Leaving Caffiene Nation

I love coffee. I love everything about it. The taste, the smell, the way it warms me up in the morning, the way it kick starts my brain. But I can't handle the caffiene any more, at least not on a regular basis. It makes me tense and irritable. It gets my nervous system firing so quickly that I can't even focus sometimes. And a lot of the time it actually makes me eat more, because I'm trying to soak up the ill effects. I've tried kicking the coffee habit before, but it's only lasted a couple of days. Why? Because while tea is great, and I drink plenty of it this time of year, it simply won't cut it in the morning with me.

For a long time I thought it was the lack of caffiene jolt that made me return to my beloved coffee. But recently I decided to start trying decaf coffee instead. And suprise, surprise, it seems to have done the trick. Apparently the smell and taste of coffee is enough to trick my brain and body into waking up, and I don't feel deprived at all. And if I want a second cup — well, what the heck, it's not going to send me over the edge. I'm still looking for a brand that actually tastes as good as my favorite high-test coffees, but what I'm brewing is still better than bad or even everyday mediocre coffee.

I still slip up sometimes when I go out, but I don't have the stuff in my house any more, and that is a HUGE step.