11 ms·

It's hard for me to understand the whole soda phenomenon in Canada and the US. Is it as addictive as cigarettes? Does it make you crave for more? Or it simply t

by geoka9 12y ago

It's hard for me to understand the whole soda phenomenon in Canada and the US. Is it as addictive as cigarettes? Does it make you crave for more? Or it simply tastes so good that you can't get enough of it? Why not eat a bunch of apples instead (if you don't care about the amount of sugar you consume)? Wouldn't they taste better?

vinceguidry 12y ago
Pretty sure it's mostly due to marketing and also vertically integrated markets. You can't get away from soft drink advertising in the US. And the stuff is literally everywhere. In many (most?) restaurants, your beverage choices comprise soda and water. I would not be surprised at all if soda alone accounted for a double-digit percentage of the obesity rate.
- johnchristopher 12y ago
  > [..] In many (most?) restaurants, your beverage choices comprise soda and water. This reminds me that in Belgium there's a fast food chain with menus for which the cashier can't swap the soda for water.
  - valarauca1 12y ago
    This is true for a lot of US resturants (especially fast food) they don't have a button for water, instead they just ring up a soda, and fill it with water.
    - jfoutz 12y ago
      I think the majority of the cost is the packaging The concentrated soda and carbonation isn't free, but a tiny fraction of the cost of the cup, lid and straw.
    - chadzawistowski 12y ago
      My understanding was that restaurants in the US are required to provide free tap water. It may be a very small cup, but it should be available.
      - dguaraglia 12y ago
        You get the water, but you can't take the price of the soda off the menu item. Say you get a "Big Kahuna Combo" at $4.95 from some joint. The combo comprises a hamburger, a bag of fries and medium soda. Let's say the supermarket price for the same amount of soda is $.95 and the water cost is $1.95 (yes, more.) You'd think the restaurant would be able to swap the soda for a bottle of water and charge you $5.95 for the combo. But the way their combos are created (there are many, many reasons why the combos include a soda, such as soda companies subsidizing the cost of the soda for having soda as the default drink in the menu) doesn't allow for customization. In that case you'll have to pay the full value of the combo + $1.95 for the bottled water. Or get the same combo, for $4.95, but replacing the soda for tap water. That's what the parent meant.
- nerfhammer 12y ago
  It's the margins. Merchants will always push you to get soft drinks because that's where they get the biggest margin.
  - loganu 12y ago
    Exactly. Why would a movie theater, fast food chain, restaurant, or other place offer water as a default when they could sell you something with a 90% profit margin?
imanaccount247 12y ago
>Does it make you crave for more? Or it simply tastes so good that you can't get enough of it? Yes to both. >Wouldn't they taste better? No? This seems like a pretty bizarre question. People eat what they like. If apples tasted better (to them, it is subjective obviously) then they would be eating apples. I like coke, so I drink coke. I do not like apples, so I do not eat apples (unless they are in pie form).
- hrjet 12y ago
  > No? This seems like a pretty bizarre question. People eat what they like. While I generally agree, let's not discount the power of marketing, advertising and subliminal messaging.
ch4s3 12y ago
Heavy sugar consumption actually does cause dependency. You are genetically hard wired to crave fats and sugars, and refined sugar interacts with the reward centers in your brain in a manner somewhat similar to cocaine.
- soperj 12y ago
  I'm definitely having a tough time with quitting sugar(candies). I get huge cravings right after lunch every day.
- nilkn 12y ago
  It's not just the sugar but also the caffeine and the carbonation. It's really a killer combination. I can't really comment on whether it's as addictive as smoking since I've never smoked, but I can say without the slightest doubt that soda addiction exists. I was myself addicted to soda, and while I never experienced any sort of physical withdrawal symptoms (no headaches, no shaking, etc.), I did experience incredible cravings. In certain parts of the US, soda is basically thrown in your face everywhere. Every restaurant serves soda as the main beverage. Every theater serves soda, and it's cheaper than the bottled water often and comes with free refills. Every gas station sells soda. Every office has a soda vending machine (or even just free soda altogether, like the one I work in). At lots of fast food places, if you want water, they won't even give you a full-sized cup -- they give you a tiny cup (though it's free) and then you have to hunt for a nearly hidden water tab on the fountain machine.
