I find it interesting that so many have mentioned being addicted to Mountain Dew. I was as well. Now I cannot drink the stuff.

I realized I was an addict back in 1998 when I injured my back and was sitting around a lot. Daily me ana buddy would go to the store to buy whatever we wanted for lunch, dinner, etc., and always some soda for me. One day the checkout girl whom I liked asked if I was stocking up on soda? I said no and asked why she was asking? She said, you were in here yesterday buying the same amount as today, so I am wondering what you do with it all? And my buddy said he drinks it! And she said, that's not possible, you were in here yesterday buying 20 two litre bottles, and today buying... well, 19, but nobody can drink 40 litres of soda in a day. And my buddy said, he does. Long story short, I was buying up to 40 litres of Mountain Dew a day, and drinking it. Over the next couple of weeks I monitored myself and sure, I was drinking endlessly. So I decided to quit, but with some intelligence behind the plan.

The first thing I noted, was that grabbing it in the store is a habit. So I started buying something else. I went with Pepsi. Didn't look the same, I knew I didn't mind the taste, but it wasn't the same color.

Next I realized that the flavor was an issue too. You get used to something, you want it. So I switched from Pepsi, to Coke, to just anything, as long as it came in a two-litre bottle.

The goal was to quit within a year. I switched to diet, just to see if that would be workable, and sure enough, I was soon drinking diet coke. But it started to taste good so I went back to drinking sugary stuff and found I couldn't. I had quit sugary for a month and suddenly couldn't drink it. So I switched back and forth between the diet colas, Pepsi, Coke, store brand, anything. I kept swapping each time, trying not to stick with any brand more than one store visit so I would get the flavor out of my head.

I was done drinking soda within 60 days. Not a year, just sixty days. And I found that once I had it out of me for more than a couple of weeks, I was fine. No need for caffeine, though I did have to drink a lot of different things so I could have flavor. I found that water alone was not good enough. Flavor was an issue too. But soon I grew bored of those as well. Within three months, maybe four I was done. I really just drank water most of the time.

I had quit for about 18 months. It was then I happened to get on to the Atkins diet. I was doing alright with it. But I went out to visit my family and when I arrived, they had dozens of bottles of soda. Including Mountain Dew. They offered me some, I said I had quit and they asked, What about diet? And I said, I drank it for a while, but I quit drinking soda completely. And they responded... handing me a glass of iced diet Pepsi... No need to quit, diet has no affect on Atkins. You can drink all you want!

Two years later I finally quit again. Used basically the same methods. Though it was easier because I knew I could do it. Knew what to do. And it worked. That one lasted maybe 18 months then I started up again. Not sure why.

I just quit again. Haven't touched any for a month. It's going alright. No hard cravings. But here's the part that annoys me. I got diagnosed with diabetes. I had been working out, exercising, smaller portions, everything for 18 months. Went from 248 down to 220. Felt pretty good, was sticking with it, got injured at work, ballooned back to 248 and then 252. Got healed, went right back to working out, dropped to 215. That's when I got the diagnosis!!! Diabetes, yet I had been off sugary sodas for eight years! I had dieted (though modifying my eating habits to a healthier system would be a better way of saying it) exercised and lost 30 pounds and still got diabetes. And the doctor says... No need to quit diet soda, it has no affect on your diabetes... And I'll tell you, I used that as an excuse just as I used Atkins as an excuse. But I wasn't happy a doctor was so unsupportive as to suggest drinking any soda was just fine and dandy.

So between my new healthier eating, I broke the 215 barrier and hit 194. 9 pounds away from my ultimate goal of 185. Though I have bounced back to 206, I know I can do what I want. If I want to eat healthy, I do, if I want to exercise, I do. And now I have quit soda again, which I also know I can do. Quitting doesn't mean you won't ever drink again. It just means you've decided, at least for now, to not drink.

So the keys for me were always to break the routine. Buy something different. At first it may have to be a similar looking object like a different soda. Just change the routine. Buy a different brand. I am sure this would work with smoking too. Buy a different brand each week. Change the nicotine levels over and over. Eventually there will be no specific object you crave, no specific flavor, no specific anything. And if you have to, change the store you always use. Anything that is part of the routine, break. It is no different from "normal" people who wake in the morning and immediately have the coffee going, can't leave the house without coffee, always have the mug in hand... it's a routine.

I wish you every success in your efforts. It was actually kind of easy. I didn't do it cold turkey, but within sixty days I was pretty much able to walk away. And once you learn you can do it, and pretty easily, it will be easier the next time, in case your quitting was temporary.