Addicted

I have been one of the few people in the world who is willing to admit her addiction right out. My addictions are pretty normal, I mean, a lot of people struggle with the same thing so you won't be seeing me on TLC's My Strange Addiction or anything but just tonight I hit a wall, and I am hoping this wall will knock some sort of sense into me.
I am addicted to Diet Soda.

When I first tried Diet Pepsi I honestly thought it was the most disgusting thing in the world-- I could not understand why anyone would find it tasty enough to drink period let alone every day. I cannot tell you how I started to like it because I do not remember. My tolerance for sugar has decreased drastically over the last 2 years and since I have been in college, I haven't had a ton of money at my disposal.
From a caffeine addiction that began when I was just 15 I would drink and purchase multiple cups of coffee on a regular basis but I started drinking diet soda to save some money, it didn't occur to me how long I've been drinking it until I really thought about it. I used to go to a gas station and purchase a 20oz diet soda and drink it in the summer. To be totally honest, when I take that first drink I feel amazing and when I get a can, I chug it because I love it so much. I cannot explain why, otherwise I would.
When I was an avid coffee drinker, I would drink a cup in the morning during my first period class (feels weird saying now that I've been in college two years), and then around 4 o'clock PM I needed a caffeine fix, it was like clock work. But now, I get a craving around 1pm and then at 5pm I am ready again for some diet soda. It's like something creeps up onto the back of my tongue and tells my brain it needs more!
Lately I have been noticing my skin itching really badly, all over me, constantly. I couldn't think of what it was from, my first thought was all the diet soda I drink...at first I didn't really think so because I have been drinking it for so long that I would have had these symptoms a long time ago. I also started a new job and a coworker of mine gave me a pep talk about how bad diet soda is for me.
Which, by the way, I heard ALL THE TIME.
Tonight, when I got home from work I looked up a YouTube video about how bad diet soda is for you. I learned there are chemicals in diet soda that you also find in rust remover and fire works! Essentially, Diet soda is chemicals...this is getting me thinking hardcore and I really want to quit!
In my research I have been seeing women who are in their late twenties who drink a diet soda at as early as 7:30 in the morning and have 6-9 cans a day! To be honest, I am almost there. It's scary. So right now I have bumps all over my skin and it is constantly itching and it's gross.
Diet soda is so awful it causes heart issues, it makes bones frail, it is the equivalent of a drug!
I hope I can stop because this is getting ridiculous, I need to start drinking coffee again. It is going to be way better for me.