Check your wallets.

The oddest thing happened Friday.  A call from the bank to verify a transaction.

A contribution of 1 dollar to the Islamic Friendship Society.  On my debit card.

Not my contribution.

The bank spotted it as an atypical transaction and froze the card, so no harm done.  But freaky.  Apparently when someone gains access to a card number they often do a trial transaction to see if anyone is paying attention.  No idea how the number was obtained - with the international yarn commerce and ebay and etsy and Amazon and paypal and all, I use on line shopping a LOT and it must have been something in there.  But no idea what or where. 

I have this idea that maybe once a year I should call my bank and credit card companies and get them to issue new numbers on my accounts.   And maybe for online things I ought to designate ONE card NOT linked to my checking account that I keep a very close track of, and maybe chill with the online shopping in general.  It certainly wouldn't hurt me to save rather than spend for a while.  The stash is splendid and would carry me through a period of non-acquisition.

And then on Saturday I forgot I was debit-cardless and spend my last cash-in-hand on Harry Potter and some wiper fluid for the car and was left to face the weekend with only ONE DIET COKE.  Fortunately, on Sunday I found 10 bucks in the bottom of my purse, otherwise the biologic longing for aspartame might have finished me off. 
Can anyone recommend any way to wean oneself off the artificial sweetener without the crushing headache and the jitters?  Because more and more, I think the diet coke is probably worse than the smokes.  This stuff is not right.  And really, I quit smoking, I can do hard things, but I can't seem to quit diet soda.  I used to think it was the caffeine - except the last time I tried to stop I discovered that Fresca satisfied the craving.  Not caffeine, aspartame.
Anyone done this? Can you tell me how long it takes for the peculiar longing and the spiky headache to subside?

So it was a quiet weekend.  While tidying, I found some more yarn lying about the place - it's everywhere.  Read Harry Potter, watched Firefly on DVD (how did I miss this the first time around?  Fantastic.), knit quite a bit.  Did the dishes.  Dazzling, huh?
It has been a number of quiet weekends in a row for me and I am starting to realize I am a bit depressed, not just in a bad mood.
I think I have to admit I want certain things in my life to change and it will take not introspection, not therapy, not self assessment, but actual slog with work and home  over many months to make it happen.  Actual slog that will seriously cut into my recreational activities.   I hate that.
I am so spoiled I make myself a little nauseated, really.   You mean, I have to stop playing and WORK for the future I want? 

Comments

[Bev]

When I got off the Diet Dr. Pepper (done it a couple of times-- but I always wander back), I quit drinking the stuff until the headache comes. Drink lots of water or tea or something else in place of the soda. Dehydration also causes headaches. When my head hurts, I drink one. Seems to take the headache away. I take a couple of Aleve at night to hopefully wake up well. I might have to have one in the afternoon for a couple of days, but then it goes away. Good luck!

[The Other Kristen]

A little late with the comment, but in the past two months I have heard two health segments on very different radio programs (one an East Coast New-Agey/holistic health show; the other, a health segment on a news/info show produced by a Native American broadcasting group, aired in Wyoming) talk about the negative consequences of diet soda and artificial sweeteners. In sum, research (at least as cited by the latter program--the former was, shall we say, highly anecdotal) is indicating that diet sodas actually make us crave MORE sweets, and that a study followed women who drank diet sodas, women who drank regular (corn syrup or sugar) sodas, and women who drank water. The diet soda drinkers ate more sweets in general and gained more weight even than the women who drank regular soda. So what I've heard recently jibes with your feeling that the diet stuff is just no good. I hope the cutback gets ever easier--good luck!

[sarah]

All I have to say is - if loving Fresca is wrong, then I don't wanna be right. But those Poland Spring seltzers are delish too, especially raspberry lime.

[Megan]

I'm trying to remember how I kicked the diet soda thing.. and my memory is a little fuzzy. It's nice to have something cold and bubbly as a treat, and I have a house stocked full of seltzer. Maybe try working some of that into your beverage stash? At first I found it a smidge boring, but now I crave it the way I craved diet soda.

Once in a blue moon, I'll have a diet coke or fresca as a treat. But it's not as appealing. They taste heavy now, like they're not actually quenching any thirst.

Good luck.

[Amy N TX]

Yes Caffiene can cause the headaches etc...but you are right the aspartame can make you feel bad as well. Until I stopped...and then had a diet drink (non-caffienated) with it I didn't realize how bad it was making me feel. It makes me feel achy and yuck. Try lots of water with lemon or lime, and Vitamin B6 and B12. (I also did a high dose of Vit C) You still won't feel great...but after about a week you'll feel much better, promise!

[Lisa]

I've quit drinking sodas many times. Suddenly stopping is a pain. A HUGE pain, but after about a week the cravings are pretty much gone. Especially if you switch from soda to water. When I did this I had a soda after none for two weeks it was like drinking syrup. YUCK! I've also tried going off of them slowly. I lose count and end up drinking the same amount. A good idea is the first day take headache medicine to help with the headache before it ever starts. :)

[leila]

Thank you so much for posting about the $1 charge. Lo and behold - the very same thing happened to me today (and it would be the third unauthorized transaction in as many days). I would not have caught them--at least not right away--if I hadn't read your blog entry, because I'm notoriously stupid about keeping an eye on my statements. Not any more.

