'My GP told me to stop drinking Diet Coke - but I never expected what happened next'

For many of us, there's not much better than cracking open a chilled can of Diet Coke.

This was certainly the case for Millie Bull, until a recent health scare forced her to give up fizzy drinks, including her beloved . Describing her fondness for the popular beverage, she confessed: "I loved the caramelised flavour, the bubbles on my tongue and the slight burning sensation as it hit the back of my throat.

"And my love of carbonated beverages wasn't just designated for Diet Coke. I'd frequently make trips to the supermarket to buy lemonade, fizzy orange, Pepsi and more."

Despite warnings from her , Millie couldn't resist the allure of fizzy drinks. "I always shrugged off the warning," she said. "If they didn't contain sugar, they couldn't be that bad for me, right?"

Millie would have happily continued guzzling fizzy drinks if not for her health, reports But when her GP added carbonated beverages to the list of foods and drinks she had to avoid - along with her morning latte - she was understandably gutted.

However, determined to improve her health, Millie adhered to the list and completely cut out fizzy drinks from her diet. "The first week was tough," she admitted. Not only was I missing the flavour but I realised I was missing the caffeine hit as well."

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According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, a 500ml bottle of Diet Coke packs in 64mg of caffeine, which is more than a 200ml cup of tea (45mg) or instant coffee (60mg). Millie admitted she was "somewhat shocked" when she calculated her daily caffeine intake.

Between her lunchtime Diet Coke and her morning latte, made with two espresso pods, she was consuming just under 200mg of caffeine. "When I started getting and feeling irritable and tired, I should have realised it was caffeine withdrawal," she confessed.

Healthline suggests that caffeine withdrawal symptoms can linger anywhere from two to nine days. Luckily for Millie, she said she began to feel like her old self after a few days.

It's been four weeks since she last sipped a fizzy drink and during this time she says she's noticed several positive changes in her body. One of the most significant transformations Millie has noticed is an improvement in her sleep quality.

"I've always struggled to fall asleep but now I nod off in a matter of minutes," she said. "I can't attribute this entirely to giving up fizzy drinks as I also quit my coffee habit but ditching caffeine in general seems to have massively improved my sleeping pattern.

"Another massive difference I've noticed is my teeth. I've always had a slight yellow hue to my teeth due to years of drinking coffee but quitting both drinks has made them noticeably less yellow."

Millie noticed her craving for sugary treats has diminished, and a study in the JAMA Network Open backs this up, suggesting diet sodas with artificial sweeteners might be fuelling those cravings. Researchers pointed out that sucralose is likely to instigate increased hunger and a surge in "brain reward activity", tricking people into feeling the need to eat after consuming artificially sweetened products.

"While I won't be drinking fizzy drinks again, I understand how giving up these delicious beverages for good can be challenging," Millie concluded. "Some of the best alternatives for carbonated drinks I've found include matcha lattes, peppermint tea, chai lattes and teas, homemade flavoured water, smoothies and juices."