How to stop drinking fizzy drinks like Fanta, Sprite and Irn-Bru

If you're wondering how to stop drinking fizzy drinks, start with one swap drink and one planned moment, then cut down at a pace you can keep. FizzFree is the app I built for exactly this, and I made it, so I'll be upfront. It tracks Fanta, Sprite, cola and every other soda in one place.

Soda, pop or fizzy drinks, whatever you call them, the plan is the same.

Key points

• Fanta and Sprite have no caffeine, per Coca-Cola. Quitting them is about sugar and routine.
• Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper and Irn-Bru do carry caffeine, so cut those more slowly.
• A 12 oz Sprite has about 39 g of sugar by the USDA FoodData Central figures. The NHS limit for adults is 30 g a day.
• Pick your swap first. In the UK, FizzFree's Swap Shelf suggests sparkling water, no added sugar squash or a cuppa.
• FizzFree's Taper Dial lowers a weekly allowance step by step, if stopping at once feels like too much.

Which fizzy drinks have caffeine, and why does it matter?

It decides how fast you can quit. Coca-Cola's caffeine page lists Fanta and Sprite as having no caffeine, and 7Up has none either. Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper and Irn-Bru list caffeine on the label. Drinks without caffeine can usually go cold turkey. Drinks with it are gentler to taper.

Drink	Caffeine	Pace I'd suggest
Fanta	None, per Coca-Cola	Stop at once is fine
Sprite	None, per Coca-Cola	Stop at once is fine
7Up	None, per the label	Stop at once is fine
Mountain Dew	Yes, check the can for the amount	Taper over a few weeks
Dr Pepper	Yes, check the can for the amount	Taper over a few weeks
Irn-Bru	Yes, check the can for the amount	Taper if you drink several a day

Labels change by country, so read the can you actually buy. The same brand can use a different recipe in the UK, the US and Nigeria.

For drinks with caffeine, the Juliano and Griffiths review of withdrawal studies found symptoms usually start 12 to 24 hours after the last dose and last 2 to 9 days. Many people report headaches for a few days. That's the main reason to taper a Mountain Dew habit and not a Fanta one.

How do you stop drinking Fanta every day?

Treat it as a sugar and routine habit, because there's no caffeine in it. Pick a cold swap you like, find the time of day you usually buy one, and remove the easy access. Most people can stop Fanta at once. The first week is about breaking the routine, not about withdrawal.

Fanta is sweet and cold, so a cold swap with some flavour beats plain water on day one: sparkling water with orange slices, zobo without sugar in Nigeria, chilled tea. My longer list is in what to drink instead of soda.

Then the routine. If the Fanta comes with jollof at lunch, plan that moment; FizzFree's Fizz Map nudges you 10 minutes before. For Nigeria, see stopping soft drinks in Nigeria.

How do you stop drinking Sprite, 7Up or other lemon lime drinks?

Same as Fanta: no caffeine, so stopping at once is usually fine. The pull is the sweetness and the habit. The USDA FoodData Central record for Sprite lists 10.87 g of sugar per 100 mL, which I worked out to about 39 g in a 12 oz can. That's more than the NHS daily limit for adults in one can.

People often think lemon lime drinks are lighter than cola. They aren't, sugar wise. Clear doesn't mean less.

A swap that keeps the sharpness works well: soda water with fresh lime, or in India, nimbu pani. The sugar in a can of soda post has the cola numbers side by side if you want to compare.

How do you quit Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper or Irn-Bru?

Taper, because all three carry caffeine. Drop one can a week, or set a weekly allowance and lower it step by step. Expect a few days of headaches or tiredness. Keep a cold swap ready for the moment you usually open one. If you drink a lot of them, talk to a doctor first.

FizzFree's Taper Dial does this for you. You set the weekly allowance, say 14 cans, and lower it a step each week. On Android it's in version 2.0 now. On iPhone it arrives with 2.0, which is in App Store review.

Irn-Bru deserves a word. In Scotland it's half drink, half hangover plan, and a fair bit of lunch tradition too. That's exactly why it's hard to drop: it's tied to places and people, not only to taste. Plan the occasions, not just the cans.

How do you handle a fizzy drink craving?

Wait it out for 90 seconds with something to do. Most cravings peak and fade quickly if you don't act straight away. FizzFree's Ride the Fizz is built for that: you hold a finger down and breathe slowly for 90 seconds, then decide. You'll often find you don't want it anymore.

Drink your swap first. If you still want the fizzy drink after a full glass, fine, log it. A slip isn't failure: in FizzFree a fizz day grows the Bubble Monster and calm days shrink it, with no streak to lose. And the Sugar Jar, showing sugar not drunk and money kept, is a quiet push on a bad afternoon.

If cravings feel stronger than you expected, I looked at the research on whether soda is addictive.

Which app fits you?

If fizzy drinks are your habit, an app made only for soda fits better than a general habit tracker. Here's how four apps compare, from their own store listings.

• FizzFree: Quit Soda Tracker. Soda only: regular, diet and zero soda, malt drinks and energy drinks. 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; iPhone 2.0 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. Fits if fizzy drinks are one of a few things you're cutting.
• I Am Sober. Built for alcohol and other addictions, with a daily pledge and a community. Fits if you want people around you.
• 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 a wider comparison, see which app helps you stop drinking soda.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop drinking Fanta every day?

Pick a cold swap you like, find the time you usually buy Fanta, and plan for that moment. Fanta has no caffeine, per Coca-Cola, so most people can stop at once without withdrawal headaches. An app like FizzFree nudges you before your usual time and tracks the sugar you skip.

How to stop drinking Sprite and 7Up?

Neither has caffeine, so you can usually stop at once. Swap them for soda water with lime or nimbu pani, keep the swap cold, and remove the cans from your fridge. A 12 oz Sprite has about 39 g of sugar, going by USDA FoodData Central, so the change adds up fast.

How do I quit Dr Pepper?

Taper it, because Dr Pepper carries caffeine. Drop one can a week, or use FizzFree's Taper Dial to lower a weekly allowance. Expect a few days of headaches if you drink several a day. Keep a cold swap ready for your usual Dr Pepper moment.

How do I stop drinking Irn-Bru?

Irn-Bru has caffeine, so cut down over a few weeks if you drink it daily. Plan the occasions it's tied to, such as lunch or the morning after a night out, and have a swap ready, like sparkling water or no added sugar squash. Track it so you can see the weeks add up.

How to stop drinking Mountain Dew?

Taper slowly, because Mountain Dew carries caffeine. Cut one can a week and expect some tiredness or headaches for a few days. If you also drink energy drinks, track both together. My notes on quitting Monster and Red Bull cover the energy drink side.

How I wrote this

I wrote this on 29 October 2026, using UK, US and Indian search wording. Caffeine status for Fanta and Sprite comes from Coca-Cola's caffeine page, Sprite sugar from USDA FoodData Central, the sugar limit from the NHS and withdrawal timing from the Juliano and Griffiths review. I gave no caffeine amounts for Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, Irn-Bru or 7Up, because recipes differ by country. I made FizzFree. Fanta, Sprite, 7Up, Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper and Irn-Bru belong to their owners, and I have no link with them. If you drink Coke too, see how to stop drinking Coke, and for Pepsi, how to stop drinking Pepsi every day.

This is general information, not medical or veterinary advice. If you drink a lot of caffeine, are pregnant or have diabetes, talk to your doctor first.

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