Dateline 12-2-2016

One of the worst things that I started doing after moving back to San Diego after living in Seattle for close to two decades has to be drinking soda over water. While I lived in Seattle, I drank nothing but water... well, water and booze with the occasional carbonated flavored water as a treat. This water from the tap was so good that it was the most convenient option to quench my never-ending thirst.

Whether it be booze or bottled water I've always felt like a bottomless pit when it comes to drinks. I also seem to be on an endless cycle of ups and downs when it comes to weight and I know that the ups coincide when my intake of "other beverages" outweigh my intake of H2O.

Since moving back home to San Diego, where the tap has a dirt taste to it, I've found that I've been drinking more and more soda since I'm not a big fan of spending so much money on water when I used to get it for free. I feel perfectly fine paying for the syrup and sugars that make up flavored beverages and have a big problem with the practices of companies that bottled water.

Sure these are the same companies but again at least they put effort into their lines of flavored drinks when it comes to water, these companies just steal resources from one area of the world to sell to another market. From what I've read most of them don't even treat or filter the water to add any value.

When I first moved back, I was too depressed to put any real effort into keeping to the healthier of my habits and since the water from the sink was so gross to me I went straight to soda right away. Sure, I opt for diet soda but often read that this can be just as bad if not worse than regular flavored drinks.

I put on weight pretty quickly due to this lack of efforts. Not only was I not watching what I was eating and drinking, but I stopped being all that active. It took over a year to get over the loss I've been feeling since my world started to collapse a little over three years ago when the reality set it that I'm just never going to get to live my dreams. Sure this reality still haunts me but I'm now dead enough inside to not mind as much anymore.

Several months ago I bought a water cooler in an attempt to get back on the ball health wise. This worked at first especially with the first ten gallons of water that I bought in order to own two five gallon bottles to refill at the water dispenser that is located just up the street from where I live.

This worked fine when things were exciting and new but there were two problems. One, it takes forever to fill a 32oz bottle with the slow ass water cooler spout. Where the faucet would take seconds, it feels like you're pushing at least a minute to accomplish what used to be the simplest of tasks. This isn't too bad of a problem but it is a speedbump nonetheless.

The second problem is that I don't think the water at the dispenser is filtered because it has the same dirt taste to it. Psychologically, I would tell myself that the taste was there but not as bad, but after months of acclimating myself to the taste, I can see no difference and now have no problem drinking straight from the tap.

Part of me is bothered by the fact that this is my new normal and I am no longer bothered by this dirt water but then there is another part of me is happy that I have quick easy access to drinking water that will help me phase out a bad habit of mine that I've been pretty good at controlling in the past.

 Sure, I may still grab a soda here and there. I've never felt that a 100% prohibition of things I actually enjoy is the solution. My current goal is to cut back just like I have with alcohol, to where I went from being a daily drunk to going weeks and even months without drinking at all without really putting an effort into not drinking and not finding those moments that I do as a floodgate opening failure.

So, right now, I am about to walk up to the store to grab something to eat. In the past, this would mean also grabbing a few energy drinks and several sodas to replenish my stock. This time, it's just going to be the food items as my beverage options are already under control. This will be the second time I've shopped without stockpiling soda. I felt so proud the first time that it was weird, weird that it would be something to take pride in so I decided that this would be a post worth writing as I prepare for another underwhelming accomplishment.

I'll be sure to let you know if I pull it off.

Talk to you tomorrow,

The Wicker Breaker