State with squeaky clean image grappling a VERY surprising addiction epidemic… it’s not fast food or drugs
A surprising US state is battling a crippling addiction crisis—but it’s not fueled by alcohol, drugs, or fast food.
In Utah, the substance of choice for hundreds of thousands of residents is soda. And not just the occasional can — many drink it in astonishing quantities.
YouTuber Tyler Oliveira decided to investigate the effect that the sugary drinks are having on the population and what inspired the craze.
In his film, one man named Steve Kinyon admits sometimes he guzzles more than 5 gallons of diet soda a day and he spends $300 a week on soda alone.
Steve, a father-of-two with over 66,000 Instagram followers on his food-centric account, says even his young sons — ages four and two — love soda.
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His wife, Kephren, is ‘concerned’ about the habit.
Tyler explains that the state’s large Mormon population plays a central role. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are typically forbidden from drinking alcohol and hot caffeinated drinks like coffee or tea.
But soda, especially cold caffeinated soda, falls into a gray area — one that many Utahns have embraced enthusiastically.
In Tyler Oliveira’s film, one resident named Steve Kinyon (above left) admits sometimes he guzzles more than 5 gallons of soda a day and he spends $650 every two weeks on soda supplies for his house
Enter ‘Dirty Sodas,’ a wildly popular beverage trend in the state. These are essentially soda-based mocktails, with concoctions made using base sodas like Dr Pepper, Sprite, or Coca-Cola, spiked with flavored syrups, purées, creams, and fruit.
‘These are basically cocktails without the alcohol,’ one woman explains in Oliveira’s documentary.
A popular pick at the soda drive-thru chain Swig is the Mojito Mama, a tropical mix of lemonade, coconut purée, coconut cream, mint, and fresh lime.
A 44oz cup can pack more than 600 calories — comparable to a fast food meal.
But while many in the community view their vice as much safer than drugs or alcohol, copious amounts of soda has its risks.
Obesity, diabetes, increased blood pressure, and kidney disease are just some of the hazards.
Meanwhile, caffeine in caffeinated soda drinks can cause anxiety, increased heart rate and higher blood pressure.
Along with the health impact of drinking so much soda, there is also a financial repercussion.
‘If he started going into debt for this, it would be divorce,’ Kephren says in one scene, as Steve is seen unloading a haul of soda from the trunk of his car.
Steve – who has more than 66,000 followers on food-inspired Instagram channel – says his sons aged 4 and 2 also love soda, while his wife Kephren is ‘concerned in some capacity’ about his addiction
In terms of where Utah’s love of soda comes from, YouTuber Tyler explains that the state’s population is largely Mormon, and followers of the church of Latter-day Saints are generally forbidden from drinking alcohol and caffeinated hot drinks
When Oliveira visits several soda drive-thrus across Utah one morning, he finds long lines and loyal customers who say they rely on their daily fix.
One woman reveals her boss drinks two 44oz sodas every day. Another says her workplace caters to the habit with built-in ‘soda breaks.’
She tells Tyler outside a drive-thru in the largely Mormon city of Provo: ‘[Soda is] literally people’s entire world.
‘I’m [working] at an office right over here. We shut down twice a day so that everybody can go get their dirty sodas.’
Meanwhile, one man likens soda culture in Utah to coffee culture in other parts of the world, but he highlights that soda culture is even more unique as it is ‘much more customizable’.
‘There’s nothing else like it,’ he says.
But while it may feel like a harmless cultural quirk, the habit could be taking years off people’s lives.
A University of Michigan study found that just two sugar-sweetened beverages per day could cost someone 24 minutes of life expectancy.
Over time, that adds up. If someone starts drinking soda at age five and continues for 50 years, they could lose nearly a year off their life — about 304 days.
The non-alcoholic beverages are known locally as ‘Dirty Sodas,’ as the recipes feature a base sodas such as Dr Pepper, Sprite and Coca Cola with added flavors
Many people reveal that they drink soda on a daily basis and one woman says that her boss drinks two 44oz servings a day
According to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics, roughly half of Americans over the age of two drink two sugary beverages a day on average.
The health risks are well documented: added sugars are linked to obesity, certain cancers, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease.
And even artificial sweeteners may carry similar risks.
Despite its booming soda craze, Utah’s obesity rate is slightly lower than the national average.
In 2023, the age-adjusted obesity rate in Utah adults was 31 percent, while the prevalence for US adults was 33.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the American Diabetes Association reports that 191,658 people in Utah, or 7.9 percent of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes. This is also below the national average, which is currently just over 11 percent.
However, experts believe the number of people suffering with diabetes could be much higher with an additional 51,000 people in Utah going undiagnosed, ‘greatly increasing their health risk’.
Diagnosed diabetes costs an estimated $1.7 billion in Utah each year.
Commenting on the University of Michigan findings, food safety expert Dr Darin Detwiler previously told DailyMail.com: ‘This study reinforces that making small, consistent changes in beverage habits may add years to life expectancy and improve overall health.’
He added: ‘Taking this study literally, a healthy 20-year-old person — whose life expectancy may be 79 years — who starts drinking two sodas a day may, according to the study, lose three to four years of life due to the impacts of those drinks.’
Still, Dr Detwiler emphasized that the study’s findings are ‘observational not scientific,’ meaning they don’t prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Even so, he urges the public to take the results seriously.
When Tyler visits a range of soda drive-thrus one morning, he finds that there are long lines at each, with residents eager to get their daily soda hits
‘Cutting out soda or reducing consumption might extend life expectancy,’ he said. ‘But one thing that is for sure, is that removing these sugary drinks will definitely improve your quality of life, including reducing risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.’
He also points to better weight management and overall health as benefits of quitting soda, using a vivid analogy: ‘Think of soft drink consumption as driving a car without regular maintenance.
‘While it doesn’t guarantee a breakdown, over time the likelihood of a serious problem increases—especially if combined with other unhealthy habits.’
Dr. Detwiler added that the findings could support new public health messaging: ‘Perhaps this study could support public awareness campaigns about risks. I could also see this as a driving force behind policies to reduce soft drink availability in schools and workplaces.’
For now, Utah’s Dirty Soda craze shows no signs of slowing down.
But with new health warnings and rising awareness of the long-term costs, the state’s sugar-fueled habits may soon be put to the test.
