How to stop drinking Pepsi every day: a plan and an app

Here's how to stop drinking Pepsi: choose a swap drink before day one, plan for the time you usually open a can, then stop at once or cut down a can a week. FizzFree is the app I built for exactly this, so I'll show where it helps. It works for Pepsi Max too.

I made FizzFree, so take the app parts with that in mind. The plan works without it.

Key points

• A 12 oz Pepsi has 38 mg of caffeine, per PepsiCo's product facts, and about 41 g of sugar, per USDA FoodData Central.
• Pepsi Max has no sugar but does have caffeine. Quitting it is about caffeine and habit.
• Pick the swap drink first and keep it cold.
• At two or more cans a day, a taper is gentler. FizzFree's Taper Dial lowers a weekly allowance step by step.
• Many people get headaches for a few days after the last can.

What's actually in a daily Pepsi?

Sugar, caffeine and a routine. PepsiCo's product facts list 38 mg of caffeine in a 12 oz can of Pepsi. The USDA FoodData Central record lists 11.63 g of sugar per 100 mL, which works out to about 41 g a can, with 155 calories. The NHS daily limit for adults is 30 g of added sugars.

So one can puts you over the NHS limit before you've eaten anything sweet. Two cans a day is about 82 g of sugar and 76 mg of caffeine.

Daily Pepsi habit	Sugar a day	Caffeine a day	Sugar a week
1 can	about 41 g	38 mg	about 287 g
2 cans	about 82 g	76 mg	about 574 g
3 cans	about 123 g	114 mg	about 861 g

These are my sums from the PepsiCo and USDA figures for 12 oz cans. Your can size may differ: a 330 ml can in the UK or Nigeria is a little smaller. For how Pepsi compares with other colas, see how much sugar is in a can of soda.

How do you stop drinking Pepsi every day?

Set it up so the moment you usually drink Pepsi already has an answer. Pick the swap, find the time, clear the fridge, choose your pace and have a plan for cravings. Most daily Pepsi drinkers have one or two fixed moments. Plan those and the rest of the day gets easier.

1. Pick the swap first. Sparkling water with lemon, iced tea without sugar, or whatever cold drink you already like. More ideas in what to drink instead of soda.
2. Find the 3 pm can. Note when you drink Pepsi for three days. FizzFree's Fizz Map nudges you 10 minutes before each of those times.
3. Stop buying multipacks. A 24 pack in the garage is a decision you've already made.
4. Choose your pace. Stop at once, or set the Taper Dial.
5. Ride the craving. In FizzFree, Ride the Fizz is a 90 second exercise: hold a finger down, breathe slowly, then decide.

Honestly, step 3 does more than people expect. I've watched friends quit everything except the multipack. Funny how that one always "doesn't count".

How do you stop drinking Pepsi Max?

Treat Pepsi Max as a caffeine habit, because it has no sugar. Taper it rather than stopping at once if you drink several cans a day. Swap to sparkling water so you keep the fizz. If you want to cut caffeine but not the taste yet, the UK also sells a Pepsi Max version without caffeine.

Pepsi Max is sold as Pepsi Zero Sugar in the US. Read your own can for the caffeine amount, since recipes vary by country and I couldn't find an official UK figure to quote.

The Sugar Jar won't move much for Pepsi Max, which surprises people. The numbers that do move are caffeine skipped and money kept, and FizzFree tracks both. If you also drink Coke Zero or Diet Coke, I wrote about quitting Coke Zero and Diet Coke and quitting Diet Coke.

Will you get headaches when you stop drinking Pepsi?

Many people do, for a few days. A review of caffeine withdrawal studies by Juliano and Griffiths found symptoms usually begin 12 to 24 hours after the last dose and last 2 to 9 days. Headache appeared in about half of people in the experiments. Tapering usually makes it milder.

That review also found symptoms after stopping doses as low as 100 mg a day. Three cans of Pepsi is about 114 mg, so a steady Pepsi habit is enough to notice.

The FDA says withdrawal isn't dangerous but can be unpleasant, and advises cutting back gradually if you have caffeine every day. Drink water, sleep a bit more, and don't schedule a big deadline for day two. If you drink a lot of caffeine, are pregnant or have diabetes, ask your doctor first. The day by day version is in the caffeine withdrawal timeline.

Which app fits you?

An app made only for soda fits a Pepsi habit more closely than a general tracker. FizzFree counts Pepsi, Pepsi Max, other sodas, malt drinks and energy drinks in one check-in, with caffeine, sugar and money tracked. The others fit better if you're quitting several things or want a community.

• FizzFree: Quit Soda Tracker. Soda only. Taper Dial or stop at once, caffeine and sugar tracking, Ride the Fizz, Fizz Map, Swap Shelf, 28 languages on Android, no account. Version 2.0 on Google Play since 27 October 2026; iPhone 2.0 is in App Store review, so iPhone has version 1.5 with a streak, savings and a craving timer until then.
• Quitzilla. Any habit, several at once, with time and money saved.
• I Am Sober. Built for alcohol and other addictions, with a daily pledge, milestones and a community.
• NoFizz: Quit Soda Now. A 100 day guided soda program with daily checkups, on iPhone only.

See FizzFree, or get it on Google Play or the App Store. For more on picking between apps, see which app helps you stop drinking soda.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop drinking Pepsi every day?

Pick a cold swap drink, note the times you usually drink Pepsi, and plan for those moments. Stop buying multipacks. At two or more cans a day, drop one can a week rather than stopping at once. An app like FizzFree tracks the sugar, caffeine and money you skip.

How to stop drinking Pepsi Max?

Taper it, because Pepsi Max has caffeine even with no sugar. Cut one can a week, swap to sparkling water to keep the fizz, and expect a few days of headaches. FizzFree tracks diet and zero sodas, so the caffeine and money you skip still show up.

Is there an app to stop drinking Pepsi?

Yes. FizzFree: Quit Soda Tracker is an app I made only for soda, Pepsi included. It lets you stop at once or taper with the Taper Dial, helps with cravings through Ride the Fizz, and nudges you before your usual can. It runs on Android and iPhone with no account.

How much caffeine is in a can of Pepsi?

PepsiCo's product facts list 38 mg of caffeine in a 12 oz can of Pepsi. For comparison, the FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not usually linked with harm in most healthy adults. Check your own can, since sizes and recipes vary by country.

Will I get headaches if I stop drinking Pepsi?

You might, for a few days. Caffeine withdrawal usually starts within 12 to 24 hours and lasts 2 to 9 days, going by the Juliano and Griffiths review. Tapering, water and sleep help. If headaches are severe or don't ease, see a doctor.

How I wrote this

I wrote this on 29 October 2026. Caffeine for Pepsi comes from PepsiCo's own product facts site, read that day. Sugar and calories come from the USDA FoodData Central record for Pepsi. The sugar limit comes from the NHS, caffeine guidance from the FDA, and withdrawal timing from the Juliano and Griffiths review on PubMed. I did not give a caffeine figure for Pepsi Max, because the UK numbers I found were from third party sites. The other apps are described from their store listings, read on 25 October 2026. I made FizzFree. Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Pepsi Zero Sugar belong to their owner, and I have no link with them. If Coke is your drink, see how to stop drinking Coke, and for Fanta or Sprite, how to quit fizzy drinks.

This is general information, not medical or veterinary advice. Ask your doctor before you change your caffeine intake if you have a health condition.

By John Osakwe, founder of Etest Tech Hub. I have built apps and websites since 2015, including Etest CBT, FizzFree and Pawlarm.