Hello,
My name is Seye Kuyinu and I am was a coke addict. I have taken Coca-cola practically everyday for 7 years. In fact, I can remember the really hot days in University of Ilorin where I’d lean on the buttery bar tables and ask for two bottles of Coca-cola right there. It wasn’t long before I noticed that I wasn’t the only one addicted to Coke. There’s the rumor that there is some cocaine in Coca-cola. How true it is was never my business. I just knew I needed a fix every now and then.
I had read every single article about why Coca-cola is deadly. I had read every point. Please name it! Coca-cola makes your teeth and bone decay? Coca-cola is so potent, it could be used to clean the toilet? Coca-cola takes you on a fake high? I have read every point. They never moved me. They still don’t move me.
But I chose to feature this habit as a HighLifer Experiment/highlight because the apparent bad habit had to be tackled from another perspective. And the perspective was from deep love for self and willpower. One of the hidden agenda behind starting HighLifer was to find an avenue or channel where I could express love for myself(without taking selfies of course). If I loved myself enough, I’d eat healthy. Maybe to you you’ve realized that last sentence a long time ago. But for me it was a deeper realization. What about willpower? I simply couldn’t come to terms with the thought that Coca-cola had a stronger hold on me that myself. But quitting was not easy. I had tried so many times. I had to work on a rehabilitation system that would not fail. I created this system and here is what I did to quit drinking Coca-cola-
The philosophy of reason and weights.
I told some of my friends while I was doing this challenge that breaking a habit is easier when you have a reason that far outweighs the gratification of the habit. So for me to quit this habit, I had to first realize what would be more pleasing than the satisfaction from an empty bottle and a loud burp. For me, it was the victory of not being tied to a habit that didn’t put money in my bank account. 🙂 It was also the prospect of being able to share my experience with people, sharing it here on HighLifer.
The first two days
The first two days were really tough. I would say that over and over again. I had of course recognized the triggers and what I named the Call. I drank this after eating, no matter what meal, and when also when I got out from the sun. At the end of day two I couldn’t take the pressure any more. I gave in to the pressure of taking another drink. I bought a carbonated creme soda. That satisfied the craving for that day.
The first week
By the end of the first week, I had mastered the triggers and prepared adequately for them. Or so I thought. Somehow the end of this first week got more people than ever sharing bottles of Coke(and that’s when I knew the devil was real 🙂 ). Every single bottle of CocaCola had that very sexy cold sweat dripping from its gorgeous and shaply plastic. Even canned cokes looked better designed than other canned drinks. I survived the first week
The last week
Before this week, I had cheated. I had found the ultimate healthy cheat! Effervescent vitamin C tablets. I had about two of those daily and they gave(and still give) me so much fizzy satisfaction. This was my replacement. The last week was the third week. That was when I knew I had broken free. This was when I got convinced that you only needed 21 days to break from a strong addiction.
Conclusions
Please read my article, Breaking Old Habits, Forming New Ones. I make reference to the processes there as they helped me with the Coca-cola addiction too. I am also fully convinced that following through to changing habits takes repetition in the good habit. It does take a lot of work. But the reason for the change does have to out weigh the feeling of gratification that the bad habit takes.
Do you also have any habit that you struggle with?
Reference: https://www.alcoholdrugrehabs.com/
Ice.
I struggle with ice.
Like STRUGGLE.
Brilliant piece by all standards. I am also addicted to Coca-Cola but mine isn’t as strong as the one you had. I found this piece very useful and I look forward to more.
I struggle with letting myself love people genuinely. Its weird, but I love so totally that I dont like to let people know. Because I fear they cant requite, I push them away before they even feel me.