stealthlogic 12y ago
Marketing combined with willful ignorance.
tjr 12y ago
For some people, it seems to be. I suspect part of the issue is how abundantly available it is. For example, you go to the theater, and you can either buy a single bottle of water, or a cup of soda with free refills. Many restaurants offer only local tap water as a water choice, which varies in good taste. Lots of vending machines offer only soda, no water, again leaving the water-drinkers to search for a hopefully-clean, hopefully-not-too-bad-tasting drinking fountain. I'm not saying you can't avoid soda if you try -- I rarely drink it myself -- but the culture seems to basically throw it in your face as the standard beverage of choice.
- hughes 12y ago
  Even at the workplace, many offices offer unlimited free soda as a perk. I almost never touch the stuff and would love to have access to healthier options. I haven't seen a single job posting featuring regularly stocked fresh fruit as an incentive.
  - tsotha 12y ago
    >Even at the workplace, many offices offer unlimited free soda as a perk. Is that still true? I know Microsoft did it in the early years, but that was a long time ago.
    - mikeyouse 12y ago
      It's definitely true in the SFBay Area.. They might not advertise it explicitly, but most offices I've visited have free soda. The more progressive (or better funded?) ones have other better options too like Odwalla or Naked Juice.
      - tatalegma 12y ago
        Aren't those drinks full of sugar too? How much better than soda are they?
    - Scuds 12y ago
      yes. Along with milk, canned carbonated water (Talking Rain), and canned fruit juice. The salad bars are fairly low cost too and feature stuff from local producers in Washington State, so A+ for that. ... but that's not going to stop you from filling your plate with cheese, fried chicken strips, ranch dressing, and then calling it a salad.
CocaKoala 12y ago
Thinking about it, the only time I really drink soda right now is when I'm putting alcohol in it. Infusing an apple with bourbon sounds... pretty interesting, actually, but probably more work than I'm willing to put into a post-work drink.
boydjd 12y ago
What are you drinking instead of soda in your country?
- novalis78 12y ago
  That question - in and by itself - gives you away as an American. As a central European who grew up on water, fruit juice (80-60% water thinned) and tea (green, herb and on and off black) it made me chuckle. I have never seen so much soda consumption anywhere on this planet before coming to the US.
  - lazythrowaway 12y ago
    America definitely drinks more soda than anyone else: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/map_of_the_week/2012/07/map_of_soda_consumption_americans_drink_more_than_anyone_else_.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/map_of_the_.... 3x as much as most central European countries.
    - novalis78 12y ago
      Notwithstanding the golden "correlation != causation" adage, I found that only two things are truly consumed in much larger quantities in America than any other country I know: soda and high fructose corn syrup...at the same time being the only country with a 35% obesity rate...hmmmm
      - vonmoltke 12y ago
        Oh really? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_3567772.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_35... Relevant numbers from the article: US obesity rate: 31.8% Mexican obesity rate: 32.8% Also, Mexican soda exclusively uses cane sugar. I buy Mexican Coke for the new times I drink regular soda for that reason.
      - adventured 12y ago
        Not true. Saudi Arabia is the most obese country on earth, at 70%. Britain, Australia, and New Zealand are also substantially obese. All of those are coming increasingly close to catching America in obesity, with their obesity levels exploding higher.
squiguy7 12y ago
Given that some of the drinks are also caffeinated, many people drink them as an alternative to coffee or tea. In this sense they can become addictive.
- npsimons 12y ago
  I've never really gotten this - it's like smoking crack as an alternative to cigarettes. Tea and coffee actually have other things in them that are good for you, and you don't have to add sugar or cream to them, so there is no reason to drink soda for the caffeine.
