SHOCKING! Man drank 4.5 ltr of sugary soft drink daily & no water for 10 years. Here's how it WRECKED his body
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Nov 6, 2024, 8:00 AM ISTA 42-year-old man who drank up to 4.5 litres of Dr Pepper daily for a decade and spent £30,000 on his habit explained how his addiction to fizzy drinks affected him.
A 42-year-old man who drank up to 4.5 litres of 'Dr Pepper' daily for a decade and spent £30,000 on his habit explained how his addiction to fizzy drinks affected his health.
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Dubbed "Dr Pepper Man" by friends, Tom Bowey, a father of two, racked up a staggering £30,000 bill, guzzling nearly five liters daily—equivalent to two and a quarter giant bottles. For him, this sugary drink cost around £250 a month.
While Bowey initially shrugged off his habit’s toll on his wallet, the visible impacts on his health soon became too pressing to overlook. Persistent weight gain, sleep troubles, and deteriorating oral health served as stark reminders of his need for change.
“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,” Bowey said, Daily Mail reported.
“I’ve basically got the teeth of a pensioner. I was also feeling really bloated all the time as well; you gain a lot of weight when you’re just drinking sugar,” he added.
Motivated to reclaim his health, Bowey turned to the internet in search of solutions. In September, he stumbled upon articles about hypnotherapist David Kilmurry, who had successfully helped others overcome similar cravings. One two-hour Zoom session with Kilmurry was all it took for Bowey to quit completely. Now, instead of grabbing a sugary soda, he reaches for water or weak squash whenever he's thirsty.
The health benefits have been remarkable. He’s lost a stone, no longer needs large-sized clothes, falls asleep easily, and awakens refreshed without the lingering headaches or bloating he had come to accept as normal.
Reflecting on how his habit began, Bowey explained, "It started with one [drink] at lunch, then my work colleagues and I started buying each other drinks throughout the day. There was a vending machine, so I could just pop in and get them whenever I wanted. Before I knew it, that’s all I was drinking, and I stopped drinking water completely.”
His dependency on soda was so ingrained that he would start his day with a can as soon as he woke up, even taking one along for his drive to work. “The guy at my local shop called me 'Dr Pepper Man' because that was all I’d buy,” he added with a rueful smile.
Bowey’s family played a crucial role in his decision to quit, especially his children. Concerned about setting a bad example, he and his partner resisted allowing their children to mimic his unhealthy habit. “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?’”
Since his hypnotherapy session, Bowey says he no longer craves the fizzy drinks that once controlled his day. "I don’t look at fizzy drinks; I’m not remotely tempted. I’ve changed to cordial—I put a little in my water bottle. I’m drinking so much water now, and I feel so much better. The large clothes I used to wear are now too big, so I have to buy medium.”
Dr. Kilmurry, a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist, notes that the intense withdrawal symptoms, such as mood swings, depression, and even fits and seizures, often deter people from quitting sugary drinks.
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