We had a nice discussion over on the Facebook page about giving up coffee, and I thought it might be nice to continue the conversation over here.
My coffee drinking habits are a little on the odd side. Since I had surgery a couple of years ago, my coffee drinking has shifted from a first thing in the morning cup to craving coffee right after lunch. During recovery, coffee didn’t appeal to me at all and I pretty much slept through the withdrawal headaches. After I was all healed up, though, somehow I started drinking a cup in the afternoons to sort of get past that post-lunch slump.
I have to say that sometimes I miss the ritual of morning coffee. What I don’t miss is feeling like a coffee zombie in the mornings until I have that first cup. Waking up is a whole new experience since pushing that morning cup to the early afternoon.
Giving Up Coffee
The other day, I was having tea with a friend who mentioned that he’d totally given up coffee, and it got me thinking. Caffeine isn’t exactly healthy, and even fair trade, organic, and shade grown coffee comes with a hefty carbon foodprint thanks to the long distances it travels from the plantation to your mug. Lots of folks give up coffee, so I posed the question over at Facebook. You guys had lots to say! Some helpful, some hilarious, some both. Here are a few reader comments on giving up coffee:
Tricia Ballad: I am in a long-term committed relationship with coffee.
Nikee Huntington: Gave up coffee, started brewing Kombucha and sooooooooo happy
Rachel Shulman: Give up coffee? I understand what the individual words mean but when strung together I have no idea what you’re talking about
Stacy Truhlar McKee: I gave up caffiene (coffee, tea and soda) about 7 years ago. If I really wanted a coffee-like beverage I would drink Roma, a coffee substitute made from grain, but I am fine without it. Sometimes I like to have some herbal tea. My only other source of caffiene is chocolate, and since I am now on the path of giving up sugar, I stick to very dark chocolate (70% or greater) and just have a small piece after a meal.
Cathy Guild: Funny, I dont drink coffee on the weekends and Im fine, but come work Monday… Cant/Wont function till my first sip. I do have acid reflex so I should quit, just need help & the strength to…
I thought these comments shed a lot of light on our coffee addictions, both physical and mental, and offer some really interesting solutions and alternatives to that cup of joe.
So, what about you guys? Are you coffee drinkers? Are you working on giving up coffee? Let’s talk tips and experiences!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by alex-s
I gave up coffee for several years and just recently started drinking it again. I have fibromyalgia, so I’m dragging all of the time, and I find the coffee “gets me through the day.” I teach teenagers – I need all the energy I can get!
Coffee has actually been linked to having a positive effect in delaying and reducing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Like anything, it’s a matter of degree – I’m a one-cup-in-the-morning user, with an iced tea (unsweeteted) in the afternoon, and I’m sticking to it!
Oh interesting! I’d love to learn more about that. Do you remember where you read about it?