My Addiction

Growing up, my dad would come home several times a month drunk. He was an alcoholic who loved drinking beer. Watching how his addiction affected the household with yelling, fighting, and, often, short on money had me thinking that I would never be like that. I would not be addicted to something that would have a hold on me, like alcohol. Turns out that I also became an addict. I worked in the restaurant business for many years, and the soda (pop) was free to drink. I would easily drink three to four 32 oz glasses in a five to eight hour day.

Some addictions like heroin only take one time, and your hooked. Soda likes to take its time, getting inside the body and one day you wake up caving a soda for breakfast. I have been drinking Pepsi and Pepsi Max for years, breakfast, lunch, between meals, dinner and before bed. I have tried many times to get off and the best I've done has been a month. In that month I became a person no one wanted to be around.

SIDE EFFECTS

Why does it matter that I drink so much? After all, there is no fat, calories, or sugars. I'm not getting drunk and putting others at risk or getting high and may not be able to react fast enough while on the road.

1) Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that men who drank two or more servings of Pepsi Max (diet soda) a day had a 23% higher risk of developing heart failure.

2) It can cause kidney problems.

A study done back in 2009 of over 3,000 women found a link between diet soda and kidney problems.

So far, I'm doing okay in that department.

3) Risk of Diabetes.

A 2008 study of about 10,000 adults at the University of Minnesota found drinking diet soda had a 67% greater risk of type 2 diabetes than people who did not drink any diet soda.

They have me here! I went from a type 2 to a late onset type 1. My pancreas no longer works, and I will depend on insulin for the rest of my life.

Why write about addiction? It is essential to know that we are not perfect; we all have flaws, but many of us use addiction as an excuse for not going after our goals and dreams. I've heard people say, "once I stop smoking or get my drinking under control. I'm going to start a business or climb a mountain."

Don't wait! We coaches know that for many, that day will never come as long as you have the excuse!