Confessions of a (Reformed) Perrier Addict

I could never drink enough water to satisfy my Grandmother Harris.

Eight glasses? An impossibility. I was always dehydrated, though I rarely knew it.

I'm not a soda drinker, but for really quenching my thirst, I need that burn of carbonation in the back of my throat.

I'd always liked Perrier, and then Costco started selling half-litre bottles by the case. In no time, I developed a $30 a week habit. Absolutely necessary, but financially crippling in these mortgage-poor times. I knew I should do something different, but I didn't know what to do and couldn't find the strength to quit....

But then Lisa and I got to worrying about our contribution to global warming.

I already drive a Prius and we keep our air-conditioned house at 81 degrees (and wear fewer clothes). But how much carbon, I wondered, was put into the atmosphere to draw Perrier from its spring, bottle it in plastic containers, and ship it across the Atlantic Ocean, then 2500 miles across country to the local Costco? What could I do?

It hit me one day. Someone must manufacture a home carbonation unit. I Googled and bingo! Here it is.

The unit cost me a total of $127, which, at my rate of consumption, will pay for itself in a month. After that, I'll occasionally have to restock the carbonator cartridge.

Now I use the filtered water that comes out of my refrigerator door, and in seconds have Perrier on steroids. Go for the burn!