This is scary for me. I’m quitting coffee. I am fairly certain it’s contributing to my lack of energy, sleep issues, and allergies. I have been addicted to coffee since college. I drank Green Mountain coffee from the cafe at Plymouth State University. Every. Single. Day. Nothing stopped me, I woke up looking forward to it. To this day Green Mountain remains my favorite brand of coffee.

When I lived on Oregon I got super spoiled buying amazing small batches of organic, fair trade coffee and learned a lot about different regions and roasts; flavors I liked and didn’t like. It was like learning about wine. There’s really no better place to stay hooked on coffee than the Pacific Northwest, as a grad student no less. There was a Starbucks IN THE LIBRARY! Double Americano – don’t mind if I do!

When I go camping I worry about where I will get, or how I am going to make, my coffee. When I go away with friends for the weekend I always bring the coffee. It’s bad. There is no question that I am addicted. I feel like it gets me going in the morning.

For about a month now I have been making myself drink a glass of water when I wake up instead of immediately heading for the coffee pot. I will admit that I feel more alert and just generally “better” when I do this. I’ve also cut down the amount of coffee I drink. I have one mug, probably about 16oz. per day, instead of 24+ ounces. Last winter, my doctor told me I needed to cut back. I heeded her recommendation for about 1 month. It’s funny how we slowly fall back into habits.

I am quitting coffee this week. I am going to focus on drinking lots of water. I am anticipating headaches which I will deal with using my essential oils. If I am craving something warm I will have tea instead. My main motivation for challenging myself to do this is to see if I feel better without drinking coffee. The only way to truly know if something is giving you issues is to eliminate it for a little while. If the solution is simple, why not do it? It makes me sad though because I feel as though I am breaking up with an old friend. Maybe the breakup wont last forever…

Have you ever quit coffee or something you truly enjoyed but was a burden to your health? Let me know! I could use some tips.