Soda is a necessary evil. Between the sugar and bubbles, it’s not that hard to get addicted to soda’s distinct taste and feel. The downside, however, is when that addiction gets a little out of hand. A few months ago, I decided to cut down the amount of soda I drank and focus on drinking more water. While it was hard at first, soda and I have a much healthier relationship. Here’s how it did it.

1. Change your “go to” soda

The main reason I wanted to cut down my soda habits stemmed from all of the unnecessary sugars. While it is recommended to have only 25g of sugar a day, most adults eat three times that amount. Soda can be a huge contributor to this huge imbalance. One 12oz can of Coke has 39g of sugar alone.

When you are first starting out, one of the most helpful things I did was switching out my “go to” soda with something that had a little less sugar. This way I could get my soda fix and feel a little better about what I was consuming. Over time, it’s much easier to branch out and find different carbonated drinks that have even less sugar. Sparkling water or club soda mixed with juice are some great alternatives.

2. Limit your soda consumption

This made a huge difference when it came to actually cutting down the amount of soda I drank. The best advice I have is to start small. For someone who drinks a soda or two a day maybe cut it down to every other day and work your way down.

Limiting the amount of soda you drink a month makes you more conscious of how much soda you drink. Saving soda for social events or dining out makes it feel more special than if you were to drink it every single day.

3. Cut yourself off

Speaking of dining out, everyone knows how eager waiters are to refill your glass when they see you’ve reached the halfway mark. If you order a soda, there is already a 100% chance that you will we drinking way more sugar than you should.

Maybe it’s the restaurant atmosphere or all of the sodium, but we always tend to drink more when we are out. If you’ve already finished one glass of soda, ask your waiter to switch to water. This way, you get your soda but you don’t overdo it. Cutting yourself off keeps you from overindulging and keeps you in control of your bad habits.

4. Always try water first

There are times, even now, that I am dying for a soda. The bubbles and sugar can truly be addicting sometimes. Something I’ve noticed, however, is that most times, if I stick with water the soda craving just goes away. Water is the key to kicking cutting down your soda intake. I will admit though that there are times where this tip does not always work.

The important thing though, is that the more to try and resist the urge the easier it will be to choose water over soda.

5. Try to keep soda out of the house

If you always have soda readily available it makes cutting down your soda intake much harder than it needs to be. The best way to keep up with drinking less soda is to either change/limit the amount of soda you keep in the fridge or to stop buying soda altogether.

Buying the mini cans as opposed to the regular 12 oz cans or even the liter bottles gives you some control over how much soda you drink. While buying a soda from vending machines or the drive-thru might not be super cost effective, in the long run, it keeps you in line.