Hi, sorry to drop off for 3 days in the middle of my own blogging challenge! 😆 These last few days ended up being quite a whirlwind of activities, highs and lows, and an emotional rollercoaster.
My mom was here since last Tuesday, and my dad arrived Friday. Ethan had Conference tennis both Friday and Saturday downtown (their team won Conference, and Ethan and his doubles partner won their division! And Ethan was named 1st Team All Conference!).
Asher attended junior prom on Saturday night (as a sophomore).
I ended up spending much of Saturday on a very fun (but HOT) impromptu “tour of Madison” with my parents (mostly due to needing to kill time between Ethan’s tennis + then being back downtown for Asher’s prom pictures.)
There were a couple of stressful unbloggables in the weekend mix.
Also, we ended up seriously looking at a new construction condo here in town with my parents (for them); I’ve mentioned before they’ve given some thought to moving our way now as they get older. (They currently live 1 hr 15 min away with zero other family nearby.) However, this is a BIG DECISION for them….but this place we found seems like a pretty perfect set up to pass up. Brand new, on a pond, spacious, amazing location.
We ended up doing two separate self-tours of the property and spent hours there deliberating and generating pros and cons lists. Cue pandemonium for my parents who are not great with change or making big decisions. (And have also lived in their current area for over 50 years now and also really love their current, highly customized condo.)
Anyway…stay tuned on the decision. I think we’ll know by tomorrow what they’re going do. I can probably write a whole post on all of this, but frankly my brain is tired of talking about it and thinking about it right now after this long weekend, so I’ll circle back to that another time.
SODA
What I actually really wanted to write about today is my QUITTING SODA journey. Again.
Long-time readers know the saga. For anyone new, the short version is: I have had a long-standing “soda addiction” (to regular Dr. Pepper or Coca Cola, mostly). I’ve been drinking it daily, in varying amounts, since I was… at least 14, if not younger? and have been trying to either quit or reduce my intake for at least 10-15 years now, on and off.
Recent quit attempts:
- August 2023 > Dec 2023 (longest attempt! Mexico trip derailed me)
- July 2024 > October 2024 (another Mexico trip derailed me…!)
- December 2024 > ?? a month or two? Can’t even remember specifics on how I failed this time.
All I know is that my soda consumption eventually crept back up and up during 2025, to pretty sky high levels.
Then, back in August 2025, I also developed a chronic cough. After finally seeing a doctor and mostly ruling out allergy causes, the main culprit seemed to be GERD (silent reflux- I had no other symptoms besides a dry cough). After months of coughing, the doctor prescribed Omeprazole. However, I didn’t really want to take a medication if I didn’t need to. I decided to wait on starting it, to see what would happen. I still sort of thought maybe it was just a post-viral cough lingering on for ages?
Most recently, in January 2026, I declared a new soda goal: forget cold turkey, I’m going to become a moderator!! 😆 No soda at home, only when out at restaurants. I actually did really well with this, for a little while. Until…. I started cheating by buying diet sodas (because that didn’t “count”) AND I suddenly started suggesting we go out to eat like, every day, so I could get my regular-soda vice. HAHA. Womp, womp… I am not a moderator after all. 😝
In February 2026 I did a mild “cut” of sorts, to try to shape up a little for our spring break trip. I continued drinking soda during this time, but reduced (because, have you ever tried fitting multiple large McDonald’s Dr. Peppers into daily cut macros?? 😳 It is damn near impossible to fit much soda in….).
I noticed during this reduced intake time, Hey, my cough has really settled down! It’s barely present. Hmm. Interesting.
I then proceeded to go on spring break to the Virgin Islands in March 2026, where I increased my soda intake again (and even did some serious addict level soda drinking, like waking up, making my tea and then also drinking an ice cold can of Coke on the balcony at like, 8 am. 😬 This in addition to restaurant sodas, etc.)
My cough came back with a vengeance during the trip to the point that it was waking me up at night. I thought, am I allergic to the tropics?? Or is it that I’m pouring oodles of phosphoric acid down my esophagus….
Anyway, long story long, I got home from spring break, continued drinking a bunch of soda, and my cough continued worsening. I finally caved and started taking the Omeprazole- and poof, within 2-3 days, the cough literally disappeared. Ah. Mystery solved- so it IS GERD, for sure.
I finally had to face the music. I know soda is not the only thing that causes GERD. There’s no guarantee that cutting out soda = absolutely no more GERD. But it certainly seemed like there was a connection.
