To a Tea

I have become a firm believer in the theory of quitting a bad habit while you are already feeling bad. Last week I was laid up with a sinus infection and the flu; everything that could possibly be wrong with my body, was. I was in some not-inconsiderable pain merely being awake.

Close friends of mine will know how addicted I am to caffeine. Seeing as I don't drink heavily and don't smoke cigarettes, my morning triple latte was one of only a handful of true vices that I have. If I ever forgot to get coffee, I would wind up with a splitting headache around noon that reminded me. So that didn't happen -- coffee was a morning necessity in order for me to function throughout the day.

Well, last weekend that was not possible. Even thinking about coffee first thing in the morning was likely to make me throw up the water or Powerade slush or whatever it was I had managed to drink (and keep down). Coffee isn't kind to stomachs, and even though my head hurt like crazy, it was easier to deal with the head than to try and drink some coffee and see what my stomach did with it. And honestly, I felt so terrible that I didn't even notice the headaches.

When I finally woke up in a condition to go to work, I realized that I was no longer addicted to caffeine. I had battled through the withdrawal during my incapacitation, and so the last thing I wanted to do was to fall back into the habit of drinking an obscene amount of coffee first thing in the morning.

For a week now, I've been drinking tea in the morning -- green tea, with tons of antioxidants. So I've been taking good care of myself and I'm proud of it. I've had two lattes since I quit, and I plan on keeping my espresso machine for treats and late nights when I might actually need it, but I'm happy without my morning dose of Splenda and espresso and milk. And I plan to keep it that way.

I guess the moral of the story is: If you want to give something up, get really sick. You'll be so preoccupied with your ill feeling that you won't miss whatever it is you're trying not to miss.