How I have kicked my addiction to the curb

Hello.  My name is Erin.  I am an addict... a Diet Coke addict.
If given the choice of what to drink, I would always, ALWAYS choose Diet Coke.  Breakfast?  Diet Coke!  Lunch?  Diet Coke!  Dinner?  Diet Coke!  It doesn't matter- I'm drinking Diet Coke!  At school, I even have the following sign in my classroom:

I have a very refined Diet Coke palate.  I CAN very definitely tell the difference between Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi so don't even think you're going to try to slip THAT one past me!  Traveling up North is the worst because it is so hard to find restaurants that serve Diet Coke, except for the good old Golden Arches!  Even locally, though, I will always ask the waiter/waitress if they serve Coke products and if they say 'no', I immediately make a mental note to not return to this restaurant!  (if you think I'm joking, ask my husband about the Buffalo Wild Wings incident!)  Got the picture?  I LOVE DIET COKE!! 

Well, I knew that re-starting my health journey I was going to need to start drinking more water and try to start drinking less Diet Coke.  I really, REALLY didn't want to do this, but I thought I would at least give it a try.  I have also been trying to incorporate the use of essential oils more and more (which is another blog post for another day!) and decided that I would try the lemon essential oil in my water.  Now, let me make this clear, I am using Young Living Essential Oil.  It is therapeutic grade essential oil. The stuff you buy at the grocery store is not and should not be ingested.   (If you want more information on Young Living oils, please email me at starsfan9@gmail.com)  Now, lemon essential oil will break down plastics, so I needed to drink out of a glass water bottle.  I purchased a really cool glass water bottle at  Market Street, added my water, 2 drops of the lemon essential oil, and I gave it a try in the mornings as part of my morning routine.

My glass water bottle and Young Living Lemon E.O.

Now, something really amazing started to happen.  As the day went on, I found that I wasn't as hungry in between meals as I used to be.  ME!  The big girl on the health journey wasn't hungry!  What was happening?!?!  Well, one of the benefits of lemon essential oil is that it helps with appetite control!  Then, a REALLY strange thing happened.  Dave and I went to dinner and I ordered a Diet Coke, as was my habit.  I hadn't had one all day, and I thought I deserved one!  Well, it tasted funny!  I chalked it up to the restaurant having a bunch of bad syrup or something and ordered water instead.  As the days went on, I continued my lemon water regimen in the morning and continued to drink water throughout the day.  And guess what?  Every time I have tried Diet Coke, it has tasted absolutely horrible, whether it be at a restaurant, from a can, or from a 20 oz. bottle.  

So, I decided to see if this sudden aversion to Diet Coke was  only  an aversion to Diet Coke.  I tried to drink some Diet Sprite one morning because my tummy was a little bit upset.  Nope- tasted gross.  

I'll admit, I'm a bit sad about this.  Diet Coke and I have had such a deep relationship for so long.  I feel like I'm breaking up with one of my best friends.  Plus, having a sign that says, "This classroom runs on love, laughter and lots of water" just doesn't carry the same punch!  

But, on this journey called life, we often have to say 'goodbye' to toxic friends because they are just bringing us down, bringing negativity into our lives, and perhaps keeping us from being who we were intended to be.  I guess it is no different with my 'friend' Diet Coke, now is it?