  - squiguy7 12y ago
    I agree completely. I drink coffee and tea regularly and haven't had a drop of soda for years.
josephpmay 12y ago
A couple of factors that I can think of: 1) Sugar is addicting, and there is significantly more sugar in soda than other drinks [Google it] 2) Soda is very refreshing. This is important in warmer climates. If it is 98 degrees outside (37C), an orange Fanta does a much better job of making me feel better than just water 3) Soda is available everywhere and is the de-facto drink with most meals. Just like Italians drink wine with dinner, Americans have soda. This is perhaps the most important factor: If everyone is drinking soda, why wouldn't you?
- rquantz 12y ago
  3) Soda is available everywhere and is the de-facto drink with most meals. I don't remember the last meal I ate with adults where people ordered soda. It may be that every once in a while I'll be around a recovering alcoholic who orders a soda, but usually it seems they order something like sparkling water. It's probably a regional/class thing, since I live in NYC. Maybe in the middle of the country or in a working class household you'd be more likely to see people drinking soft drinks with a meal?
  - copperx 12y ago
    It is definitely a class thing. You must be hanging out with the upper class, my friend.
    - rquantz 12y ago
      Haha, working musicians are hardly upper class. Intelligentsia, maybe.
  - boydjd 12y ago
    Maybe you just eat with a bunch of alcoholics?
- aaron-lebo 12y ago
  > 2) Soda is very refreshing. This is important in warmer climates. If it is 98 degrees outside (37C), an orange Fanta does a much better job of making me feel better than just water This is entirely psychological, right? What about soda would make it more refreshing physically than water?
johnward 12y ago
For me it's not the sugar it's the caffeine. Also the taste and bubbles. But caffeine is a physical addiction that is literally painful to break.
- Lambdanaut 12y ago
  How about switching over to tea or coffee? Both lack sugar and are full of anti-oxidants.
  - johnward 12y ago
    I've tried but they taste awful. Even if I get one of those sugary carmel chocolate starbucks things I can't get past the awful taste of the coffee. Ultimately I need to just quit caffeine but every time I end up back on the wagon.
    - Lambdanaut 12y ago
      There's this guy Tynan(tynan.com). He hated the taste of unsweetened tea too, but he made the switch by drinking copious amounts of green tea for two weeks until he had trained himself to enjoy it. It could be worth a try.
septerr 12y ago
I have the same thoughts. I know folks that are suffering from diabetes, and they drink soda every time I eat with them. And that boggles my mind. It's like they can't bear the taste (or lack thereof) of water. Or they are addicted to soda. After moving to the U.S, I had more soda than ever before in my life, and that actually made me not like them anymore. Can't drink more than couple sips.
Afforess 12y ago
I drink (diet) soda because I need caffeine in the mornings. I am not a morning person and never have been. Without caffeine, I will not be mentally alert before 11am. I hate the taste of coffee, so soda it is.
- strick 12y ago
  Search Amazon for penguin mints. I used them to wean off coffee as an experiment (now I drink coffee again these days). It takes about 3 penguin mints to equal one cola beverage.
- Symbiote 12y ago
  How about tea? Twice the caffeine of cola, but half the caffeine of coffee.
- city41 12y ago
  Coffee is an acquired taste, not sure anyone likes it at first. Diet soda is just as bad for you as regular soda and has also been linked to diabetes and obesity.
  - thaumasiotes 12y ago
    > Coffee is an acquired taste, not sure anyone likes it at first. If that were true, coffee would never have become a beverage anywhere.
- iribe 12y ago
  Caffeine pills.
igorgue 12y ago
I do both, like a maniac. I'd say coke (I drink exclusively diet coke) is equally as addictive as cigarettes. But the physical dependency is a bit more "dangerous" on coke, with cigarettes there's options to beat that (either have a puff of pot or your e-cig). I don't think there's anything that can kill my craving of diet coke as much as diet coke.
- EricDeb 12y ago
  Pretty sure nicotine is substantially more addictive than diet soda.
wnevets 12y ago
Like most junk food its a habit you pick up as a child and continue without realizing just how awful it taste. Its sold & advertised everywhere which makes it hard to escape.

