Just Don't 'Dew It!

John has been addicted to Diet Mountain Dew for ages now (and before that it was Diet Pepsi), but over the past few years I've watched his 'Dew intake increase to a frankly alarming amount. He couldn't go anywhere without a liter bottle in hand, and he'd go through at least two liters a day. I'm pretty sure if you cut him, he'd bleed lemon-lime. Not to mention he'd only stop in the evenings when the heart palpitations started. Seriously.

Also during the past year or so, John has been increasingly concerned about his memory. Not just in remembering names or dates, but in remembering the right words he needs while talking to me or anyone else. He gets frustrated, and ends up using words that are similar to the ones he wants, but not quite right. Like this time in the car recently, when he kept asking me for "instructions"- which baffled me - and after a few rounds that would have made a great Laurel & Hardy routine I finally figured out he meant "directions."

Most of us have this problem from time to time, of course, but it's become a real obstacle and concern for John. It's more than a momentary lapse; it's actually preventing him from expressing himself. And when I can't immediately figure out what he's trying to say, it causes these prickly moments of frustration and stress in our marriage. (He thinks I'm being deliberately difficult, *I* think he's being deliberately confusing. Heh.)

John's asked me several times if I thought the soda might be to blame - and I've always said that it certainly couldn't be helping - but it wasn't until that episode in the car two weeks ago that he finally decided to try cutting back.

And because this is all-or-nothing John we're talking about, he decided to just up and quit cold turkey. (No matter how much his wife told him to ease off gradually, I might add.)

The first four days were pure agony; he had constant migraines that pain pills couldn't touch, and he almost slept more than he was awake. Which, considering the headaches, was probably a good thing.

On the fifth day I managed to convince him to take some Excedrin (he'd been resisting because it has a little caffeine in it, the stubborn ox) (she said lovingly) and almost immediately he was a new man.

Since then John tells me he's clearer, sleeping better, less hungry, and just generally feeling better. (Woot!)

Also since then we've learned some disturbing things about soda in general, and Diet Mountain Dew in particular.  In fact, the other day Anne Wheaton (Wil's wife) tweeted this article which includes this chilling snippet:

 "An ingredient called brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, added to prevent the flavoring from separating from the drink (Mountain Dew), is an industrial chemical used as a flame retardant in plastics. Also found in other citrus-based soft drinks and sports drinks, the chemical has been known to cause memory loss and nerve disorders when consumed in large quantities."

John's also been reading up on the known issues aspartame - the sweetener used in many diet sodas - has with memory loss. None of it is very encouraging.

I've been off caffeine and soda for nearly five years now due to my anxiety and adrenal issues, so fortunately I'm already used to drinking almost nothing but water. After over ten years of drinking almost nothing but soda, though, that's a huge leap for John - and yet somehow he's managing it. He found a lemonade mix that uses Stevia for a sweetener, too, but mostly? Just plain ol' water.

I'm so proud of John, and one of the reasons I'm posting this is just to brag on him a little. I also want to let John's fellow 'Dew addicts out there know about these memory concerns, and see if any of you have had similar symptoms. There's a lot of controversy and debate over just how bad these chemicals are for you, of course, but I think John at least is convinced to stay off soda for good.

Also, John's read that any memory problems *should* reverse themselves once you stop drinking the soda, since your brain will flush out the neurotoxin on its own, but I'm curious if any of you know how long that process should take. Weeks? Months? Longer? Any brain doctors out there care to weigh in?

Feel free to share your thoughts/experiences in the comments, and I'd also welcome any relevant links you guys might recommend, since there's just so much information to sift through when it comes to debating the toxicity of this stuff.

Oh, and maybe tell John you're proud of him, since I think he deserves a little positive feedback. And maybe a medal or two. :)