There comes a point in one's life where one realizes they have a problem. This point happened a couple days ago for me.
I woke up late and was rushing to get out of the house to make it to my internship on time. Sadly, I didn't have enough time to consume my regular morning coffee. I got on the bus and was just thinking the whole time about how badly I yearned for just one little cup of caffeine. I got there early with a mere 10 minutes to spare. The first place I went? Tim Hortons.
"Can I have a medium double double please", I said, rubbing the tiredness out of my eyes.
"That'll be $1.70."
I reached my debt card towards the cashier and she shook her head, "I'm sorry, we don't take debt here."
My world stopped. No. Debt? What does that even mean? I was furious! There was no way I could continue this day without at least one cup of coffee.
"Is there anywhere else I can go?" I pleaded, on the brink of tears.
"There's a Starbucks around the corner."
I felt a glimmer of hope. Yes, it'll cost me $1.00 more for coffee I don't really like, but it's coffee nonetheless and I just need my fix. I thanked her and quickly walked toward the direction she pointed to.
Everything fell into place when that warm coffee finally hit my lips, that familiar taste making my taste buds scream in joy. This day is going to be okay. I finally had a coffee.
Once that coffee was done and I felt like myself again, that's when I realized I had a problem. I shouldn't need a substance to make me feel like me. Thinking back even farther than a couple days ago, I've been drinking 1-2 cups of coffee everyday since high school.
Being a university student, coffee is considered a food group for us, but maybe we should start thinking about why we need it. I think it's fine to indulge in a cup once in awhile, but once its a dependancy problem, we really need to take a step back and evaluate the reason why we continue to drink it and the long term effects it could have on our health.
Personally, I believe my body is starting to rely on that caffeine to give it the energy it needs, but in turn, my body is not learning how to energize itself. So, instead of reaching for a cup of coffee, I'm starting to reach for a fruit smoothie or a cup of tea.
I'm only on my second day of being caffeine free and I'm craving some coffee at this moment, but I already feel better physically. Yeah, I'm a little more tired than usually, but I don't feel constantly bloated like coffee makes me feel. I've read that it takes 2-9 days for you to get over the caffeine withdrawal symptoms, so once I get to day 9, expect an update!
-Anna xox
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