Today’s Prompt:
Have you ever tried to break a habit and failed? What made it so difficult to break?
This makes me chuckle because I’m going to talk about the same habit that I did last week when the prompt was to talk about a habit that I’d successfully broken.
Drinking Coca~Cola, or Coke.
It’s on ongoing issue in my life. Yes, I have broken this habit before & have been able to give it up completely before, but I still went back to it over a year after I’d been able to give it up.
I would love to just put it behind me & to say that I’m completely done with it, but it’s a very hard thing to give up. Some people say that I don’t have enough willpower, but, oh, I do. I’m as stubborn as they come. Some things, though, are very hard to quit, even for the strongest willed people, & this is my super hard thing to give up. I’m truly addicted to it.
I didn’t grow up drinking pop all the time. It was always a special thing. In grade 12, though, I started drinking it regularly, & it’s been an ongoing battle for me ever since. The combination of caffeine & sugar helps to make it addictive. Maybe, too, I’ve given up unconsciously, but I don’t know about that for sure. All I know for sure is that this is something I can give up sometimes but always go back to.
People have given me all kinds of tips for giving it up – drink more water; substitute it with juice for a while (& then give up the juice); just don’t buy it; distract myself when I’m tempted to have some; & many others. I try different things, but they end up not working.
I do admit that the greatest part of this is a mental battle. Someone suggested that I’m afraid to give it up, but that’s not true at all. Why would I be afraid to give it up? No, it’s not out of fear that it sticks with me. It’s an addiction that’s hard to quit, party because it’s socially acceptable & so easily accessible.
I do want to quit drinking it, & right now I’m going to see if my recently decreased income due to the loss of my job this past Friday will help. Decreased income means an evaluation of what’s actually necessary when it comes to what I have to buy. Coke is not one of those things.
Yes, I’ll go through caffeine headaches & withdrawal, but once it’s done, I should be all right. I’ll still face the temptation, & it’s never easy to face down temptation. Oh, it’s hard to go through that withdrawal, is it? It’s painful & downright agonising at times. It’s totally worth it, though, & I’m willing to go through that, especially this week when I don’t have much going on outside my home. It’s a very good time to give it up, methinks.
I really do hope that I can give it up this time. I’ll keep you posted. 
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