{"id":9914,"date":"2021-09-10T14:00:07","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T21:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/?p=9914"},"modified":"2021-09-10T21:14:02","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T04:14:02","slug":"i-need-help-with-my-diet-coke-addiction-when-i-stop-my-fatigue-brain-fog-anxiety-depression-increase-big-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/i-need-help-with-my-diet-coke-addiction-when-i-stop-my-fatigue-brain-fog-anxiety-depression-increase-big-time\/","title":{"rendered":"I need help with my Diet Coke addiction – when I stop, my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety\/depression increase big time!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"diet<\/p>\n

A woman asked for help on the blog, wanting desperately to quit her long-time Diet Coke addiction. This woman knows her addiction is detrimental to her health and she gets withdrawal symptoms when she tries to quit – fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and depression increase big time! And yet she can\u2019t quit. This is not unusual. I share my feedback on the brain chemical imbalances that can drive addictions and how to figure out which amino acids (or more than one) may help her quit easily. This means she doesn\u2019t have to go cold turkey and then fail yet again. Using the amino acids means there is no willpower required and no feelings of deprivation, and it\u2019s addressing an underlying neurotransmitter imbalance i.e. a root cause.<\/p>\n

Here is her question:<\/p>\n

I need help with my Diet Coke addiction. I have been using it for 35 years and I am too appalled to tell you how much I drink.<\/p>\n

I have tried to quit many times and ended up in utter failure. A friend mentioned that phenylalanine may be a booster for my dopamine.<\/p>\n

When I stop, my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety\/depression increase big time. I know this drink is literally killing my health and I am desperate for some answers, suggestions\u2026.or a miracle.<\/p>\n

What supplements do you recommend for helping me quit this devil of a habit? Thank you for ALL you do!”\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here is my response …. when it comes to using amino acids to help break the addiction, pretty much everything I write about in relation to sugar addiction or cravings would likely also apply to quitting Diet Coke.<\/p>\n

What emotions are driving the addiction?<\/h2>\n

She needs to figure out what emotions are driving her addiction and use the respective amino acid supplement\/s (one or more of them) to help break the addiction and improve the mood symptoms at the same time.<\/p>\n

These are the questions I review with my clients who have a Diet Coke addiction (or other diet soda or regular soda addiction):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If you have to drink it when you haven\u2019t eaten in awhile it\u2019s likely low blood sugar. Glutamine on the tongue stops the desire almost immediately and also helps with the low blood sugar symptoms of shakiness and irritability<\/li>\n
  2. If you stress-drink, your cravings are likely due to low GABA, and GABA will stop the stress-drinking and calm you down too<\/li>\n
  3. If you drink it to feel happy (and especially from late afternoon into the evening) then your cravings are likely due to low serotonin, and tryptophan (or 5-HTP) stops the cravings and boosts mood and reduces anxiety<\/li>\n
  4. If you drink it for comfort or a reward comfort then it\u2019s likely due to low endorphins and DPA (d-phenylalanine) will stop that feeling of \u201cI deserve-it\u201d and also give you a hug-like mood boost<\/li>\n
  5. If you drink it for an energy boost or to give you focus then it\u2019s likely due to low catecholamines and tyrosine will stop those cravings and give you a mood and energy boost, and also help with mental clarity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Based on her question above, she mentions that \u201cmy fatigue, brain fog, anxiety\/depression increase big time\u201d <\/em>when she stops. The fatigue, brain fog and depression is a big clue that #5 above will likely apply. She asks about using phenylalanine for dopamine support (dopamine is one of the catecholamines). I prefer tyrosine to l-phenylalanine for boosting levels.<\/p>\n

    The fact that anxiety also increases when she stops is a clue that #2 or #3 may apply too, and possibly #1. It\u2019s not unusual for someone to have imbalances in multiple areas.<\/p>\n

    If this is the case, I\u00a0 always recommend doing a trial of one at a time, so it\u2019s easy to see the benefits.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not the same neurotransmitter imbalance that shows up in each person<\/h2>\n

    It\u2019s also not the same neurotransmitter imbalance that shows up in each person with a Diet Coke (or other soda addiction). When I shared this on Facebook and asked what was the driving emotion behind their \u201cself-medication\u201d with Diet Coke this is feedback I received from two women:<\/p>\n