Wagon Jumping

I'd like very much to take a flying leap off the wagon I've been riding on.

Preferably big, fat bellyflop into a vat of ice cold Mountain Dew... fountain, not canned thank you very much.

Hello, my name is Lori and I'm a caffeine addict... and a functioning chocoholic.

For the past couple of years I've been on a bit of a roller coaster in the mood swing department. Now I love a good thrill ride, but this one left me nauseous and forced me to drag along two children who don't meet the height requirements and a husband with all sorts of back restrictions. Not healthy for anyone.

I'll spare you all the details, but eventually I had all the fun I could handle and hit rock bottom. The good news about rock bottom is that God is always faithful to provide a way out. In my particular case, He hooked my up with a book about the relationship between our diets and our moods. It's wan't the first time I had heard about the connection, but it was the first time the information hit home so I decided to give it a try.

The first step was the worst. It was a weeklong detox from all caffeine and refined sugars of any kind. Protein good. Oreos bad. Fruit good. Southern style sweet tea bad. Vegetables good. Dr. Pepper... sigh.

For the first four days I. Thought. I. Would. Die.

Truly. I spent a lot of time laying on my bed thinking about which limb I would trade for a Butterfinger.

But as my body started to adapt, and as the supplements I had started taking kicked in, I started to feel clarity. And more importantly, I had more energy and a much more even disposition.

I haven't had soda since May 9, with the exception a Diet Sprite fiasco on Father's Day (seriously, what's the point of that???). I confess that I added chocolate back into my diet, but on a much smaller scale. The crazy hasn't returned so I'll keep indulging in my peanut M&Ms until it does.

I've found that I can honestly handle chocolate in moderation, but soda is my achilles heal. As much as I'd love to hop in my car and get a Big Gulp right now, I know I'm a junkie who can't have just one. People have recommended caffeine-free diet soda to me, but I just don't understand it. They've sucked all the yummy goodness out of a perfectly good soda and left nothing but gross. No thank you.

Instead I'll sit on my wagon, hugging a glass of water, and thankful for deliverance from a royal pain in the fanny.