Is Diet Soda Bad For You?

When I was living in Denver, there was a person at my work place that drank six cans of Diet Pepsi everyday. This person always on a diet, but never seemed to lose any weight. My drink of choice in those days was water. Years later, as the pounds started to pile on, I switched to Diet Coke. Everyday I needed to have at least one Diet Coke. This usually meant 12 to 64 ounces! Back then, there wasn't as much information out about diet sodas and their side effects.

Today, we know that almost anything can be addictive. It all depends on how you are interacting with the substance. It is clear that diet soda is not as addictive as nicotine or other drugs, but is there something about diet sodas that make them addictive? The obvious answer is that most diet sodas contain caffeine, yet there are those that down non-caffeinated varieties. CNN reported that "experts say the rituals that surround diet soda and the artificial sweeteners it contains can make some people psychologically -- and even physically -- dependent on it in ways that mimic more serious addictions."

Your Brain and Diet Soda

Certainly one of the factors of addiction is the caffeine. While diet soda does not contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee (diet soda contains four to five times less caffeine than a 12 oz coffee), it can still be addictive. According to Dr. Harris Stratyner,"People do indeed become addicted to caffeine very rapidly, and they also withdraw from caffeine very rapidly. It can make their sleep patterns disturbed, it can make them restless, wired, anxious." If you have ever tried to quit the caffeine habit, you know that the result can be headaches, sluggish feelings and irritability. When I decided to kick the diet soda habit, all of these symptoms presented themselves. It took a good week for the symptoms to disappear, but then I started to feel better and even sleep better at night!

Substituting one substance for another is also a form of addiction. Just as drug users step down to a lesser drug, diet soda users are sometimes replacing other addictions with a diet soda addiction. Since a number of diet soda users are dieters, diet soda becomes a replacement for food. Others have used diet soda to replace, cigarette or alcohol additions. Thus, substituting one compulsive behavior for another.

The artificial sweeteners in diet soda may also trigger your brain to want more. Since these sweeteners are not real sugar, your brain does not quite receive the real sugar high. Your senses tell you that it tastes sweet, but your brain wants the real thing. You are much more likely to want more, because your brain is not satisfied.

Are You Addicted

What are the signs of addiction? According to the American Psychiatric Association, the major sign of addiction is then a person continues to use the substance even when they know it is harmful - causing physical or mental problems. If not having a diet soda during the day causes major stress in your life, maybe you are addicted.