A mum has told how she had to resort to hypnotism to kick her £3,000-a-year Irn-Bru habit.
Carole Lamond, 57, used to down 20 cans of the fizzy drink every single day for 25 years. She first became hooked on the Scottish favourite when just a wee girl.
After leaving school, she went on to become a HR manager, moving to London from Scotland before returning to her homeland. She started off by swigging several cans of Irn-Bru a day and then her consumption escalated during the Covid lockdown.
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Her addiction spiralled out of control as she worked from home - and she soon found herself gulping down a staggering 20 cans before bed. In fact, the problem got so bad, she would start hiding it around the house - so her husband William, 52, would not find out the extent of her dependency.
She said: "I tried to cut down and even went cold turkey but began suffering from crippling headaches. I was displaying all the symptoms of an addict.
"I was hiding cans from my husband in the garage, the car and cupboards I knew he wouldn't go into. I'd drink one and replace it so it looked like I hadn't drank it. I had become dependent on it. I would go to Tesco and buy stacks of 24 can pallets. It was embarrassing for me but I couldn't stop."
During the two years of lockdown, Carole admits she drank almost 15,000 Irn-Brus - including 94,000g of sugar and 450,000mg of caffeine - as she splashed out £60 a week on 24 packs. She added: "It had to be cans rather than bottles, it was everything from the sound of the can cracking opening to the feel of the aluminum and bubbles. It was bizarre looking back."
Carole then continued to say that looking back, she could have, "Bought several family holidays for the money I was spending. My recycling bin was overflowing each week with cans of Irn-Bru. I would even take secret trips to the dump to dispose of the empty cans. I was like a drug addict trying to conceal my problem. I was literally chain drinking it."
But the mum-of-one was given a wake up moment, when she was hospitalised in June this year after suffering from dizzy spells, fainting and heart palpitations. Originally, she feared she has suffered a stroke, and was sent for CT scans to see if she had a brain tumour.
The Glaswegian then realised she needed to kick the expensive habit of hers, saying: "It was the wake up call I needed really. I knew the amount of Irn-Bru I was drinking had something to do with it. I'd had spells of dizziness and fainting and they couldn't find anything wrong although they suspected a stroke at first.
"I even had scans for a brain tumour which is pretty scary but I knew that drinking all this Irn-Bru was to blame." She added: "I'm only 5ft and weigh seven stone, so I must have looked a right sight with a boot full of Irn-Bru.
"So it never became about a weight issue, the rest of my diet and exercise has always been fine, but it soon became a health issue." After being advised by doctors to cut down to just one a day, a desperate Carole enlisted the help of London-based therapist and hypnotist David Kilmurry.
And after just one full hypnotherapy session, Carole has not touched the drink since. Despite being sceptical at first as she says she, "Never really believed in hypnotherapy but I was willing to give anything a try and incredibly it worked for me.
"Now I just don't want to go anywhere near Irn-Bru, even the smell puts me off and makes me feel sick. I can't thank David enough." Mr Kilmurry, who treated Carole, said: "Since having her last drink three weeks ago Carole suffered severe migraines and had two days in bed and the first day off work in four years due to the sugar withdrawal.
"Carole used to pour Irn-Bru into a mug to get her sugar addiction appeased if she was in public. Sugar addiction leads to diabetes, cancers and heart disease and is one of the biggest causes of death in the western world.
"I treated Carole with some very strong aversion therapy which creates a disgusting taste just at the thought of drinking Irn-Bru or chocolate to conclude our hypnotism sessions. I'm delighted she has finally kicked this awful addiction."
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