I decided to do a little experiment. What would happen if I went off the Omeprazole and completely quit soda?? Without the soda, would I still need the Omeprazole?? 🤔
To be clear, this is not only just about the GERD thing. All my same old reasons for wanting to quit soda still remain. (Family risk of dementia/ brain health concerns, tons of sugar!, tooth health, the cost, inevitable weight gain as I get older from a million empty calories, other health risks from a high sugar diet, effects on my skin, etc.)
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m also just tired of the mental battle with soda all the time. Soooo tired. The moderating did work, sort of, but clearly it didn’t last, and even then, I was constantly thinking about it.
I could switch to diet soda, but I honestly don’t love it, anyway, and it feels like a Band-Aid- and there are some health concerns with diet soda, too.
I am just truly fed up and I want this over and done with, for good.
So, here we are yet again, friends.
I quit again on Sunday, April 20th, 2026– so I just hit my 4 week mark yesterday.
I know I have said this before: BUT I truly feel committed this time. (I KNOW, I have said these exact words before and still relapsed; I re-read some of my old posts.)
But I think the GERD/ cough piece is an extra motivational layer now. This past month, I have not had a drop of soda nor have I been taking the Omeprazole, and my cough has stayed away!! It seems very promising.
It’s been going very well. I do have those occasional “sad” thoughts, where life seems a little flat without that dopamine hit from my soda to look forward to. But I’m keeping on strong and have had no actual thoughts of giving up.
My next big goal mile marker is my birthday, October 17, at which point I should be about 6 months soda-free. I’ve never made it that far on any quit attempts yet. But I’m determined to this time. 🙂
I do feel silly blogging about this yet again (how many times?! 😩), but I’m okay sharing this vulnerability. I had to face the realization that this is simply not something I can moderate, ever, and I need to treat it like the actual addiction that it apparently is for me.
So there’s my 1 month update! Currently soda-free and cough-free (and Omeprazole-free). I’ll set a reminder to update you all on my 2 month anniversary. 🙂
Here’s a snip from my free Quitzilla app:
You can select whatever you want to quit and it will start a timer to track your abstinence time. It also creates a chain on a calendar, to discourage you from breaking it.
Thanks to everyone who has written words of support on this in the past. Sharing here doesn’t feel as scary because everyone is always so nice and understanding. I do feel like this may sound like a weird addiction to many people, so I think that embarrasses me a little bit, but it is what it is. I know I’m not alone in this.
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for hitting my 4 week mark. I told SHU about all this when I quit and that I felt sheepish blogging about it yet again. She suggested waiting to share and writing a 1 month post for extra motivation to hit that 1 month mark! 🙂 Made it so far.
GRATEFUL KAE 
Congratulations on making it 4 weeks. Have you thought about what you are getting from soda? Obviously it’s a treat and you like the taste but is it also giving you a reason to take a break or get out of the house for a bit when you get one from a convenience store? Maybe considering what can replace some of the other benefits will help it stick. Good luck and keep reporting back.
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I do definitely enjoy something about going out to get one- so I have been replacing somewhat with fountain unsweetened iced tea. Which is not the same 😆 but as time goes on I find that more and more satisfying. I am hopeful that in time I will just be so used to the iced tea that at restaurants etc I won’t even think about soda anymore!
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I made myself a limit to only drink sodas on flights! (We fly only a few times per year). But…I bought some for our last long road trip. Anyway, that’s helped me.
also, I know you’re a nurse (hero!) so am sure you’re super aware of the health impacts, but a former coworker who had been a radiology technician (?) said he used to see so much aluminum in brain X-rays!! (I’m probably misremembering some of the details, but he definitely said there was a lot of aluminum in the brains of some patients, caused by drinking from cans—my preferred way!)
one more idea might be to keep track of the cost you’re saving each time you opt for water over soda, and plan something fun to do with the total after a set time (or when you reach a set dollar amount, etc)
anyway you are amazing—love reading about you and your family.
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Thanks for all those tips! And eeks about the aluminum!!! Ahhh… I like fountain soda and cans best too. If I could limit to only soda on flights that would be great – heck, if I could limit myself to only one fountain soda a week or something I wouldn’t even mind that!! But for me having any makes me want more…
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we all have our weaknesses Kae so you shouldn’t be embarrassed. Hopefully the fact that this GERD cough seems to be directly related to your soda (or pop as we Canadians say;) consumption may help you stick to it. I had to give up coffee 2 years ago and I LOVED my coffee. I drank 2 huge mugs every morning and I was actually excited about it the night before. But that was a toughie. I have osteoporosis and along with prescription medication, my Naturopathic Doc had me make other changes including switching to 1 cup of Swiss process decaf a day. It killed me but as it was for my health I haven’t considered going back. Sadly…
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Thanks Pat! I can relate to the anticipation for sure. I typically used to always have a soda (my first..) sometime by mid-morning at the latest and I totally looked forward to that even when I first woke up. It definitely helps to have a solid reason to need to quit your coffee, but that’s still sad!!! 😦
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I am addicted also. I have Crohns and it’s a struggle. I find any sparkling water helps with the craving but it has a strong hold on me. Keep on keeping on!!
