Cancer by the can

Okay, okay. A lot of people make up both sides of the fence on the argument of whether or not Diet Coke causes Cancer… or Heart Disease… or Autism… or whatever. At one point, I was intimidated into a no-soda kick too. Heck, and because I don’t even think it tastes good AND the bubbles burn going down, I didn’t have a problem jumping FULLY onto this bandwagon.

But something has happened to me in the last six months. Something unexplainable and direly unacceptable. I’m back to drinking Diet Coke. Oh, the shame.

For some reason, it just goes so WELL with lunch. Especially when you need a caffeine kick and coffee is either going to make you sweat or shake uncontrollably. It’s got just the right amount of pop to wake me up, refresh my palate and get me through the afternoon.

Okay, that’s how it started. I really only succumbed to it once a week. On days where you just got too sluggish to care about whether the price to get through the day was going to give you cancer down the road. Call it living in the moment.

But now, I would stretch to say I have about 4-5 a week! Some of you are rolling your eyes, some of you are tuning me out, but I know for a fact I am striking a chord with the rest of you. What do you drink when water just isn’t enough? When you need a kick, but you can’t STAND fruity subs, flavored waters or sugary sips… What the heck else is there? I could have a beer. One beer could turn tiredness into giddiness, but then I feel certain I would crash. Or want another, and then I would definitely crash. Champagne might do it, but then the burping would probably outshine the dozing for deplorable side effects. Forget your energy drinks. They’re disgusting.

So here we are. Sitting at my desk, sipping on a Diet Coke that I opened (don’t you love the sound it makes when you open it?) to pair with my turkey sandwich and Salt & Vinegar chips (I could write a whole post about those). I probably took all of five sips to wash down lunch, and now probably 9 ounces of bubbly brown carcinogen sit tempting my tired tantrum at arm’s length. Does it really cause cancer? Are they eventually going to say it’s helps prevent cancer, like they do for coffee now? If I stop drinking now, is it going to make a difference, or am I already doomed, so what’s another Coke going to do? Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, whatever other self-depricating-“ally”, I don’t want it. It doesn’t taste good. My stomach will churn and I don’t even really need those last sips now that lunch (the excuse) is over. But here I am sipping… aaaaand here I am sipping again… and oh, the cans getting really light soooo I miigghhhttt as welllll finiisshhhh. Ahhhhhhh.

Crap. I’ve gotten nowhere. And, actually, to be honest with you, I am still tired.