On July 22, I decided to give up caffeine, cold turkey, only after a long road trip (for safety's sake, of course). Lots of reasons - I'm already a rather hyper and anxious person, and the juice only aggravated these symptoms. On top of that, it dehydrates, and I'm on an unending quest to stay well hydrated. Why drink all the water I do if I'm only gig to counter the effects? There's also the argument that caffeine is a drug, and I want to keep my body wholesome and free of mind altering impurities, but some might argue that one. Mainly, I wanted to prove that I didn't need the stuff. I could enjoy a coffee date and be creative, by ordering herbal tea or decaf drinks. I can drink water when everyone else is drinking soda. I didn't need to need it.
Well, I proved my point. Today I broke the caffeine embargo. I had a few extra minutes before work and decided to get a cup of coffee from the Willow Creek up the street, and after searching high and low for the decaf carafe, went with the Organic fair Trade Blend. It was fantastic, and definitely counteracted the effects of very little sleep the night before. I had energy all morning, and into the afternoon, and my mind had so many thoughts I could hardly contain them all. I had eaten a fairly substantial breakfast, so I avoided my typical coffee jitters, though I did need a few more bathroom breaks than my usual one per day. I also ran a bit longer than my usual mid week run, though whether to attribute that to the buzz or stress is still up in the air.
The verdict: Coffee may not be the devil's brew after all. I sure don't want to become dependent on it, or even make it any sort of habit. When I'm tired, I want to take a nap, or go to bed. I'll probably stick to decaf or half-caf most of the time. But once in awhile, when I'm in the right situation, I think caffeine can be a wonderful thing.
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