The Objective
I love coffee. The fact that I work at a coffee shop, generally have trouble sleeping and drink three cups every day on average are a perfect combination to foster an addiction. I decided to challenge myself to not drink coffee for a week mostly to see if I could actually do it. I also wanted to see if I somehow felt better not drinking it; perhaps this could be the start of my newfound healthy lifestyle.
The Health Benefits
Before you tell me that amount of coffee is unhealthy for me—I know. I am well aware that the National Health Institute noted that coffe consumed in excess is linked to higher blood pressure, higher levels of anxiety, stomach lining damage, dehydration and worsened insomnia. In addition, caffeine is considered a drug and is mildly addictive. Caffeine dependence was even named a new mental disorder in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But did any of that stop me from drinking my liquid courage? Absolutely not.
The Process
Instead of coming into school with a piping hot cup o’ joe in my hand, I drank fruit smoothies in the morning for the first few days of the week, and then copious amounts of water during my classes to stay awake. When that wasn’t sufficient in tricking my body into thinking that it was consuming caffeine, I switched to hot chocolate. It looked and felt like coffee, which was the closest I could get without cheating.
The Side Effects
I would love to report that I felt wonderful and wholeheartedly better when I completely cut myself off from coffee, but it was awful. I repeat: disaster on the horizon. Firstly, I felt intense withdrawal symptoms, some of which included pounding headaches, overwhelming fatigue and a general mental fog. And anyone who has a first block class with me can attest to the fact that I was unusually irritable all week. I had to come to the disheartening realization that I had a coffee dependency.
The Lapse
Although I’m disappointed that I didn’t make it through the whole week coffee-free, I’m proud to say I only had two lapses, despite the fact I shuddered with desire every time I smelt or saw someone drinking coffee. The first one was on a Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. right after a three hour long SAT prep course that literally put me to sleep. I dropped by Pete’s Coffee on my way home and had some espresso shots as a pick-me-up before I started to do all the homework I hadn’t had a chance to start yet. The second one was on a Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. when I came into school for an extra math test review session with a large coffee with extra shots in it because I needed to be alert to learn all the math I neglected to do in the first place.
The Verdict
For anyone who doesn’t have a coffee dependency: good! Keep it that way. You don’t want to end up like me, scrambling and almost being late for school in the morning because I was transferring money from my savings onto my empty debit card just so I could get a cup of coffee that day. For anyone who does have a coffee dependency and wants to get rid of it: do it gradually, not all at once. Slowly start drinking coffee less often and in smaller amounts to minimize withdrawal effects, and find a better alternative, like protein shakes, smoothies, or tea. And lastly, for anyone (like me) who has a coffee dependency and plans on doing nothing about it, keep doing what you’re doing.