I have to wonder where they grabbed my info. Did you happen to get in on the Interweave hurt book sale by any chance? That was the last purchase of mine before all this crap started.

[Linda M]

Juno, we must be twin daughters of different mothers... my heart goes out to you. But I was struck by something I hope you can see in your post. It may have taken the months (years?) of therapy, introspection, and self-assessment to get you to this point of realizing it is time to do the work to make the changes you wish to see in your life. You are so strong and so able to accept uncomfortable truths... don't give up now.

As to knitting, I just blocked my Lotus Blossom shawl and its beautiful. It was inspired by yours and has been waiting in stash for the time to be right. I may make another one in a yarn that is waiting for a special project.

[Lisa]

Eh, I only wish I knew how to help you with the Diet Coke thing, but I am a freaking hopeless caffeine junkie. If it were socially acceptable to mainline the stuff, I'd be all over that. If you do come up with a way to quit that doesn't involve skull-crushing headaches for a couple of weeks, please let me know.

We had some bozo in Romania try to buy a couple thousand dollars worth of computer stuff using our debit card. No test transaction - this goob went straight for the money shot. Thankfully our bank is tiny and knows full well we rarely buy things in Romania.

[Laurie]

I think cold turkey and analgesics are the only way to go, with a taper, like any other addicting drug. I did it by simply not buying it anymore. And probably not during a depressed time. The other part of it is the caffeine, which lack of may be contributing to a headache (great grammar there).

I don't have a debit card. Only a credit card. So no one but me has access to my bank account. I have a credit card I use almost exclusively for on-line, and it has "shopsafe". You create a unique number for a specific amount that can only be used by that merchant, for that amount. It's linked to your account by the card company. Peace of mind.

[Rabbitch]

Hang on, hang on. While I'm sympathetic about the depression and the cash and the being robbed by terrorists and the being an aspartame junkie thingie, what I'm really horrified by is the W word. We have to WORK for stuff?

Poop.

[heatherly]

we dont have diet sodas,etc at our house cuz my hubby is allergic to aspartame. headaches and blackouts. your headaches make me thankful i cant drink it. hope they get better!

[Pat]

The biggest place for taking a credit card number is restaurants; most of them still use paper slips and they have the entire credit card number on that, not the more secure last four digits, which is what legitimate shopping carts use. Many other places--like the supermarkets and gas stations--use a swipe; the card never leaves the user's hand.

For purchasing from unknown merchants--the Russian yarn vendor, for that Orenburg shawl--use an American Express gift card with a limited amount permitted on it.

[Hoge]

Hey there, you are doing just fine. You are perfect, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. I love your blog, and I am a total bitch so it is high praise indeed. As Vonnegut of blessed memory says, we are put on this earth to screw around. But knock off the diet soda and any soda at all, actually. The carbonation is very bad for the bones. I don't know how long it takes to get off the shit. I would cut down gradually from caffeine to non-caffeine and see what happens. It might be caffeine, or it might be whatever the hell else is in there. Drink a lot of water out of the tap, more than you think you can possibly hold, until your urine is clear. Then don't drink anything--or eat anything--that has something in it you can't pronounce. In other words, don't eat or drink anything your grandmother didn't. Whiskey is okay, praise be! t has been around a long time. Knockers up!

[Hoge]

Hey there, you are doing just fine. You are perfect, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. I love your blog, and I am a total bitch so it is high praise indeed. As Vonnegut of blessed memory says, we are put on this earth to screw around. But knock off the diet soda and any soda at all, actually. The carbonation is very bad for the bones. I don't know how long it takes to get off the shit. I would cut down gradually from caffeine to non-caffeine and see what happens. It might be caffeine, or it might be whatever the hell else is in there. Drink a lot of water out of the tap, more than you think you can possibly hold, until your urine is clear. Then don't drink anything--or eat anything--that has something in it you can't pronounce. In other words, don't eat or drink anything your grandmother didn't. Whiskey is okay, praise be! t has been around a long time. Knockers up!

[Lauren]

Just wanted to second the comment about switching to sparkling water. It made a world of difference to me when I was trying to get off soda when I was in college and now I can just drink plain unfuzzy water all day long. A spritz of lemon or lime certainly makes that water more paletable whether it's fuzzy or not. It's an interesting trade off though, my body gets accustomed to any routine and gets mad when the routine is broken. So now I'll drink lots of water at work, all week and then on the weekends I don't drink it as regularly, it's just harder to remember and then suddenly, boom it's like back in the day when I was getting off the DC (a little shaky mostly). The most interesting part about quitting soda for me was realizing that I lived in a constant state of dehydration and had never realized it. Good Luck!

[jess]

I heart Firefly more than almost anything in the world. Mel is super yummy. Hmmm... I think you just decided me for what to knit to tonight. Thanks!

