Liberation from Coffee

It’s been a while since I’ve written my last post. Ironically, I’m about to write about the same subject as my last, though drastically different. My last post was on how I decided to cut out sugar or any sweetener from my morning coffee. I wanted to cut out sugar from my diet. At least any added sugar. So, here I am back again talking about coffee. You may think I have an obsession of coffee. Quite the opposite. This article is about how I quit coffee, that’s right, quit coffee cold turkey! It all started while on vacation. I was in a place where coffee was not readily available in the morning upon my waking. I wondered about that prior to my leaving on vacation and was hoping I would get that cup of coffee in the morning at least. I usually just have one cup per day. I found it unusual that I thought about that. I found it restricting and constricting to have to depend on that but of course how hard is it to want one every morning? That was my rationalization and felt it’s something I can find anywhere. Yet still I felt uncomfortable depending on it. There was nothing else I wished I had.

While in Asia, my vacation schedule was erratic, busy, and fast paced. I got up early in the morning to start my day of sightseeing and exploring. I scrambled to find a fresh cup of brewed coffee at different coffee shop. I found one shop and bought a cup. Wow, was it strong! I don’t like strong coffee. Usually I add coffee in my milk is the type of coffee I have. I added some powdered artificial milk in it and tried it. It was not what I wanted but was grateful I found some to pour down my tummy so I don’t get a headache for the day.

It was a struggle to find some coffee every morning that I was there. I realized then how much I don’t enjoy coffee but wanted it so that I could avoid the headache later on in the day. I decided the third day of my vacation to forget thinking about coffee and not have any for the rest of the vacation and endure a headache if I’m encountered with one. I was fine. My head was a bit cloudy but I felt like a conqueror. I felt strong for not having to dwell on that. My family member asked me why I drink coffee? Well, I said, because I like it? However, I liked the sugar and the milk a lot more than the coffee itself. I discovered that I really didn’t enjoy coffee very much at all but would have it to avoid the headache. So, why not avoid the headache altogether and not have to worry about whether I’ll have coffee in the morning? It was a liberating thought to not have to depend on it anymore! That’s it, I decided while on vacation that while I’m not having any while here, I’ll continue that when I’m home and quit coffee.

It’s time to continue with my coffee free journey at home. The first day was not bad at all. The second day was rough with a headache. I thought that would be the worst of it all. The third day I had more of a body ache than a headache. The body ache intensified and continued through sixth day. My body ached as if I had a fever. I continued with my daily activities, went to work, and the rest of the routine. The aches continued. It was definitely a tough experience but was worth the result. On day seven, I felt much better. I’ve heard it takes seven to nine days to wean oneself off of coffee and it was about right for me. I felt a great feeling of accomplishment and self control and above all, felt liberated. I began to feel much better in the mornings as soon as I awoke. I did not have the feeling of heavy head, grogginess or listless. Normally, I would feel this way until I had coffee. I thought it was because I was tired, just awoke, etc. that I wasn’t feeling refreshed as soon as I awoke but later realized that it was the lag between my last coffee and until I had it in the morning I was basically feeling withdrawals. Now, I feel fully refreshed upon waking and can go about my activities with full vigor immediately. It is such a great feeling to finally not be dependent on coffee and free from its grasp!! I highly recommend it to anyone remotely considering quitting coffee. Just do it. Go cold turkey! You can do it, you are stronger than you think! You will feel empowered.