and hopefully, moderation.