by geoka9 12y ago

vinceguidry 12y ago

Pretty sure it's mostly due to marketing and also vertically integrated markets. You can't get away from soft drink advertising in the US. And the stuff is literally everywhere. In many (most?) restaurants, your beverage choices comprise soda and water. I would not be surprised at all if soda alone accounted for a double-digit percentage of the obesity rate.

johnchristopher 12y ago
> [..] In many (most?) restaurants, your beverage choices comprise soda and water. This reminds me that in Belgium there's a fast food chain with menus for which the cashier can't swap the soda for water.
- valarauca1 12y ago
  This is true for a lot of US resturants (especially fast food) they don't have a button for water, instead they just ring up a soda, and fill it with water.
  - jfoutz 12y ago
    I think the majority of the cost is the packaging The concentrated soda and carbonation isn't free, but a tiny fraction of the cost of the cup, lid and straw.
  - chadzawistowski 12y ago
    My understanding was that restaurants in the US are required to provide free tap water. It may be a very small cup, but it should be available.
    - dguaraglia 12y ago
      You get the water, but you can't take the price of the soda off the menu item. Say you get a "Big Kahuna Combo" at $4.95 from some joint. The combo comprises a hamburger, a bag of fries and medium soda. Let's say the supermarket price for the same amount of soda is $.95 and the water cost is $1.95 (yes, more.) You'd think the restaurant would be able to swap the soda for a bottle of water and charge you $5.95 for the combo. But the way their combos are created (there are many, many reasons why the combos include a soda, such as soda companies subsidizing the cost of the soda for having soda as the default drink in the menu) doesn't allow for customization. In that case you'll have to pay the full value of the combo + $1.95 for the bottled water. Or get the same combo, for $4.95, but replacing the soda for tap water. That's what the parent meant.
nerfhammer 12y ago
It's the margins. Merchants will always push you to get soft drinks because that's where they get the biggest margin.
- loganu 12y ago
  Exactly. Why would a movie theater, fast food chain, restaurant, or other place offer water as a default when they could sell you something with a 90% profit margin?

imanaccount247 12y ago

>Does it make you crave for more? Or it simply tastes so good that you can't get enough of it? Yes to both. >Wouldn't they taste better? No? This seems like a pretty bizarre question. People eat what they like. If apples tasted better (to them, it is subjective obviously) then they would be eating apples. I like coke, so I drink coke. I do not like apples, so I do not eat apples (unless they are in pie form).

hrjet 12y ago
> No? This seems like a pretty bizarre question. People eat what they like. While I generally agree, let's not discount the power of marketing, advertising and subliminal messaging.

ch4s3 12y ago

Heavy sugar consumption actually does cause dependency. You are genetically hard wired to crave fats and sugars, and refined sugar interacts with the reward centers in your brain in a manner somewhat similar to cocaine.

soperj 12y ago
I'm definitely having a tough time with quitting sugar(candies). I get huge cravings right after lunch every day.
nilkn 12y ago
It's not just the sugar but also the caffeine and the carbonation. It's really a killer combination. I can't really comment on whether it's as addictive as smoking since I've never smoked, but I can say without the slightest doubt that soda addiction exists. I was myself addicted to soda, and while I never experienced any sort of physical withdrawal symptoms (no headaches, no shaking, etc.), I did experience incredible cravings. In certain parts of the US, soda is basically thrown in your face everywhere. Every restaurant serves soda as the main beverage. Every theater serves soda, and it's cheaper than the bottled water often and comes with free refills. Every gas station sells soda. Every office has a soda vending machine (or even just free soda altogether, like the one I work in). At lots of fast food places, if you want water, they won't even give you a full-sized cup -- they give you a tiny cup (though it's free) and then you have to hunt for a nearly hidden water tab on the fountain machine.

