I’m the one who used to be addicted to Pepsi.

I’m the one who drank a minimum of 4-5 Pepsis every day. I’m the one who drank Pepsi for breakfast, Pepsi for a late morning refresher, Pepsi for an afternoon treat, and Pepsi with dinner. I’m the one who bought cases of Pepsi cans and loaded my cart with 2-liter bottles each time I went to the store.

I’m the one who took advantage of free refills at restaurants by filling my cup over and over and over. I’m the one who came up with excuses to go out to eat so I could refill my Pepsi cup over and over and over. I’m the one who had a double standard – not letting my kids drink soda, but going through the drive-through every time I was out so that I could get a large cup of Pepsi, easy on the ice.

I’m the one who finally learned more about eating healthy, decided to make big changes in our diets, started buying free-range chicken and organic lettuce, but still couldn’t give up Pepsi. I’m the one who learned to hate high fructose corn syrup, but still couldn’t give up Pepsi. I’m the one who had to land in the hospital because I hadn’t been taking care of myself before I recognized my need to stop drinking Pepsi and fill myself with nourishment.

So I’m the one who understands others who have a hard time giving up their favorite soda. I’m the one. I totally get it.

There were two main reasons I struggled to give it up:

1. It tasted good to me. It was a treat!
2. I love the fizzy burn of soda.

Now that I’m a recovering Pepsi addict (8 years clean!), I have actually come to a point that I don’t miss it any more. That’s a total God thing, and I’m so thankful for this!

But here are two things you should know:

1. I still love drinks that are a treat.
2. I still love the fizzy burn of soda.

I love drinking plain water, believe that drinking plain water is super important, and make drinking lots of plain water a high priority every day to keep my body healthy. We should never substitute our water drinking needs for “treat drinks.”

But just like I think food is fun, I think drinks are fun too. It’s fun to sit down with a cup of coffee topped with Chocolate Whipped Cream. It’s fun to sip a Warm Vanilla Soother. It’s fun to treat myself to a glass of refreshing iced tea. It’s fun to drink Creamy Orange Cooler with breakfast.

For my soda “fix?” Here are some fun treats I like occasionally:

1. Mineral Water With a Little Bit of Juice Added

I’ve found that about 1/4 cup of 100% juice (usually grape) mixed with about 1 1/2 cups of mineral water really hits the spot. It’s mildly sweet, fizzy, and fun.

2. 100% Juice Cans of Soda

I am so pleased that I continue to find more and more varieties of “healthier soda” on the market. It’s not cheap, and it’s still not going to offer us much in the way of nourishment – so we only drink this rarely. But it’s fun to order a case of this type of soda every once in a while for a special treat. It’s fizzy and sweet – but not too sweet because it only contains 100% fruit juice.

3. Flavored Sparkling Water

It has no sugar, and no fruit – so if you’re looking for a sweet drink, this isn’t it. But the FIZZZZZZZZ!! I love the fizz in these. I think it’s fun that there are different flavors like lemon, lime, orange, etc. I just ordered a fun variety pack of Talking Rain Sparkling Water online. I’ll enjoy one every few days as a refreshing treat.

So how about you? Have you kicked the soda habit? What are your favorite “treat drinks?”