[Kimberly]

I think about a week on the headaches, and it seems to help to drink lots of water. So sorry to hear about the debit card thing - that's scary. I have read that if you are gong to shop online you should use a credit card, as you mentioned, that is NOT tied to your bank account. That way if someone gets your number they can't clean out your bank account and leave you penniless until its resolved (if it even gets resolved, which it might not). If its on a credit card they are also much more likely to work for you in figuring out what happened. I had very good luck with Discover on being credited back for fraudulent charges. Also sorry to hear about the depression. I feel that way too often, and I think it has a lot to do with what we see and hear every day - like with our government. I feel depressed and down trodden every time I think about our fool of a president.

[donna lee]

I had to wean myself off caffeine because it raises my blood pressure to dangerous levels (at one point it was 200/110) and it was not easy. I drank iced tea all year and still do but now my whole family drinks decaf, unsweetened iced tea. I drank a regular coke yesterday and was up all night peeing from the diuretic effect of the caffeine. It took almost two weeks for the headaches to go completely away but we sleep better (my husband has sleep apnea and doesn't need the caffeine)and when I get a headache, I can stand one excedrin and it works really well because of the lack of caffeine in my system. Good luck with it. The only caffeine I am not ready to give up is in my chocolate!

[Silvia]

Ugh, sorry about the almost identity theft deal there. Glad to see your bank had your back. Who'd have thunk?

As per the soda withdrawal, I decided to stop drinking sodas and changed my primary beverage to sparkling mineral water. No sugar, low sodium and still have bubbles. Plus it's nice to have a go to drink in a restaraunt without blurting out diet coke. Good luck!

[Sarah]

I've been thinking a lot about what you have written. I believe you may have already answered your aspartame question at the end of the post. I think that many of the suggestions offered here and elsewhere will be helpful, but in the end, it is your hard work and dedication that will give the results you desire. It is not easy. I wish I could be of more help.

[Laurie]

I had a $1 charge on my card once but it wasn't an easy one for me to say, "no, not mine" and the bank was pretty snotty about me asking in such a befuddled manner.

It did just confirm what I had planned to do which is have a separate account and card for online purchases and maybe even a third for just those monthly debits that we are forced to do, like for the health club. I hate those surprise charges. But if I only put in what is supposed to get taken out I think I would track it all better.

Also, I'm pretty hooked on the aspartame too AND the carbonation. When I crave a drink, even if it is sweetened with aspartame, if it doesn't fizz I don't seem to be as satisfied.

I have gotten myself off these before though with tea. A really good tea that is properly made needs very little sugar, and eventually, I could get rid of all the sugar. Took a while but I felt better.

[Charli]

I'm so sorry that happened to you with your debit card. And, I'm glad you wrote about it because I had a message from my bank to return, which I keep forgetting about. Your post got me on the phone immediately. Thankfully, it was not about identity theft. Just marketing.

As for the aspertame, I'm not sure what to tell you. Like you, I always thought it was the caffeine, not the aspertame -- neither of which I consume any more. Well, every few months, I do have a caffiene free diet cola of some sort, and I can tell right away that it's not good for me. That's one of the advantages of being chronically ill -- small things become big things and are immediately identifiable.

In your case, I'm thinking maybe it's an addiction to sweet, since the sugared soda satisfied you. Perhaps try switching to homemade lemonade with lots of sugar? And then, once you think the aspertame is out of your system, work on getting unused to the sweet flavor. That's actually the premise of the South Beach Diet, that we are just too accusomed to sweet flavors.

Oh, about the internet banking. I heard a program on NPR last year, I think it was "the computer guys" on a Washington DC station (the somebody Nandi Show), that convinced me never to do online banking. Of course, that's different than online purchasing. Overall, however, I think the risk of online purchasing isn't that different from in person credit card use. Oh, that's another thing. I think it's probably better for the consumer to use a credit card -- assuming of course that you do not need to keep a running balance, but can pay it off each month. Also, the biggest place for identity theft: the hospital. Yep! Imagine, your recovering from surgery, never a fun thing, and you find out someone is stealing your money! Happened to a friend of mine. The bank called her and the first question they asked was if she'd been admitted to the hospital recently. Just another reason for nationalized free health care. . . . .

[Vicki]

I can keep my credit card info off the 'net, if I choose, but will the credit card company or my bank or any of the companies where I use my card? How do you suppose they deduct transactions from your account(s) so quickly? Thankfully, most card companies are on top of things, watching for suspicious activity -- though I was very suspicious of the most recent rep who called about the suspicious activity -- and sometimes they're too on top, like DH has been cut off while on cross-country business trips (x2 or 3), so now I try to call ahead and inform them if we're traveling afar.

I hear you about Diet Coke. I've been trying to come up with a good substitute, myself.

[Chris]

Someone got my debit card number about 6 months ago and I have no idea how. They didn't do a test transaction - they just went for a few thousand dollars at an online computer store. My bank didn't ok it - the ordering location was in California, and I was busily out and about in Minnesota buying gas and sundtries.