Some of you may or may not know, but I quit drinking coffee about 2 years ago. I remember that day pretty clearly. I was working for the government one summer, and it was a ridiculously hot day. Hot as hell. Anyway, I was around the corner from my office, at a little coffee shop ... anxiously ordering a large coffee. As I was dumping my milk and honey into the take away cup, I noticed I was really really wanting to drink the coffee. My hands were even shaking. (And I should point out here that I don't even really like the taste of coffee. I just wanted the caffeine.)
So I stepped outside into the hot sun with my stupidly big, steaming hot cup of coffee ... and I start to sweat. A lot. Hot coffee on a super hot day is not a good idea. It was kind of gross, and I can just picture how unattractive I must have looked. Standing there, sweating in my work clothes, holding a cup of coffee that was bigger than my face. And then I realized it was my third massive cup of coffee that day. I was addicted and I couldn't get enough of that sweet sweet coffee bean.
And just the thought of being addicted to something really made me angry. So I quit. It was really hard, because I was so used to pumping litres of that stuff into my system every single day. It was basically how I was able to make it through college.
ANYWAY, the point I was trying to make was - I was in the break room this morning, filling up the kettle to make my morning green tea ... when I saw the Murchies coffee pot staring at me. Just taunting me to drink it. So I did. I poured myself a big ol' mug, threw in some soy milk and honey ... and as soon as I took one sip, I immediately regretted the decision. Gross. Coffee is disgusting.
Sorry, this was kind of a pointless entry. But it needed to be said.
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mmmm.... coffee...
hehe you totally made me want a cuppa.
I think I'm going to mosey over to the office kitchen and get some...
Glad to see you kicked the habit, though!
Good post! And, just think how much money you've saved by NOT purchasing and drinking coffee!!!
Much as I love honey by itself, on apples, and in tea and baked goods of all kinds, honey in coffee sounds like...not my thing.
Now, a splash of cream and a whisper of sugar in a cup of coffee made in a French press from fresh-ground beans? Heaven. Or on a hot day, cold-brewed iced coffee. I can't wait for iced coffee weather.
Caffeine addiction sucks and all, and good on you for getting a handle on that, but good coffee...mm.
I'm a big coffee lover... but I don't drink that much. I make 1 cup each morning with my Tassimo beverage machine (it can also dispense hot chocolate and tea) with a bit of cream and Splenda. It's probably smaller than a small sized coffee you'd get in a coffee shop but it's enough for me for the day.
If I go out somewhere, I'll drink a second or a third cup, but I'm content with my morning dose.
I really, really enjoy the taste and the aroma, there's no way I'd give it up :-)
That's pretty impressive though how long you went! i think my record is 4 days ;)
It doesn't help that we get free coffee @ work! I bet if we didn't, i'd totally ween myself off of it..but ONLY to save money.
i drink tea too pretty frequently, but the caffeine in coffee makes me feel cRaZy good.
CoffeecoffeecoffeeyumyumcoffeeYAY!
Meanaddictnahnowaynuhuh!
Actually, I'm just feeding the stereotype right now, because I've got the version of ADD which is best treated with stimulants.
Fun fact: AD(H)D folks will typically self-medicate with either coffee or cocaine.
Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, beer at night. Ah, 'tis a good thing to live in Oregon.
I'm going to be the first to say -- I'm with you, I don't drink the stuff. But it's for religious reasons. I never have. I think it smells good, but it also seems to taste disgusting, since I can't even handle coffee flavored things.
Hate coffee - always have. I'll never drink the stuff. I think it tastes awful. I would have to put so much sugar in it for it to be palatable to me that I might as well call it coffee-koolaid. It also gives you raunchy breath. Yuck.
Chickinvic
I love the taste of really freshly-ground coffee. I drink for taste...not for side effect. Our office has all these fancy machines with grinders and stuff and it's all free!
I don't drink much tea though. I prefer really fresh, filtered water.
About the ADD thing. My daughter has ADD (that is treatable with stimulants) and coffee puts her to sleep. She's only 15 and doesn't drink coffee, but she had a small cup at a friend's house and LITERALLY was falling over and nearly broke my lamp she was so sleepy. This kid CAN'T get to sleep at night EVER! She is in bed by 9:30 on school nights and still lying awake at 2AM usually. Coffee knocked her right out.
Chickinvic
I love tea, but not so much coffee. However it does pack a larger punch of caffeine and since I've been so tired I find myself drinking it more and more.
