Coke Addiction

When I've been working hard in the yard on a hot day, nothing really hits the spot like an ice cold Coke.  No kidding.  In my 20 years living in the Northwest, I doubt if I had 20 Cokes (alright, that is probably an exaggeration, but I rarely had it).  But back in the sun, heat and land of Coca-Cola, somehow it becomes an alluring treat, promising to revive and refresh. The sweet, caffeinated, carbonated goodness calls to me like a siren song. And I don't even like Coke.

That's the thing... Coke has had fantastic marketing campaigns, all the way back to the early 1900's:  Delicious and Refreshing (1904), Good to the Last Drop (1907), Refresh Yourself (1924), The Pause that Refreshes (1929), What You Want is a Coke (1952), It's the Real Thing (1969), Coke Adds Life (1976), Have a Coke and a Smile (1979), Coke Is It (1982), The Official Soft Drink of Summer (1989). How do you fight that?

In my opinion, Coca-Cola really has so very little going for it.  It is way too sweet, highly acidic, has no nutritive content, and is full of high fructose corn syrup.  People use Coke to remove rust from metal parts that were left out in the rain.  If you leave a tooth in cola overnight, it will melt away. It is filled with empty calories and is horrible for the immune system (not to mention skin, teeth, bones and more).

And yet, Coke is so deeply engrained in our World, American (and particularly Southern) cultures.  I was visiting a state park the other day and noticed a family fitness trail.  There were little signs with facts about animals, then a suggestion to move like the animal 20 times .  It was a fun way to encourage kids to exercise and (hopefully) get the parents playing with the kids at the same time.  However, proudly posted on the bottom left hand corner of each sign was a note saying that this fitness trail was sponsored by Coca-Cola. Seriously???? Subliminally (or perhaps not so subliminally, for that matter), I knew my reward for working up a sweat by jumping like a frog or scampering like a squirrel was an ice cold Coke.

Everywhere I go, I see advertisements for Coke: billboards, movie posters, restaurants, ads before previews in movies, magazines, state park fitness trails... you name it.  And I probably get about 50% less inundation than the average citizen because I don't watch TV or listen to the radio. Regardless, it is impossible to ignore.  In many instances, it is actually easier to get Coke than water.

So here I am with a Coke addiction. Admitting I have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?