A British man revealed to Kennedy News and Media (via The Daily Mail) the depths of his debilitating Dr. Pepper addiction. Tom Bowey, 42, admitted that at the height of his cola craze he was spending $300 per month on Dr. Pepper and would sometimes drink over one gallon each day. Bowey was eventually given the name “Dr. Pepper Man” due to his love of the beverage.
It all started innocently enough for the warehouse manager, who would allow himself a single can of pop here and there. “It started with one [drink] with lunch and then me and my work colleagues started buying each other drinks throughout the day,” Bowey explained. “They'd bring them over from the cafe near work. There was also a vending machine so I could just pop in and get them whenever I wanted.”
Bowey continued: “Before I knew it, that's all I was drinking and then I stopped drinking water completely.”
His addiction grew so intense that he began requiring Dr. Pepper within reach at all times. “I used to buy the 24-can multipacks,” he admitted, “so I always had them and had at least five cans in the fridge all the time.”
Eventually, Bowey began experiencing serious health issues related to his consumption. “For a while my teeth weren't too bad, but then I went to the dentist and he said the level of acid erosion was similar to what he'd expect in a 70-year-old,” he recounted. “I was also feeling really bloated all the time as well, you gain a lot of weight when you're just drinking sugar.”
Bowey was moved to kick his addiction when he noticed his eldest daughter repeatedly requesting soda. “If I'm sitting there drinking it all day long, at some point they're going to say, ‘If you can drink them all the time why can't we?'” he said.
But it was hardly an easy habit to shake. Bowey, who estimates he spent around $40,000 in total on the soda, had to undergo a hypnotherapy session to finally rid himself of the Dr. Pepper urge. “As long as you go into the session feeling positive and determined you want it to work, it really does,” he said.
Bowey has since lost the weight he gained from drinking soda, and he’s regained a healthy appreciation for H20. “I'm drinking so much water now, I feel so much better,” he raved. “I don't look at fizzy drinks. I'm not remotely tempted.”
