Most people check into rehab to get rid of alcohol problems. But here’s someone who wishes for rehab to kick his Diet Coke addiction of over 20 years.
Darren Jones, 38, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, easily consumes 42 liters of Diet Coke a week. His fizzy addiction costs him around £100 ($155) every week. He first started to drink Cola when he was 13. When the sugary version started to make his teeth ‘furry’, he switched to Diet. He says that in the beginning it wasn’t much of a problem, except that he gained a lot of weight. Things got worse as years went by. Jones was eventually diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and his weight made it difficult for him to move around. Soon he lost his taxi driver job.
Jones is in a relationship with 33-year-old Paula, and the couple have two kids – Abbie, aged 7 and James, aged 6. He’s afraid that his addiction could cost him his loved ones. “What’s worrying is the addiction gets so bad I did admit I would find it difficult to choose between my Diet Cola and Paula if I was told I could only take one item to a desert island,” he said. He now wishes he could get into rehab or some sort of boot camp, any place where Diet Coke isn’t available. He says he will do it as soon as he can afford it.
Jones is pretty sure it’s an addiction, because he worries when he’s getting near the end of a bottle. If he can’t get a hold of Paula to get him some more, he starts to panic. Paula has done her part in helping him kick his habit. She nags him, asking him to cut down and sometimes even makes excuses for not getting him any, saying the shop has run out or that she forgot. But his friends and family haven’t been so kind. His friends pay him in Diet Coke for petrol money. For Christmas, his sister gave him two 2-litre bottles of Diet Coke and some slippers. And for his birthday, he received two 12 bumper packs of cans and a pillow.’
