shared by Brother Navaid Aziz I remember being about 13 years old or so on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand. It was a very hot and humid day and I had this urge and craving to get my hands on the good stuff. You have some and you feel alive. You feel rejuvenated. You feel as if this is the right thing to do. I walk into a store I hand him some money and he gives me a small plastic bag, almost like a sandwich bag, I go out into an alley and take it all in. Pretty much inhaling it. In all of that heat, in all of that humidity, in all of that stench, I have found bliss! Now I really hope you didn't think I was talking about cocaine. I was talking about coke, the soft drink. Silly people :) . A lot of the times we don't realize it but we are addicted to a lot of things. They just don't come with a negative stigma and thus we never do anything to change those habits. I clearly remember during my days at the university in Madinah with a very good, dear, and genuine friend of mine who could not have iftar except with a can of coke. In fact sometimes even two. Back then we just laughed it off as something funny and in fact sometimes I'd ask him to get me a can as well, by then I had converted to diet coke thinking it was actually better for me. In reality it was all the same and possibly worse. As the saying goes: “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken” In 2009 I started attending seminars about self help and self improvement and while I applied most of my education in my social life and business life I never let it transcend into my personal life. Until pretty much now. On July 26th I made a conscious decision that I would no longer drink any carbonated soft drinks. I wanted to see how long I could with hold and stand out just to see if I could actually do it. I have to admit that initially it was very hard because I was pretty much accustomed to have one with lunch and another with dinner. However, with Ramadan kicking in it became a lot easier. Especially, now that the body is naturally craving more water. I don't have medical statistics to back up any of what I'm going to say but I do want to share my personal experience with you. When I gave up carbonated soft drinks I noticed the following changes: 1- I noticed that I was actually sleeping better at night. I guess it was eliminating the caffeine from my life, as I was never really a coffee or tea drinker. 2- I noticed that losing weight was actually becoming quite easy. In Ramadan the pounds were shedding and I'm hoping this will continue even after Ramadan insha Allah. 3- I noticed I had less mood swings and was generally in a happier mood. Again, I think this is some how related to the crash that people get after a caffeine high. 4- I noticed that I started eating healthier automatically. I actually reduced eating junk food like burgers, fries, and stuff like that because it just seems that those foods can only be digested with a soft drink. Now I like to eat foods that are paired well with water. Sandwiches instead of burgers. Salads instead of fries. etc... 5- I actually feel more confident. This could stem from the fact that I now feel more in control or from the fact that it shows that I was able to achieve something that I didn't seem fathomable at one time. Al hamdulillah, I'm really glad that I took this step because it actually wants to make me try something else now. So my next venture is going to be if I can survive without chocolate for 40 days insha Allah, which will be followed by 40 days of fajr in the masjid, and 40 days of going to the gym. Wishful thinking? Maybe, will I try it and eventually succeed? Insha Allah, definitely! Take control of your life and make the positive changes that you want to make. Allah has created you to be great and He will help you achieve your goals and fulfill your potential. You just need to take the first step and rely upon Him. What are you going to try for the next 40 days?