I spent my youth happily and obliviously enjoying Coke proper and then another 30 plus years in an abusive relationship with its close cousin, Diet Coke.
I was a walking Coca-Cola ad. In happy times, I celebrated with its joyful sparkling fizz. After hard work, I rewarded myself with its thirst quenching burn. When I was lonely, its familiarity kept me company and when I was down it could be counted on to pick me up. I drank it in the morning instead of coffee and believed it to perfectly complement any meal. Coke added life to my life. We were a team.
Of course anyone including me who has ever cared enough to know, understands that the stuff is unhealthy.…...so I quit. Sorta. Over and over again. Sometimes for months.
I got pretty good at the all too common until, except, and only, types of quitting.
“I’ll quit from Christmas until my birthday in March.”
“I’ll quit except on special occasions.”
“I’ll drink only on those rare nights when I’m out drinking alcohol to keep from over indulging.” (Coke can’t be any worse for ya than a margarita......right?)
Then about 5 years ago I decided to quit for realz. No ifs, ands, buts, exceptions, untils or onlys. No Coke products. No soft drinks at all. Period. Zip. Zilch. Noughta.
And it worked.
And then came the paradigm shift.
Addicts are told when facing their particular demons to “take it one day at a time.” In one sense I guess I knew what that meant. It is indeed easier for a person to face their cravings in the context of “just today.” Eating the entire elephant is overwhelming, but one bite at a time can be doable. Got it.
Here's the kicker. One day at a time took on a completely different shade of meaning in the context of my having quit for 5 years. Because at 5 years I knew I had won.
Completely.
I HAD QUIT COKES.
And because of that, I was now chewing on a new thought. Am I really never gonna have another Coke?
NEVER?
E.V.E.R?
Ahhhhh….Light bulb moment.
THIS is where “one day at a time” becomes important all over again. Don’t think about forever, just think about today.
Too late….
I’d already thought about the forever thing and now was obsessed with the reality of it.
After weeks of persuasive arguments from the part of my psyche that wanted to enjoy Cokes, the part of my psyche that wanted to be healthy fell for the familiar and highly seductive “except” strategy of the past.
After thinking about it for weeks, I finally pulled the trigger on July 9, 2017, in the Red Rocks Amphitheater during an Avett brothers concert.
Everything about that night was magical...it deserved a Coke.
Since then, I’ve enjoyed a Coke on 4 other occasions. Who am I kidding, I didn’t enjoy them, I reveled in those Cokes to the point of obnoxiousness.
“All things in moderation.”
I’m hoping that I am self-aware enough that my newly discovered old relationship with Coke becomes as mundane of an experience as having a beer or glass of wine is. Meaning something I enjoy and do on occasion, but not something I use up lot of brain space thinking about.
Wish me luck and ...cheers.
