I'm addicted to soda, but I drink diet soda because it doesn't have any calories, so I figure I can drink as much as I want (I know this is a false assumption). I don't like to worry about how much I drink--it's hard enough worrying about what I eat--because I need to drink when I'm thirsty, and sometimes it's for something to do.

I much prefer the taste of regular soda, but it seems to make me poop more (at least Cherry Coke does...the diet soda I drink most is Cherry Coke Zero). That might be a good thing, for all I know. When I was a kid and a teen, I drank regular Pepsi all the time. My parents loved me, but started me out on consuming lots of sugary foods and drinks, and so now it's a struggle I'm constantly dealing with. (Slightly off-topic, just to show you the extent of my addiction to sugar, is that earlier, I went into the store looking for a new flavor of Ben & Jerry's to try--which was bad enough--but, not finding it, I bought a bunch of sugary things instead, even as I was telling myself, "Don't get it. Put it back." I got a banana cream pie, four chocolate bars, some new Dove Cookies & Creme candies and, at the drug store, a bag of Godiva chocolates with toffee in them. I keep intending to stop, but when I'm in front of the sugary item, I just remember how it tastes, the texture of the food, and I think, just once more. I DON'T WANT TO GET DIABETES, but I feel like I need a sugar rehab.)

Back to diet soda. I've had my OCD and panic disorder since I was at least 10, when I still drank regular soda, so I don't think diet soda had anything to do with it. That said, for all I know, it's worsening the conditions and maybe causing other things mentally and physically. I find I tolerate the caffeine in sodas pretty well, but if I drink something coffee-based (not that I do, since I don't like the taste of coffee, but I did get into drinking one-shot lattes for a while), it gives me mild diarrhea.

Over the years, I've used aspartame and other artificial sweeteners (Splenda being a favorite, taste-wise), and I've tried Stevia (Truvia and Stevia in the Raw are brand names), which wasn't bad. There's a slight aftertaste to Stevia, but it's not bad. And Stevia is natural--but that doesn't mean it can't harm you (hemlock and arsenic are natural, too). I find it hard to keep up on what's safe and what isn't, and of course, there's always people saying it's safe/no, it's not.

I've tried several sugar-free chocolates, usually made with Splenda, that I recommend as far as taste goes. Sugar-free Reese's tastes almost like the regular Reese's, and Russell Stover's sugar-free products are pretty good, but I find they make me poop more, just like regular soda. (Sorry if that's TMI, but I'm just being honest.)