stealthlogic 12y ago

Marketing combined with willful ignorance.

tjr 12y ago

For some people, it seems to be. I suspect part of the issue is how abundantly available it is. For example, you go to the theater, and you can either buy a single bottle of water, or a cup of soda with free refills. Many restaurants offer only local tap water as a water choice, which varies in good taste. Lots of vending machines offer only soda, no water, again leaving the water-drinkers to search for a hopefully-clean, hopefully-not-too-bad-tasting drinking fountain. I'm not saying you can't avoid soda if you try -- I rarely drink it myself -- but the culture seems to basically throw it in your face as the standard beverage of choice.

hughes 12y ago
Even at the workplace, many offices offer unlimited free soda as a perk. I almost never touch the stuff and would love to have access to healthier options. I haven't seen a single job posting featuring regularly stocked fresh fruit as an incentive.
- tsotha 12y ago
  >Even at the workplace, many offices offer unlimited free soda as a perk. Is that still true? I know Microsoft did it in the early years, but that was a long time ago.
  - mikeyouse 12y ago
    It's definitely true in the SFBay Area.. They might not advertise it explicitly, but most offices I've visited have free soda. The more progressive (or better funded?) ones have other better options too like Odwalla or Naked Juice.
    - tatalegma 12y ago
      Aren't those drinks full of sugar too? How much better than soda are they?
  - Scuds 12y ago
    yes. Along with milk, canned carbonated water (Talking Rain), and canned fruit juice. The salad bars are fairly low cost too and feature stuff from local producers in Washington State, so A+ for that. ... but that's not going to stop you from filling your plate with cheese, fried chicken strips, ranch dressing, and then calling it a salad.

CocaKoala 12y ago

Thinking about it, the only time I really drink soda right now is when I'm putting alcohol in it. Infusing an apple with bourbon sounds... pretty interesting, actually, but probably more work than I'm willing to put into a post-work drink.

boydjd 12y ago

What are you drinking instead of soda in your country?

novalis78 12y ago
That question - in and by itself - gives you away as an American. As a central European who grew up on water, fruit juice (80-60% water thinned) and tea (green, herb and on and off black) it made me chuckle. I have never seen so much soda consumption anywhere on this planet before coming to the US.
- lazythrowaway 12y ago
  America definitely drinks more soda than anyone else: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/map_of_the_week/2012/07/map_of_soda_consumption_americans_drink_more_than_anyone_else_.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/map_of_the_.... 3x as much as most central European countries.
  - novalis78 12y ago
    Notwithstanding the golden "correlation != causation" adage, I found that only two things are truly consumed in much larger quantities in America than any other country I know: soda and high fructose corn syrup...at the same time being the only country with a 35% obesity rate...hmmmm
    - vonmoltke 12y ago
      Oh really? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_3567772.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_35... Relevant numbers from the article: US obesity rate: 31.8% Mexican obesity rate: 32.8% Also, Mexican soda exclusively uses cane sugar. I buy Mexican Coke for the new times I drink regular soda for that reason.
    - adventured 12y ago
      Not true. Saudi Arabia is the most obese country on earth, at 70%. Britain, Australia, and New Zealand are also substantially obese. All of those are coming increasingly close to catching America in obesity, with their obesity levels exploding higher.

squiguy7 12y ago

Given that some of the drinks are also caffeinated, many people drink them as an alternative to coffee or tea. In this sense they can become addictive.

npsimons 12y ago
I've never really gotten this - it's like smoking crack as an alternative to cigarettes. Tea and coffee actually have other things in them that are good for you, and you don't have to add sugar or cream to them, so there is no reason to drink soda for the caffeine.
- squiguy7 12y ago
  I agree completely. I drink coffee and tea regularly and haven't had a drop of soda for years.

