It is a well-known fact about me that I love coffee. It is quite literally the reason I get out of bed every morning, and these morning coffee runs have shaped my morning routine for several years now. My caffeine addiction has been something that has steadily grown since I first started occasionally drinking coffee in middle school. By high school, I was consuming coffee daily, which I never considered unhealthy until I developed chronic migraines. I realized I had to keep up with my caffeine intake to avoid those painful headaches later on in the day.
About a year and a half ago, I became a barista, fueling my caffeine addiction beyond belief. As much as I love being a barista, having so much access to coffee can be a problem. The amount of coffee I usually have in a day is definitely past the recommended amount, and it was something I became really worried about this year. One of my goals this year has been to be more mindful of my body and health, and consuming lots of caffeine was the first thing I wanted to cut down on. So I quit coffee for a week, and I opted for alternative sources of caffeine to see how I would feel.
The Beginning
I began my coffee-free week with black tea. I opted for Arnold Palmers and chai lattes, mainly because I knew black tea has quite a bit of caffeine in it. I knew I would need to wean myself off of caffeine slowly. During this time, I noticed that I felt more energized than I did the previous week. My body and mind felt the best I had all year, and this spilled over into how productive I was. I was staying on top of my assignments and managing my time well. If being coffee-free meant my will to be productive was at an all-time high, then maybe I should continue to avoid drinking it. However, things slowly began to go south shortly after.
Mid-Week
Something I discovered about myself during this week: I surprisingly like matcha. Matcha is a type of green tea, and for the longest time, I was not a fan of it. My coworkers and I would constantly sample matcha with different flavors and types of milk, and come to the same conclusion every time: it is not that tasty. I’m not entirely sure what happened to my taste buds this year, but they have had a change of heart—I genuinely enjoy drinking matcha now! Halfway through the week, I decided to get matcha lattes since I had heard several rumors about matcha being the best alternative to coffee.
Unfortunately, it was not. My body had become accustomed to consuming so much caffeine in a day that switching to matcha as a calmer caffeine alternative exhausted me. I felt tired all the time and found myself craving more caffeinated drinks. At this point, I desperately wanted a cup of coffee, but I knew I needed to finish this week, strong.
The Weekend
By the time the weekend rolled around, I allowed myself to get tons of rest. I was extremely tired and knew that my body desperately needed some time to relax. During this time, I drank peach green tea. It had enough caffeine to keep me from having a headache from the lack of caffeine, but it also had a lesser amount of caffeine, so I could relax and nap throughout the day. As I lay in my bed, I could not wait until Monday. Never in my life had I missed espresso shots and cold brews as much as I did that weekend.
Conclusion
I do think that quitting coffee or caffeine can be good for others. My experience was really awful, but that could have been due to how I went about it. If I took it more seriously and actively changed my lifestyle for longer than a week, then maybe I would have had a better experience. Either way, I am glad I quit coffee for a week. It gave me some alternative caffeinated options to choose from when I am not necessarily in the mood for a cup of coffee. But let’s face it: I am a coffee addict at heart and will always choose my beloved cup every day.