Goodbye, Friend.

I gave up on a dear friend today.

I had to do it--the long term effects of our friendship is detrimental, so I'm told. This friend has been a source of comfort for years, from my high school days thru college, nursing school, night shifts, shopping trips, vacations, stress, happiness, sadness, fear, depression, anxiety, etc. Everyone who knows me well knows my pal, Diet Coke, is always near, usually within eyesight if not in my hand. I love diet coke--and I can name the gas stations around this county who have the best-tasting diet coke and those that I will purposefully drive past despite dying of thirst in order to obtain the perfect carbonation combination with caffiene. Yes, I am addicted. I will not support restaurants who serve Pepsi products, but am loyal to venders with Coke.

As you can see, it's a problem.

So, I am breaking up with DC. This has 0nly been attempted twice before and the results were downright scary. The first time was on my mission. The second time was in nursing school when a friend wanted to break me of the habit and I failed. I was moody, sad, angry and in despair. I vomited and had massive headaches. In order to keep friends and keep my husband from divorcing me, I picked the habit back up. Nursing school was not the time to make the sacrifice.

So why now? Well, a couple of reasons:

1) It's expensive. I only drink fountain soda, which is $1/day and that adds up! It's time to save money. I will miss my friends at the gas station who know me. We have become tight.

2) I still don't understand this, but in order to lose weight, I must give up diet coke. I still don't grasp this concept since diet coke is "sugar-free," but I'm listening to my nutritionist and my doctor. I like to think I am paying big bucks for them to tell me the truth.

3) If the world does come to an end soon as predictions say, I cannot stock up on fountain Diet Coke. I would not survive even with our food storage.

4) At the hospital where I work, a nephrologist (kidney doctor) took one look at my massive Bubba Keg which holds the diet coke and he said, "Wendy, you and people like you keep me in business. As long as there is pop, there will be nephrologists." The same doctor yelled at me when I had to call him at three in the morning regarding one of his patients. I decided I am going to give up soda so he will lose some business.

5) Alyssa told me when she grows up she is going to drink Diet Coke. I know it's still better then her saying she will grow up and drink beer or antifreeze, but still, I don't want to see her "need" diet coke the way I do.

So, here I go. If I don't return your call or respond to your email or answer the door, it's because I'm in pain and don't want to bite your head off. Caffiene is a drug, so I consider myself in detox. Detox is ugly--I'm just warning you.

I'll keep you posted.

I'm Wendy, and I'm a diet coke-aholic. I gave it up today and I need your support.