What Giving Up Coffee Taught Me

I love coffee. I simply love it. If you were to ask my daughter which I love more, her or coffee, she’d actually have to take some time to think about it before answering.

Needless to say, my 30-day challenge to give up coffee was not an easy decision. And boy, was the outcome illuminating.

First off, I was unaware of how much I depended on that morning cuppa for my mental function and mood. In week one I couldn’t remember people’s names, and I kept forgetting what I was doing. I had to double- and triple-check everything.

I was tired and cranky and head-achy in the first week. But even after those symptoms faded, I was still just plain sad in weeks two and three.

The hardest part was that I knew the solution was easy. All I needed to do was go downstairs and give the nice lady $2 and that cup of black magic would take all my pain away. Thank goodness, I had told EVERYONE of my 30 day goal. If I hadn’t, I would have folded like a dirty shirt.

The strength of that drive to have a coffee was huge, I can’t imagine someone trying to break a serious narcotic addiction.

In the fourth week, though, things started to change. My mood stabilized, my energy was no longer in the toilet and many of the little symptoms that I had while drinking my daily java had gone–things like heartburn and headaches. It took almost the whole 30 days, but I had finally escaped the pull of coffee.

What’s Next?

So my 30 days are up. What am I doing now, you ask?

Drinking coffee of course! 🙂  But…in a totally different way. There are numerous health benefits to coffee, and I love the focus and attention I gain from a well-placed cup. But I don’t enjoy needing it to function.

So here is my new plan: No more waking up to coffee. I now start my day with 2 big glasses of water and 2 cups of refreshing herbal tea, instead of the 2 cups of coffee with milk I used to have.

The result? I’m hydrated and hungry in the morning. I eat my breakfast, go for my morning walk and then have my one and only cup of coffee on my drive into the office. No more heartburn, and mid-day headache because of dehydration, and my patients get the benefit of a focused and energized mind the whole day long.