Dancing with Demon Coffee

I love coffee.

Let me repeat that statement: I LOVE Coffee.

But the wicked truth is Coffee does not love me. I used to drink so much of that black java that I'd get jittery from all the caffeine. And my stomach would do volcanic flip flops from all of the acid. But those minor setbacks didn't stop me.

In fact, I used to drink 6 to 8 cups a day. Every day. The real stuff -- high test. None of that Decaf brown water, impostor stuff for me. I didn't really wake up until I heard that drip, drip, drip from my coffee maker and smelled that irresistible aroma as the hot water co-mingled with the ground beans to create that awesome elixir.

And then -- last Christmas -- I got sick with a bad cold and flu. Now this probably sounds strange coming from a coffee addict, but the only time I don't lust after coffee is when I'm sick.

In fact when I'm sick I don't like the smell or the taste of the stuff at all. Strange, huh? My Christmas sickness lasted a long time too -- almost 7 days. My illness lasted so long that I went through total caffeine withdrawal during my recovery. It was horrible. I had skull-splitting headaches that felt like I was being stabbed in my eyes with ice picks (on top of lousy cold and flu symptoms).

When the cold was finally gone and I craved my cup of Joe again, I paused and re-considered this vice. After all I had just detoxifying my body from the clutches of caffeine -- did I really want to jump back into caffeine's seductive embrace.

I said NO. I decided to stay on the coffee-free wagon as long as possible. I figured that anything that had so many side effects when I drank it and anything that punished me so much when I stopped taking it was probably not healthy for my system.

And I was doing great. No coffee in late December, no coffee in January, no coffee in February, no coffee in early March and then WHAM!!!

I've fallen off the wagon.

As I mentioned a few posts ago my job has been crazy and stressful lately. I've been working after the girls are in bed, sleep for a couple hours and then get up between 3 and 3:30 AM to work some more. I was so very tired after working all weekend that I succumbed to temptation on Monday.

That morning I opened that untouched can of Folgers and made a pot -- a big one. I drank 10 cups from 3AM until I left for work a little after 7AM. On Tuesday morning I drank 8 cups. This morning I had 6. Once I get to work I'm making hourly trips to the coffee pot. I've fallen so far in only 3 days.

Work will continue to be impossibly busy for the next couple weeks so I know to get through I'm going to need to rely on my caffeine crutch a little while longer. But when things calm down at the end of March (I hope), I'm going to try to kick the habit again.

Maybe you all can act as my sponsors and help me get back on the road of coffee recovery. I can give y'all a call whenever I get the uncontrollable urge to get in my car and drive to the next Starbucks.

Coffee. I need to learn to Just Say NO!