LifeSoup by Cherie Dawn Haas

I don’t like to consider myself to be a quitter, but last night I decided that I was going to stop drinking coffee, cold turkey.

Why? Oh, so many reasons…For one, I don’t like feeling addicted to something, and this was definitely an unhealthy habit that I did because I felt the need to. I don’t even like the taste of coffee unless I add some type of creamer and sweetener, which brings me to the second reason: I keep hearing how artificial sweeteners have negative effects on one’s weight and, believe it or not, that’s something I’ve struggled with probably since I quit smoking in college.

I was drinking up to five cups of coffee a day. It was often satisfying to have a warm mug next to my computer on cold mornings as I worked. I would hold it in my left hand, continuing to type and navigate online with my right hand as I sipped. But there were many days that I didn’t even finish my last cup of coffee because the taste wasn’t that great.

I’ve tried to just cut back to one or two cups, but that didn’t fly. I’ve tried tea, but I’m just not a big fan of tea unless it has – you guessed it – some type of sweetener.

Today, my first intentional day without coffee, went as well as I could’ve expected. I woke to find that my husband, Dwayne, thoughtfully set the brew timer, so when I got up at 5:49 the smell filled the kitchen. I was okay with that. It smelled nice.

I took a deep breath and ignored it, reaching instead for a bottle of cold water. It was fresh, and quenched a thirst I didn’t know I had.

I was even optimistic about withdrawal symptoms because Dwayne insists on drinking half-caffeinated coffee. (Maybe that’s why I don’t like the taste so much?)

Here’s how the rest of my day went:

9:00AM – I crashed. Totally fell asleep and took a nap with two dogs snuggled next to me. For what it’s worth, it was an overcast, chilly day.

11:00AM – I wasn’t in a great mood, but I sucked it up for a meeting, during which I came up with a brilliant idea. This gave me optimism. I might not fail at everything without coffee.

12:00ish – I felt like I made it! Yes! An entire morning without coffee! With my lunch I enjoyed a diet soda (just a little caffeine, come on now), and it was delicious.

Afternoon – I told my mom, who isn’t as optimistic as I am. When I also told a friend, her silence helped me feel justified in this – it’s a big deal!

As I write this, it’s about 5:30 in the evening. I’ve had a lot of water to drink, and only once accidentally, completely habitually, reached for the handle of the coffee pot.

So bear with me, especially if we see each other in meat space. 🙂 I feel like I’ve been more calm and reserved today than usual, which might be okay as long as I can stay awake.

I’ll keep you posted. (Update: Read “Kicking My Coffee Habit: Day 2” here)

Peace, love, and fire,
Cherie Dawn

P.S.
I almost filed this under “Yoga Life” because a big part of my yoga journey is to better control my actions and not live on auto-pilot. What we consume also affects our bodies, too, and I don’t think that coffee, creamers, or sweeteners are doing anything to help me live or function better. Wish me luck, friends! ❤