Caffeine and I go way back. I remember pulling all-nighters in high school, hunkered down in front of the computer screen with my Coke and my chocolate, prepared to do whatever it took to stay awake and finish whatever paper was due.

The energy high would usually keep me going through second period, after which I̢۪d crash into a zombie state.

Sure, the paper was done, but I felt like shit.

But by the time I hit college, I was positively soaring on the wings of high fructose corn syrup, thanks to a boyfriend who̢۪d been gracious enough to introduce me to the artificial wonders of Mountain Dew.

That relationship only lasted a few months, thankfully, but the Dew was there to stay.

I always thought I̢۪d been immune to the vices of caffeine since coffee made me gag and energy drinks were just plain scary, but boy, was I wrong.

The folks over at Mountain Dew kept coming up with these wild new flavors and colors that made my brain think it was circus-time.

Code Red. Live Wire. Pitch Black. Baja Blast. Game Fuel. I tried them all. I liked them all. They tasted like liquid candy and made me buzz with re-animation.

Kind of like a Katy Perry song.

Sure, there were times when Pepsi would lure me away (does anybody remember that radioactive Pepsi Blue?), but Mountain Dew was always there to welcome me back with another questionably hued shot of pop.

But the euphoric mania did not last; it gradually wore off like a fake tattoo, and I was left feeling wasted and hungover, dragging my feet through life. I felt like an addict who needed ever-increasing doses just to feel mildly “with it.â€Â

But the straw that broke the camel̢۪s back was the arrival of Voltage last summer. It was a lovely twilight color and the flavor was raspberry-citrus.

I̢۪ll never forget that very first encounter, at a gathering of my boyfriend̢۪s Dungeons & Dragons clan. I was giddy and hyper for all of twelve minutes, then out cold on the hostess̢۪ couch.

From then on I shuddered in both revulsion and delight whenever I caught a glimpse of the Dew̢۪s latest concoction.

I’d like to say I quit caffeine cold turkey, but it’s been a painfully slow process with too many stops and starts. After “doing the Dewâ€Â a final time, Diet Pepsi became the name of my game.

But I had begun to notice that even without caffeine, sugar was all about dehydration, and the only thing that really quenched my thirst was my long-time nemesis, water.

I was in no way ready to surrender, however. I weaned myself off soda with Tropicana, and have only now started reluctantly sipping Aquafina with a slight grimace.

Then one day last week, I found myself staring down the two drink machines outside Speech Arts. It was either water or sugary caffeinated pop paradise.

Can you guess which one I chose?

Wild Cherry Pepsi, of course.