A New Year, A New Me?

Happy New Year!

Now that it is the new year it is the time that most people make resolutions on how to improve themselves and their lives. I, of course am perfect just the way I am and don't need to change... NOT!

I have plenty of resolutions that I intend to follow, including the typical ones involving health, exercise, eating, housework etc. The big one for me though is to give up my diet coke addiction. And yes, it is an addiction. I've given up my diet coke habit in the past only to end up drinking it again. When I'm at my worst I can easily drink 2 - 3 litres a day of the stuff.

Now, for those who don't know, diet coke is not great for you - in particular due to the artificial sweetener that is used (aspartame). There have been a number of studies on the effects of aspartame. One that is particularly relevant (at least in my opinion) is one that was designed to study the effects of aspartame on participants with a history of depression. The effects of aspartame on the first 13 participants were so severe that they were forced to halt the study. If you're interested you can find the study here. This is particularly relevant for me as I'm a person with a history of depression.

Unfortunately to access a lot of the scholarly articles you need to be a student or pay to view them, so I'm not going to share a lot of links. But, in my reading I've also come across information showing that aspartame can cause neuropathic (nerve) pain - or increase neuropathic pain if you are susceptible to it. Once again - this is me. I have a history of neuropathic pain.

So, whilst I know all these things (and have known them for some time), I have continued to drink diet coke. Why, you might ask? Well, the answer is quite simple. I'm a moron. I continue to do something that I know is bad for me, repeatedly. I have any number of excuses. For a long time my excuse was that I didn't drink coffee or tea and so drinking diet coke was my way of getting caffeine. I've also used the excuse of it being my only vice. I don't smoke, or drink often, I eat pretty healthily, and at the time of the excuse I also exercised a lot. So why shouldn't I enjoy my diet coke?

Well, enough with the excuses. I'm taking control and kicking the habit. Today was day one, and boy it was hard, but I know I can do it. I have in the past. The big thing this time is not to slip and start drinking diet coke again.

So, it's a new year. Time for making changes - what do you want to take control of in your life? Why not start like me, by making one small change at a time? Before you know it you'll be feeling a lot better!