Dumb question about soda addiction

September 28, 2015 7:12 AM

If I replace coke with caffeinated tea and sugary sweets, why do I still get withdrawal headaches? Is there something in coke that is more addictive than caffeine or sugar?

I am trying to get all sugar and caffeine out of my diet but I must first kick my coke habit. I'm down to only a few ounces a day but the echoey headaches hit if I don't have those few ounces, no matter how much tea and sugar I have consumed. Why is this? Is there an additive in coke that I am addicted to?

posted by myselfasme to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

Have you compared the amount of caffeine in coke vs the tea you are drinking? Perhaps you are still consuming less caffeine than before. I tried this once and had the same problem for this reason.
posted by harrietthespy at 7:23 AM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

Depends on the tea of course, but a can of coke should have about the same caffeine as a mug of tea.

I'd be tempted to test the sugar-withdrawal option, there's 33 grams of sugar in coke, so for a test, add eight teaspoons of sugar to your next tea, see if the hit of energy from that clears your head.
posted by Static Vagabond at 7:26 AM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

I wish I remember where I'd read it, but apparently carbonation makes things taste (?) less sweet, so the amount of sugar in Coke is more than you could tolerate in anything non-carbonated. In fact, the thing I remember reading was that anything that sweet would trigger your gag reflex if it weren't carbonated. Though now that I think about that, I wonder how we can consume thinks like maple syrup if excessive sweetness triggers gagging. Anyway, it's unlikely that sugared tea is giving you nearly as much sugar as Coke. To find out if it's sugar withdrawal can you try drinking a diet/zero coke?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:12 AM on September 28, 2015

Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs has caffeine amounts by beverage type and brand name.
posted by Carol Anne at 8:23 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I agree with others that it's probably the sugar. Unless you're putting something like 9 teaspoons of sugar in each cup of tea, you're not consuming as much sugar as you would get from a coke.

(Whenever I get sugar withdrawal headaches, I deal with them by eating some fresh fruit.)
posted by kinddieserzeit at 8:24 AM on September 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

Have you tried subbing in diet/caffeine free coke to narrow down where the problem might lie?

I will also just say -- I get the caffeine withdrawal headaches when I go without coffee, but it's not like they last forever. I would just start going cold turkey over a long weekend and suffer through it -- it's unpleasant, but if you really want to cut out the sugar and caffeine you'll have to do it eventually. (By this I mean, even if you successfully replace the soda with sweetened tea, then you'll still have to quit the sweetened tea, right?)
posted by rainbowbrite at 8:48 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I definitely agree it's the sugar.
I did the same thing a year ago. I did it cold turkey because I just can't allow myself anything like that. I won't stop until I STOP. The headaches are awful, I'm sorry you're going through that. After a few days they will go away and the feeling of not having sugar is so amazing, it's worth it.
posted by shesbenevolent at 10:58 AM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

Coke is like crack. I've given up diet coke a few times and omg it is hard. Google it, there are tonnes of people who agree. It must have something in it beyond sugar and caffeine as I've tried using those as a bridge to giving up and it didnt help.

Cold turkey is best, brutal for a week or so but at least you can divide your life into with coke and after coke. My last one was December 18, 2013 and i have to remind myself of that any time i am tempted to take a sip of that devilish goodness.

Pick a time when you can wallow around moaning that your head is going to explode and just do it once and for all. Good luck!!
posted by kitten magic at 4:34 PM on September 28, 2015

I have often wondered if there's something addictive in Coke - Diet Coke even - so I was intrigued to see your post. I have tried replacing that "fix" with other things... Tea, coffee, etc. but there is something lacking. No clue, but I can relate.
posted by ecorrocio at 8:32 PM on September 28, 2015