How addicted to coffee am I really?
This is the question that I ask myself almost daily.
I realized a few weeks ago that I cannot function without my daily cup of coffee. I know, that sounds like any other American in today’s society but it is absolutely true. We are all living a fast-paced lifestyle, which requires us to drink more caffeine than our actual body weight.
Now that I am putting everything out onto the table… I admit it, I am a coffee snob. I know what good coffee tastes like and I am never going back. I had the luxury of my step-mom working at Starbucks growing up, which meant she constantly brought me home her own concoctions and Starbucks brand coffee for us to drink every morning. I can tell the difference between Guatemalan beans and generic coffee beans from the grocery store. So now, what does this mean? It means that I now have to pay more for my coffee in order to enjoy it, which stinks, but in its own way isn’t too bad. I am able to have the experience to go to different and unique coffee shops, in small and big towns. Being able to go to different places and try drinks will always be one of the greatest feelings.
I know what you are thinking, “I am not reading this blog just to hear about your love to coffee”, but I swear I am going somewhere with the story. I know that we all have the preconceived notion about coffee being delicious and that we do not focus on the negative aspects as much since the positives usually outweigh them.
Have you ever thought about how coffee is made as an adult drink? This came to my attention one day during my Advertising class. I mean, all children get caffeine at some point in their life, particularly from soda. What makes coffee an adult drink or a special privilege? For me, coffee can be my motivator for the day. I say things like, “If I get through the day and do all of my homework and responsibilities, I will get myself a white mocha” or, “I deserve a coffee after today…”
I slowly started to come to the realization that I consumed way too much caffeine a day. I normally only drink one cup, and if I missed a day I would have a caffeine headache all day. You know those headaches where it makes you want to lay down, curl up in a ball and not do anything? Those are what caffeine headaches are like for me. Even if I wanted to give up coffee, it seemed impossible.
I tried for a few days to quit, but everyone around me was drinking coffee and the headaches were not going away. I decided that having one cup is better than four or five, which a lot of college students drink. Coffee gets me up in the morning, through the day and sometimes even to the gym (yes, I know that is contradictory).
Coffee is my addiction: but it could be worse, right?