It’s no surprise that a company as huge and ubiquitious as Coca Cola may not be the most ethical, but I like Coke. “I don’t drink coffee or alcohol, can’t I drink one bad thing?!” I would whine when friends tutted at me. But a post in April from Ethical Consumer about the Palestine Solidarity Committee putting Coca Cola on their Don’t Buy Apartheid list finally (finally!) got me to re-evaluate my behavior.
It took me some fighting with myself and minor behavior modifications, but I haven’t had a Coca Cola product in a few months. Here’s the process that worked for me.
Starting slow
I told myself I could have one Coke a week to start. The idea of going cold turkey was just too much for me to commit to, even just in my own mind. But giving myself a weekly out made it a lot easier for me to imagine being able to do it. I did use this out, and then some, in the first few weeks. Sometimes I get migraines and caffeine can help and I reasoned my body needed that specific mix of sugar and caffeine and had a few during a particularly annoying stretch of migraines. (Medicinal!)
I also played some wishy washy games, like if someone else bought the Coke, it didn’t count toward my weekly ration. Silly, but I did it and … then I felt a little guilty. Ultimately, I think giving myself some time to work through these choices was more productive than starting off completely rigid.
Gotta do some research
My first pub visit after this pledge to myself, I made a huge sacrifice and ordered an Appletiser instead of a refreshing glass bottle of Coke. I felt really self satisfied. Later, I realized, hmm, Coke is a huge brand, I know they sell other stuff than just Coke. So I looked at the Wikpedia page. Right in A, Appletiser. Dammit.
BUT! This list also told me useful things like apparently Dr. Pepper sold its international rights to Coca Cola, but not its US rights. So (if I am understanding correctly and I hope I am), US-based Dr. Pepper is fine!
Thank goodness for so many non-alcoholic drink options
I still really like fizzy sugary drinks, and luckily there are tons of options these days. It’s easy to find alternatives in the grocery store, and most places (at least in the UK), even if they only carry Coke brand drinks, they also carry fizzy water or make mocktails, which I also enjoy. To be clear, none of these things taste like Coke, but nothing does, so I’m not expecting it. Just trying to get my fizzy sugar fix. (Side note: Pepsi is obviously not a substitute, but in my desperation, I was considering it. But for some reason I don’t understand in the UK all Pepsi products have fake sugar? And Pepsi MAX is way more available than Pepsi regular? I don’t get it. I have given up on Pepsi as a swap.)
I was a bit worried about no caffeine for a while, but then I realized that some of the fancy colas also have caffeine in them, like Fentimans. That’s now what I stock in the fridge for migraines. It’s been a lot of trial and error with different flavors and brands, but it’s been fun, and again, not expecting it to taste the same is the absolute key.
One challenge with the non-alcoholic drink options is, well, got another piece from Ethical Consumer. This time it included info about Nestlé. My first thought was “great, I don’t even like chocolate that much!” but, having had this Coca Cola experience I immediately went to their brand page. They make all kinds of fizzy drinks! Even just fizzy waters! Who knew!?! I decided I just can’t go there right now. I am avoiding their chocolate, which is maybe not actually what a boycott means, but gotta start somewhere.
Keep on keeping on
After the first few weeks of making deals with myself, I eventually just stopped looking at Coke as an option when I bought drinks. When it would come to mind, I would think to myself “am I really trying to persuade myself to drink a Coke when people are starving in Gaza?” and then that basically sealed it.
It’s a bit ridiculous to admit how hard this small change was for me, but, if other people might be in a similar situation, I hope sharing my experience might be useful.
Free Palestine.
Last modified on August 15, 2025
