Is soda (soft drinks) the next tobacco?

It’s possible. there is more and more scientific evidence of how bad it is for you with no redeeming value.

No. Soda isn’t addictive, nor does it give you even the slightest buzz, nor does it harm anybody else. We’ll look at it as a cheap substitute for proper drinks, not as an illicit substance.

No.

No.

@ddude1116 Soda with caffeine most certainly is addictive.

Nah, this is a theory that’ll just fizz out over time.

Could be. Tobacco products are now so much chemical additives and sodas might follow suit. Sodas have already become processed with sweeteners, salts and caffeine in greater strengths to purposely promote tolerance and cravings for more and more consumption. Some people liken that to addiction.

I’d think that energy drinks like Red Bull would hit that mark before soft drinks do. Maybe it doesn’t have addictive properties that are hardcore like tobacco is, but as far as health issues and all the crap they put in them, it’s worse than soft drinks.

50 years? Isn’t this the case now? Sure, it may take awhile for this to catch up to certain socioeconomic classes, but soda and processed food is not something you admit to consuming in my snotty upper-middle class town.

I think you will definitely see in increase in movements/attempts to make the health hazards of pop (f*ck you people who keep calling it “soda”)... But I highly doubt that anytime soon you will see a movement to ban it to the degree of cigarettes. Sure pop is bad for you, but it’s not even remotely as bad as smoking.

I already do. I don’t think it will take 50 years for the rest of the world to catch on… I don’t however think that the FDA will be on our side even knowing the dangers of processed foods and soft drinks.

As far as the argument that it doesn’t harm others please consider how many people serve soft drinks and processed foods to each other and reconsider that argument. think about kids birthday parties for starters… that’s 10 impacted people and they are all children… It may not have the same dangers as smoking but its certainly almost as detrimental in regards to health especially in children as they likely consume more if this junk then adults on average. In an ideal world the way we eat (in america) well end up like the people in wall-e but realistically they will be travelling hospital beds hooked up with medication dispensers.

Besides the fact that we have no idea what all of these additives and preservatives will have done to us 50 years from now.

perhaps not, but diet drinks may be. I’ve been curbing my use of them in anticipation of this (drinking more regular soda instead). It’s an interesting sign seeing that an anti-sugary drink (soda) commercial that would not dare promote a diet drink as a substitute (because it is unknown whether it will pose a significant cancer risk in years to come). The sugar may clog your arteries when it turns to fat, but at least it won’t give you cancer.

@JLeslie There’s an inconsequential amount of caffeine in soft drinks.

@ddude1116 Not true. It depends how much of the soft drink you are drinking. Some have more than others, like Mountain Dew has more than Coke. Anyone who drinks at least two cokes a day consistently, so let’s say 32 ounces, is going to feel like shit when they stop drinking it, or miss their usual 11:00 coke. By late afternoon the headache will start, and they will be falling asleep everywhere. A rare few don’t get addicted. Same with iced tea, addicted.

That’s as much a result of the sweeteners and sugars as it is the caffeine, and probably more so. Drinking soft drinks makes you feel like shit because it’s glorified sugar water, and if they miss their usual 11:00 clock coke they’re going to feel like shit because of that, and if they don’t miss it, they’re still going to feel like shit.

@ddude1116 I disagree. Orange juice has the same amount of sugar as Coke. You are only going to get a headache withdrawing off of Orange juice if you deprive yourself of the minimal carbohydrates you need overall, and that still is not directly related to the OJ. If you switch from regular Coke to Caffeine free Coke, you will get the headaches and overall yuck feeling, and sleepiness.

Coffee drinkers who take it black are not relating to the sugar, they will get caffeine withdrawal. It’s true coffee has at least double the caffeine as Coke, sometimes higher, but coffee is usually consumed in 8 to 12 ounce increment, while soda more likely 12 to 20.