Coping Mechanism of Choice, Finals Week Style

I have a bit of a problem. Dare I say, an addiction. It began innocently many years ago, just an occasional hit here or there. But the stress of college and the all nighters got to me. It became a daily occurrence. 

the face of addiction isn't pretty.

My name is Lauren, and I am addicted to Diet Coke.

I recently realized that it had escalated out of control when I found myself getting shakey because I'd ONLY had two cans that day. Yes, I was drinking at least 4+ cans each day. I mean, you have to have your "eye opener" at 5 am, then your breakfast coke.... You know. So I quit. Cold turkey. With none at the house and the unavailability of anything that makes life worth living at BYU, I was not faced with temptation. Sure the headaches and tremors were annoying, but I got through it.

But then finals comes along... You find yourself staying up all night, memorizing regression formulas and calculating standard deviations and memorizing useless terms and then...and then you snap.
I NEED A COKE.
Enter the friendly neighborhood 7-11, a mere five minute walk from my residence. 

What a wonderful place. I discovered that if you mix Diet Coke with a bit of sugar-free limeade it is transformed from a delightful calorie free treat into THE NECTAR OF THE GODS!!! I also discovered that if you bring back your same big gulp cup, a refill is a mere 89 cents. 89 cents for a liter of liquid gold!!!

So basically, you can now find me everyday refilling my super big gulp and forking over 89 cents to my new friend Randy at 7-11. Facing addiction Head On? Mass Fail. But it could totally be worse. I could be into hard drugs. And I hear that heroin sets you back way more than 89 cents. I'll have to check it out. Pretty sure a lot of my friends at 7-11 would know. It is the west side after all.