How to Stop Drinking Soda (Pop) Without Willpower
The short answer: I stopped drinking soda by deciding I was a healthy person first, not by banning it. Healthy people usually don't drink pop, so once I saw myself as one, I just didn't. The shift was from "I quit pop" to "I don't drink pop," and then to "I drink water." That made it stick without a fight.
Why is it so hard to quit soda?
I call it pop. You might call it soda. Same can.
Pop was one of the first things every one of my diets cut. At 24, I weighed 258 pounds, and I went on several diets: no bread, no pasta, no pop, no sweets. Each one lasted only a few days. Then my willpower hit its limit and I binged on everything, pop included.
So I know what it's like to "quit pop" over and over.
Looking back, the reason it was hard wasn't the pop. It was that I was an unhealthy person taking a healthy action. Every time I skipped a can, it was a fight against who I thought I was. And if you never decide to be a healthy person, you've still decided. By default, you're living as an unhealthy person. That's why someone drinks two liters of Mountain Dew a day. Nobody sits down and chooses that. It's just the default.
What's the difference between "I quit soda" and "I don't drink soda"?
This is the whole thing. Offer three people a can of pop, and listen to the answers:
- "I quit pop."
- "I'm trying to cut back."
- "No thanks, I don't drink pop."
The first two are still pop drinkers. They're just resisting right now. Only the third has really changed, because it isn't something they're doing. It's who they are.
Pop works the same way. "I quit pop" means you're a pop drinker who's holding out. Every can at every party is a negotiation. "I don't drink pop" is just a fact about you, like your shoe size. There's nothing to negotiate.
My diets were all "I quit." What finally worked was "I don't."
And it wasn't only "I don't drink pop." It was also "I drink water." Not drinking something leaves a gap. Drinking water filled it. Replacing pop with water became part of who I am, not a rule I follow. Today I drink 32 oz of water every morning. It's just part of my routine, the same way pop used to be.
How I actually stopped drinking pop
In the summer of 1998, I stopped dieting for good and decided to become a healthy person instead. Before every choice, I asked one question: "Would a healthy person eat this? Would they do that?"
I didn't know much about being healthy, so I started paying attention to people who looked healthy. And I noticed fit people don't usually drink pop.
I was a healthy person now. So I stopped drinking pop.
That's really how simple it felt. Not easy because I had more willpower than before. Easy because the question already had an answer. Would a healthy person drink this? Usually not. Okay, then I don't either.
And I didn't stop there all at once. Pop came first. Then milk. Then the French fries at lunch. One change at a time, each one settling in before the next. (If you want to try the question for yourself, the free 5-day challenge walks you through it, one short email a morning. Start here →)
What's the easiest way to quit soda?
Here's what I'd suggest, based on what worked for me. These are plain, practical steps, not a medical plan.
1. Decide who you are first
Write it down: "I am a healthy person." Not "I'm trying to cut back." Sign it, say it out loud once, and put it on the fridge, right where you'd reach for a can.
2. Ask the question at the moment of the can
Right when you reach for pop, at the gas station, at the restaurant, at the vending machine, ask: What would a healthy person do right now? Then do that.
3. Change your sentence
When someone offers you a pop, try "No thanks, I don't drink pop." Notice how different that feels from "I can't" or "I'm trying to quit." You're not explaining yourself. You're just telling them who you are.
4. Make the healthy choice the easy one
This is common sense, not science. Keep cold water in the fridge where the pop used to be. Don't buy the twelve-pack "for guests." If there's something else you like to drink that a healthy person would choose, keep that handy instead.
5. Watch someone who doesn't drink pop
Pick a healthy-looking coworker or friend. What do they order with lunch? What do they grab at a party? Borrow one thing. The world becomes your teacher.
6. Don't stack ten changes on top of it
Let pop be your one change for now. When "I don't drink pop" feels normal, then pick the next thing. That's how it went for me: pop, then milk, then fries.
Do I have to quit soda completely?
That's your call. Being healthy looks different for everyone.
For one person it means eating spinach. For another, it means still eating some junk food but no longer drinking Coke. Both of them are healthier. Nobody is taking anything away from you. You decide what a healthy person looks like for you.
For me, pop was an easy first "I don't." Maybe it will be for you too, or maybe your first one is something else.
What if I slip and have a pop?
One can doesn't change who you are.
On a diet, one can would have felt like I'd "blown it," and I'd go right back to binging. As a healthy person, a slip is just one choice. The next choice is a new one. Ask the question again.
At night, ask yourself one thing: Did I act like a healthy person today? Not perfectly. Just mostly.
What happened for me
Over the years after that summer of 1998, I went from 258 pounds to 184, where I am today. Dropping pop was one of the first changes, and it was one of the same changes my diets had demanded. The difference was that this time it lasted, because it matched who I was.
It took years, not weeks. That's my story, not a promise. Everyone's body and results are different. And the best part wasn't the number. It was feeling happier.
FAQ
How do I stop drinking soda?
What worked for me was deciding I was a healthy person first, then asking, "Would a healthy person drink this?" Healthy people usually don't drink pop, so I stopped too, without making it a fight. And I didn't just stop. I started drinking water instead. Today I drink 32 oz every morning.
What's the easiest way to quit soda?
Change the sentence. "I quit soda" keeps you a soda drinker who's holding out. "I don't drink soda" is about who you are. Then make it easy: keep water in the fridge and don't stock pop at home.
Is it "pop" or "soda"?
Depends where you grew up. I say pop. Same drink, same approach.
Do I have to give up soda completely?
No one is taking it away from you. You decide what a healthy person looks like for you. For some people, just dropping Coke is a big healthy change.
What if I have a soda after I've stopped?
One can doesn't change who you are. Ask the question again at the next choice, and at night ask, "Did I act like a healthy person today?"
I'm not a doctor; this is what worked for me. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition.
Try the free 5-day challenge
If you've "quit pop" more times than you can count, try the free 5-day challenge. One short email a day from me. You'll learn why "I quit" keeps failing, make your "I am a healthy person" commitment, and spend Day 4 on how I dropped pop, then milk, then fries, one at a time.
One question runs through all five days: What would a healthy person do right now?