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Sparkling water just doesn’t really do it for me but I have recently found a cherry flavor and a grapefruit one that I like fairly well. I haven’t been replacing soda with it really (using iced tea for that, more so) but I have had a couple sparkling waters per week, usually if I’m eating something that would previously have DEFINITELY been a soda moment- like eating popcorn. 🙂
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Well done on 4 weeks! Your honesty is super refreshing to read, especially as you seem soo good with structure and habits and tracking! So it’s good to know you’re not a perfect health robot.
I definitely empathize with the fact that you wanted to go out to eat so you could have soda. I’ve tried various forms of that in the past and then I think “wait, why am I suddenly asking to go out to dinner”? and I realize it’s because I only “allow” something when out. Or, the opposite… Once andy and I wanted to spend less on alcohol (we were in our 20s and going to bars, it was fun) so we said that any alcohol bought out is on alcohol budget but any bought at home is on food budget… then we stopped going out and realized that drinking beer at home was actually less good for us than just going to a bar with friends.
Then we had kids and now that’s not even a budget line item anymore lol.
Good luck with your ongoing soda abstinence.
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Hahaha yes it’s hilarious the games we play with ourselves!!! It’s a relief for me to know others have done the same. People would always tell me to “only have it in certain places that it really tastes extra good ” but for me, I have TOO MANY trigger places. Restaurants. Movies. Popcorn night at home. Pizza night at home. A family gathering. A holiday. Etc etc. It goes on and on…. Ha.
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Kae, you may have found the true why you want to quit this time! I just thought and wrote about why we can’t stick to some goals, it’s either because not supportive environment (not fun doing it), or because we don’t want it badly or have a true why. It seems you now have a good reason to quit this time.
Regarding your parents move closer to you, makes total sense but also understandable that they feel resistance to move away from their home town. Hopefully they come around.
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I agree! An immediate health impact instead of a future/someday impact helps give more oomph to my Why in situations like this.
I need to give up silly/poorly written novels again (some romance, cozy mysteries, etc.). They take up time that could be more restorative spent on other activities (even reading quality books!), but they are so easy on my brain! I made it 4 months and then my mom, who is in early stages of dementia, moved in with me for a month and, well, I felt like I needed easy. Now to begin again.
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Well reading fun novels doesn’t sound like a big deal, to me- it sounds like a much needed escape! But I can understand how maybe it can start to get out of hand or take the place of other things you want to do with your time. Good luck! (That sounds like something worth trying to moderate though! Like maybe just carve out X number of hours or certain times in the week to read that stuff, and then not other times??)
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Yes, it is true I think! In my case I think so many of the “negatives” of soda are kind of invisible (at least for now). Well, until this cough thing started. It’s not like I would instantly gain 15 pounds if I drank a soda, or would have a sudden other health problem. Obviously those things could/would occur with time, but in the moment, it mostly just tasted good! Ha. I am hopeful too that this cough continues to be a deterrent. I have had a few times that it’s crossed my mind that I miss it and then I think, No, your body was literally rejecting it with that cough!
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I really admire your persistence in still showing up for yourself even after setbacks, and that says everything.
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Thank you!! I appreciate you saying that. 🙂
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We’re all rooting for you and I think that committing again and again is a great sign. I know you want to kick this habit for good, but even if it does creep back in, these stretches without soda are going to have positive physical impacts, too. So I think all your “attempts” at giving it up before are a huge success in their own way.
Also, we ALL have our things that we struggle with and so it’s helpful to have people willing to share about their challenges and I think everyone can relate in one way or another.
I think your parents/your family would love the change to having them closer and it’s SO MUCH EASIER to do these things sooner rather than later!
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Thanks Elisabeth!! I feel like… one of these times it has to stick, right?! So why not this time??!