josephpmay 12y ago

A couple of factors that I can think of: 1) Sugar is addicting, and there is significantly more sugar in soda than other drinks [Google it] 2) Soda is very refreshing. This is important in warmer climates. If it is 98 degrees outside (37C), an orange Fanta does a much better job of making me feel better than just water 3) Soda is available everywhere and is the de-facto drink with most meals. Just like Italians drink wine with dinner, Americans have soda. This is perhaps the most important factor: If everyone is drinking soda, why wouldn't you?

rquantz 12y ago
3) Soda is available everywhere and is the de-facto drink with most meals. I don't remember the last meal I ate with adults where people ordered soda. It may be that every once in a while I'll be around a recovering alcoholic who orders a soda, but usually it seems they order something like sparkling water. It's probably a regional/class thing, since I live in NYC. Maybe in the middle of the country or in a working class household you'd be more likely to see people drinking soft drinks with a meal?
- copperx 12y ago
  It is definitely a class thing. You must be hanging out with the upper class, my friend.
  - rquantz 12y ago
    Haha, working musicians are hardly upper class. Intelligentsia, maybe.
- boydjd 12y ago
  Maybe you just eat with a bunch of alcoholics?
aaron-lebo 12y ago
> 2) Soda is very refreshing. This is important in warmer climates. If it is 98 degrees outside (37C), an orange Fanta does a much better job of making me feel better than just water This is entirely psychological, right? What about soda would make it more refreshing physically than water?

johnward 12y ago

For me it's not the sugar it's the caffeine. Also the taste and bubbles. But caffeine is a physical addiction that is literally painful to break.

Lambdanaut 12y ago
How about switching over to tea or coffee? Both lack sugar and are full of anti-oxidants.
- johnward 12y ago
  I've tried but they taste awful. Even if I get one of those sugary carmel chocolate starbucks things I can't get past the awful taste of the coffee. Ultimately I need to just quit caffeine but every time I end up back on the wagon.
  - Lambdanaut 12y ago
    There's this guy Tynan(tynan.com). He hated the taste of unsweetened tea too, but he made the switch by drinking copious amounts of green tea for two weeks until he had trained himself to enjoy it. It could be worth a try.

septerr 12y ago

I have the same thoughts. I know folks that are suffering from diabetes, and they drink soda every time I eat with them. And that boggles my mind. It's like they can't bear the taste (or lack thereof) of water. Or they are addicted to soda. After moving to the U.S, I had more soda than ever before in my life, and that actually made me not like them anymore. Can't drink more than couple sips.

Afforess 12y ago

I drink (diet) soda because I need caffeine in the mornings. I am not a morning person and never have been. Without caffeine, I will not be mentally alert before 11am. I hate the taste of coffee, so soda it is.

strick 12y ago
Search Amazon for penguin mints. I used them to wean off coffee as an experiment (now I drink coffee again these days). It takes about 3 penguin mints to equal one cola beverage.
Symbiote 12y ago
How about tea? Twice the caffeine of cola, but half the caffeine of coffee.
city41 12y ago
Coffee is an acquired taste, not sure anyone likes it at first. Diet soda is just as bad for you as regular soda and has also been linked to diabetes and obesity.
- thaumasiotes 12y ago
  > Coffee is an acquired taste, not sure anyone likes it at first. If that were true, coffee would never have become a beverage anywhere.
iribe 12y ago
Caffeine pills.

igorgue 12y ago

I do both, like a maniac. I'd say coke (I drink exclusively diet coke) is equally as addictive as cigarettes. But the physical dependency is a bit more "dangerous" on coke, with cigarettes there's options to beat that (either have a puff of pot or your e-cig). I don't think there's anything that can kill my craving of diet coke as much as diet coke.

EricDeb 12y ago
Pretty sure nicotine is substantially more addictive than diet soda.

wnevets 12y ago

Like most junk food its a habit you pick up as a child and continue without realizing just how awful it taste. Its sold & advertised everywhere which makes it hard to escape.