Have you ever wondered whether or not it's possible to get addicted to fizzy drinks?
Turns out the answer is yes, as one British man found out just that after trying to kick his habit of guzzling 4.5 litres of Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola every day.
Tom Bowey was so dependent on getting his sugar and caffeine fix that he'd drink a can of the fizzy stuff when he woke up in the morning, before having a second on his way to work. He'd then polish off a couple of bottles in the morning and afternoon before heading home from work, where he'd knock back another couple of cans before heading to bed.
"It was all day, from when I woke up until 10pm. I found it hard to fall asleep because I had so much caffeine and sugar in my system," the dad said about his drink preferences.
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The Buckinghamshire bloke was knocking back so much of the stuff that he even earned the nickname 'Dr Pepper Man' at his local off-licence due to how many bottles he was purchasing.
To make things worse, Tom had completely stopped drinking water in favour of fizzy pop.
"My boss told me 'You're going to die soon'."
As you can imagine, Tom's fizzy drinks habit wasn't doing wonders for his health.
Tom's waistline had ballooned from all the pop he was knocking back, due to the excess sugar and calories, while his dentist revealed that his teeth were so decayed they resembled those of a 70-year-old due to acid erosion.
"I felt bloated a lot of the time, had headaches sometimes and felt a bit foggy and tired. Another issue was I was finding it hard to fall asleep at night," he said.
"When I'd lie down [to go to sleep] I was wide awake because I had so much sugar and caffeine in my system."
Tom had made numerous attempts to kick his dependence on fizzy drinks over the years but found it difficult to maintain, spending around '10 years' guzzling the stuff daily.
"My boss told me 'you're going to die soon if you don't stop drinking them' because I'd have the bottles sitting on the side next to my computer at work," he added.
There was also the risk of more serious health complications occurring down the line, with one doctor revealing that a different patient who exhibited similar patterns to Tom suffered high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was at risk of his kidneys shutting down.
Fortunately, Tom's Dr Pepper habits weren't as extreme, and he was finally able to kick the habit through hypnotherapy.
He now drinks pints of water and weak squash to quench his thirst. The excess weight has since fallen off Tom, meaning he now wears a size medium in tops instead of a large.
He's also been able to save enough money to take his family on holiday, after estimating that his habits had cost around £30,000 over the years.
Topics: Health, Food And Drink
Brenna Cooper