And you’re right, everyone has “their thing”. I feel like soda has generally fallen very out of “vogue” compared to like growing up in the 90s, so maybe that’s why I tend to feel kinda embarrassed about the soda thing. Like I know many adults who drink diet soda and that seems normal to me still, but regular?? Most 40 something people don’t seem to anymore.
Side note- I sometimes randomly think about when I was in Nova Scotia and bought those Dr Peppers and they were in your fridge and you put the note on them “don’t touch the dr peppers!” And then John was like, “what’s the deal with the Dr Peppers?!” 😆😆😆 I probably seemed very crazy! Hahaha
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I did not remember the Dr. Pepper note at all!!! But I certainly could not trust my kids to leave pop untouched in the fridge. I have MANY vices, but pop isn’t one of them so it’s a novelty for them since we rarely have it in the house. This does seem very on brand for me to leave them a note warning them to steer clear 😉
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Yes. WHY IN THE WORLD is soda so addictive??? I’ve been on my own little journey. When I quit sugar (ten years ago?) I obviously had to quit soda. Sob. After many years of no sugar (and feeling great) it somehow came to my attention that diet soda, specifically Coke Zero, doesn’t taste that bad! I used to hate diet coke when I drank real coke, but times change. Anyway, I started having a Coke Zero as a treat every once in a while, but you know how that goes. I now have a large, fountain Coke Zero ONCE A WEEK. And the worst part is, I look forward to it all week and am sad when it’s over. This is bad! I also, to get myself through the rest of the week, have been drinking Zevia Cola, which tastes like diet coke but is sweetened with stevia. But it still has the acid. Anyway, the point is, I now fantasize about drinking Coke Zero every day, and have to restrain myself (all the while thinking longingly about the weekend, when I can have one). Soooooo…. I totally get it. Coke Zero is not good for me, I know that, and yet I love it anyway. I’m a little worried about the results of my bone density scan, but in a way it would probably be good if I could have some sort of concrete proof that it’s hurting me. Kind of like your cough! It’s so hard to give up something you love if it’s only “theoretically” bad for you, but you don’t see any concrete downsides. So, maybe your cough is saving you. Anyway… you know we’re all rooting for you, and I for one completely understand where you’re coming from.
P.S. You know how every once in a while you meet something who “doesn’t like soda”????? My daughter’s friend is like that. HOW IS HER BRAIN WIRED??? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???????????
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I am totally meh on soda so I guess I am sort of that person! Like, I would much rather drink water (or sparkling water). BUT you can pry my daily morning coffee out of my cold dead hands . . .
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i am also totally meh on soda but black tea or gum (see below) I’m obsessed!
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Same 😉
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Well, personally, if I could drink just one fountain soda a week, I’d never give it up!! To me that seems completely reasonable. Heck I would not quit if I could limit it to just 2 per week! But for me it always ends up being more and more… and I was drinking it daily, often multiple servings per day!! Not the same as you!! But I do understand, obviously, the feeling of craving it…. And I don’t understand how people don’t like it either. My kids don’t drink or like soda either, nor does Ivan. (Ivan always says he only likes Coke at Chipotle, and even then he drinks like 2-3 sips and then he doesn’t want anymore. Meanwhile I would drink it all and then want to refill it.. and then again go home…..😩)
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You are inspiring me – I am going to stop chewing gum!!! I am convinced it is messing with my stomach and the price adds up. Just downloaded the app you suggested. Thanks 🙂
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I am a big fan of lifestyle changes > medication and I think it’s fantastic that this is an extra motivator for you to quit soda. I can only imagine how hard it is (I am a moderator through and through, so for me, it would be hard to be an abstainer, but I know that abstainers just simply do better when they cut something out completely and hopefully your body will catch up and not crave soda anymore at some point. Good for you, Kae, for sticking it out. Rooting for you.
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Thanks San!! Yes I truly wish I could moderate it better and I’ll admit I have some occasional thoughts of “welllllll maybe I should just really commit to figuring out how to moderate this!!” But then I remember the cough, and how hard it is for me to moderate it. I am fully committed to being 100% off for a full 6 months to start, no exceptions. I don’t want to claim I could NEVER ever have one again forever, but I am hopeful that by 6 months, I won’t even want it anymore anyway and it will be no issue to keep going!
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I am a big fan of lifestyle changes > medication and I think it’s fantastic that this is an extra motivator for you to quit soda. I can only imagine how hard it is (I am a moderator through and through, so for me, it would be hard to be an abstainer, but I know that abstainers just simply do better when they cut something out completely and hopefully your body will catch up and not crave soda anymore at some point. Good for you, Kae, for sticking it out. Rooting for you.
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