the lonely brew station
Today marks 14 days without coffee.I didn't quit.
I just ran out of vanilla creamer.
I didn't make it to the market for a couple of days.
When I got there, they didn't have any.
I have not been without caffeine, just sans coffee.
Instead I have been drinking some fabulous teas.
Fancy oolongs, greens, hand tied jasmines, some flavored blends, genmai cha (green w/toasted rice).
Just today, I revived my passion for a hearty cup of chai.
I had been thinking about switching to decaf for months.
Coffee does not create anxiety (my life does that all on it's own).
But I began to notice that coffee was definitely fueling the anxiety.
The anxious symptoms were predictably appearing about 30 mins after a cup o'joe.
Here I am, two weeks later.
Not decaffeinated.
Just decoffeenated.
A couple of sluggish days and only one headache.
I feel better.
I wonder what would happen if I cut out all the caffeine.
It wouldn't be the first time in my life I've done that.
But I miss vanilla creamer.
5 comments:
Peter and I went off coffee a few years ago, because we'd had it with the withdrawal headaches when we didn't get it regularly, and we'd noticed that in the mornings we'd get up feeling somewhat awake, have coffee and then crash and feel like crap. He went cold turkey while I switched to black tea, and it took several weeks for us to feel anything close to "normal". But once the detox period was over we definitely had more energy and were less sluggish overall. I drink a lot of tea but it's a pretty small amount of caffiene compared to how much I used to get in my coffee, and just in the last six months or so Peter has started having one cup of coffee a day again (a far cry from his previous six or so cups). Being addicted to anything is bad for you, I think, no matter what it is.
I don't think vanilla creamer would taste very good in tea, though.
I used to be a heavy coffee drinker until I got pregnant.. then I couldn't stand it anymore. I used to drink it black with heavy sugar.. now I drink an occasional cup flavored and with cream, lots of sugar, and kool-whip.
I've never been big on coffee, but I do enjoy an occasional mocha or latte. I prefer tea. Chai is my favorate by far, followed closely by Green, then good ol' Earl Grey. I pretty much drink green all day at work with just a little sugar, because I like it cold too. Then I get a Venti Chai Latte 1-2 times a week for a little treat.
I do miss my coffee, but I switched to tea several years back to get rid of the headaches. Tea is probably the cheapest gourmet experience you can have, with so many exotic varieties and kinds. I find the fuss of making it and steeping it until it's just right helped me to not miss coffee. The ritual of tea making became part of what is enjoyable.
And, mmm, chai.
Ohhh...I have recently discovered vanilla chai flavored creamer, and I looooove it. I've thought about switching to decaf too,or giving it up altogether, but as I always have a freezer full of Peet's (mail order, ya' know!) I can't bring myself to do it. I think there is also something just mildly self-destructive in my personality that makes me not give up coffee and cigarettes. I can't quite bring myself to be THAT healthy. I'll leave the gym and five minutes later light up a cigarette. What's up with that?
I LOVE NaBloPoMo or whatever it's called - I can click your link every day and peek through the window into your life. My own life is so ridiculously overwhelming lately that I need lots of little breaks, and blog reading fits the bill perfectly. So, thank you.
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