The Relapse

I had prided myself on being able to kick my coffee habit. I used to drink coffee all the time when I worked at UNC and then partially into my work with my former company. Usually, it was just a cup in the morning to get me going. I would brew a pot at home, and Cliff and I would leave with our steaming mugs of "wake me up". One day, I just got fed up. I decided that I didn't want to drink coffee anymore. I believe part of it had to do with the fact that we were drinking such strong coffee, grinding our own beans from Starbucks and brewing it on the "Strong" setting. The other part was probably my own resistance at being addicted to any kind of substance. I don't like to take pills for pains, so why should I let myself depend upon a substance just to get me going in the morning?

So, there I went, off the coffee cold-turkey leaving Cliff with his addiction. Instead of brewing coffee at home, he started purchasing a cup of joe from Starbucks in the mornings. I felt kind of bad for leaving him alone with that horrible vice. After all, I was the one who insisted we brew coffee in the mornings. But he's gotten better with it, and I was happy being caffeine free...

At least, I was caffeine free. Then I started working at my new job. Now, I'm not blaming my new job or any new stresses for my rekindled flame with coffee. I certainly could have withstood getting coffee. But my company has this really cool Flavia coffee machine, and it's really hard for me to resist. The coffee packets are really good, and mugs are small (probably about 8 oz.), so it hardly seemed as bad as it was when I made my own brew at home. But still, my coffee addiction is definitely back, no matter how mild.

At first it started with a cup in the middle of the morning; a snack before lunch. These past few days, I have been having my 1 cup of coffee at the end of the day. Around 4 or 4:30, I'll slink into the kitchen to get a quick jolt. I've decided that I'll be ok with this afternoon vice as it is helping me have enough staying power to cook dinner when I get home instead of melting into my chair after a long day.

My new concern regarding my coffee addiction is based on the new coffee machine we got for Christmas. We've always liked grinding our own beans, so we had a separate grinder from our old Mr. Coffee. Now, we have a glorious Cuisinart coffee maker with a built-in grinder. I haven't really programmed it yet to have the sweet caffeinated elixir ready for us when we awake in the morning, but it's just a matter of time. I believe tonight will be the night that I program that machine and reintroduce my long-shunned morning addiction to my routine. Oh, coffee. You're such a little vixen.