LOL, I think adding soy milk and honey to perfectly good coffee is the gross thing here - no wonder it tasted awful! ;-)
English Major & Debt Dieter: I've always liked the taste of honey better in coffee, not really sure why. And I don't drink milk, so by default, I have to use soy milk. :)
If I'm ever feeling guilty about my coffee addiction I just remind myself that some evidence now shows it lowers the risk for parkinson's disease <.<
Ugh I hate coffee, always have. Whenever I get sucked into going to St*rbucks I always get a iced passion tea. mmmmm
Chickinvic:
I'm really interested in what you had to say about treating ADD with stimulants such as coffee. Could you email me what you know about it, or any resources online?
I'd like to know how you find out if someone with ADD can be treated with stimulants. Is Ritalin a stimulant?
I drink decaf, but normally a maximum of one per day. Love Starbucks, but those fancy coffees not only cost a lot they also have *lots* of calories. That was never a problem until the last year or so, but now I have them only occasionally. I won't change to skim milk or fake sugar though, because the taste is what is important to me.
I'm a tea drinker. Coffee very very rarely. Maybe 1-2 times a year. But I have been drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day lately. Caffeine actually can sometimes make me quite jittery and I have to be careful not to drink tea with caffeine on an empty stomach (I don't know if this actually makes a difference, but it seems to)
I hated coffee and would put lots of milk and sugar in it--anything to disguise the "coffee" taste.
Then I got a job at Starbucks, and you're required to taste the coffees there and learn to differentiate between them. And I discovered that, actually, I really LIKE the taste of coffee--but I HATE coffee and milk together. So now I drink black coffee with sugar, and it's great.
However, I only drink one cup per day at work. I don't crave it, but hazelnut coffee just goes really well with my everything bagel. It's free at work, and I truly can't remember the last time I bought coffee just to have some. Maybe on a long trip?
Chai, on the other hand....
While I really dislike the taste of coffee, I will never let myself be a slave to some substance. Between the health effects, cost, and dependence it's just not worth it. To me, it's just as bad as smoking. Congrats on kicking the habit though, makes you a stronger person.
I like the taste of coffee
am mildly addicted
think it tastes awful with soy and/or honey--most roast related drinks do.
Are you American? (I am too, btw.) I ask because I found it a typical American answer to the problem of overconsuming anything: quit cold turkey. We absolutely suck at moderation or doing things in measured doses. We're all monster Big Gulps, all day/all night. It's reflected in our national wastelines.
It's a shame, really -- denying ourselves things that are fine in moderated doses only because we lack the self control. Your story reminds me of the gay man who becomes a priest in order to "cure" himself of his homosexuality.
Cold turkey is not control. Quite the contrary. It's giving up on the ability to self-moderate.
Swag: No, I'm Canadian.
And what's wrong with quitting cold turkey? I don't want to drink coffee. I don't even like coffee, which was the problem to begin with.
I would never deny myself the things that I love to eat. But the things that I consume for no reason at all? There's no point, and that's what coffee was to me. I never crave coffee, and I certainly don't appreciate the taste of it.
I guess I don't understand why you started drinking coffee to begin with. You take:
1. I don't like it
2. It's disgusting
3. I drink the stuff until it gives me jitters
I mean, I'm confused because those three don't add up. How does someone start a long-time habit of consuming something for no reason at all? And what makes you try a sick pot of the stuff sitting around after avoiding it for two years -- were you expecting something totally different?
It just doesn't add up...
Swag: I started drinking it in college to keep me awake when I was taking 7 classes per semester, and would frequently pull all-nighters in school. It had so much milk and sugar/honey in it at the beginning that it didn't much taste like coffee. And I figured I'd eventually adjust to the taste of it.
When I quit, I didn't think I'd ever drink it again ... but my palate has changed so much over the last couple of years that I figured I would try it again to see if I've grown into the taste. And I haven't.
So there you go.
Got it. So you used it as a legal chemical stimulant only.
Yeah. All the crap these days with energy drinks, fortified coffee, fortified colas, etc., makes me believe we've become a society of pantywaists though.
Just a few generations ago, our ancestors had to plow fields from dawn to dusk and fetch their own water -- and none of them had to resort to some "super energy drink" to function in a given day. Talk about a society going soft...
hahaha good post. I have been off the caffeine, with the exception of one cup of regular tea in the morning. But not the coffee, still enjoy a cup of decaf. I guess I like the taste :)