This summer, I moved to Chicago. Due to the limited room in the car, and my absent-mindedness, I left my coffee maker at school. At first, I panicked. Then, I thought about it. I decided I didn’t want to buy another coffee maker because I already have two at home but then the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as an opportunity. Personally, I dislike being dependent on something to get through the day. Also, I have struggled with acne since my teens and a majority of my acne stems from my diet. So, I saw this as an opportunity to experiment. A few things happened when I gave up coffee.
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I saved money. True, giving up coffee did not bring newfound wealth to my bank account but I did stop spending money on it.
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I switched to healthier alternatives. I started drinking more water and green tea for my caffeine fix.
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My face cleared up. My acne did not clear up immediately, and I did still have it but it was not to the degree that I had suffered initially.
Now, this was great for the summer when my only responsibility was getting to work- in the building I lived in and could sleep and do whatever, whenever. However, when I came back to school, a few things changed and I began drinking coffee again. There were a few reasons for me picking back up the habit. Most of these are going to sound like excuses, but to be honest, I was not that committed to the “no coffee” life. I picked up coffee again because of these reasons.
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My roommates drink it. Both of my roommates drink coffee during various times of the day so I would always smell it.
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It’s everywhere on campus. Anywhere you go on campus, coffee is not far. So, between being at home and being at school coffee and the smell of coffee was EVERYWHERE.
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Coffee is a social drink. Catching up with people, working on projects and networking events are all commonly surrounded by coffee, so like I couldn’t turn it down.
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Bribery. This is weak, I am aware, but I would bribe myself to do my homework, go to class and get out of bed with the thought of coffee. Just because I gave it up doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy it and let’s face it, college is hard, especially your last year, senioritis is a thing.
I know you’re probably wondering about the acne situation. My acne continues to be a thing, however, I stopped putting cream in my coffee which really seemed to help. At the end of the day, I decided that my drinking coffee is better for my well being and the well being of everyone around me. I am addicted again, but it is an addiction I have chosen to manage.