I’ve decided that the solution to my non-dairy dilemma is to cut coffee out of my life. Nay, not just coffee but all caffeine.

… at least for two weeks.

The first thing to understand about my tragicomic relationship with caffeine is that I appear to be hypersensitive to it. Only two cups or so has the power to send me on jittery, edgy - and yet delightfully hypomanic - trip. The further problem is that I am by nature an anxious person. Stress alone can keep me awake; but caffeine sends my body into an adrenaline spiral that remains even after the caffeine itself has filtered off.

I’ve known this for a long time about myself, but lately I’ve chosen to ignore it, because I do so like that edge between hypomania and dysfunction. This is not a unique phenomenon - caffeine is glorified in geek culture for exactly this reason. Maybe some geeks have a better tolerance for caffeine that I do, but not surprisingly, as I’ve been drinking more of it, I’ve had more problems sleeping. Because I have problems sleeping, and I’m tired in the morning, I drink more of it.

Now it’s time to put this cycle to rest.

Two strategies I plan to use:

1. Enlist help. I’ve enlisted BardWench to join me in this caffeine detox - actually, it started out as her idea. The ‘feen doesn’t have quite the hold on her that it does on me, but I look forward to checking in with a kind friend every morning, nonetheless.

2. Start a new morning habit. My morning habit used to involve coming into work, starting up my computer, and getting a cup of coffee. Now I’m going to start my day with a cup of herbal tea instead.

And two inspirational links:

1. Dear Caffeine, We Need to Talk @ Modern Worker.

2. Stop Being a Slave to Starbucks: How to Quit Caffeine @ Wise Bread.

So far I’m on day three, and I’m doing very well - I’m sleeping better and I don’t feel deprived. The only problem is that a humongo box of tea just arrived from a tea swap - ho noez! I’ve decided that I’m allowed to pick out caffeinated teas, but I’m not going to drink them until my two weeks is up.

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