“What?!”

“Seriously?”

“Why?”

Those are the responses I get from people when I tell them I gave up coffee. It’s funny how much coffee, or the act of drinking coffee, has ingrained itself into our culture. More so than alcohol. It’s crazy. People don’t “give up” coffee. They’re forced from it with threats and stern voices. So, why then? Because a few months ago I decided to go CLEAN. There’s this book called, CLEAN, by Dr. Junger. It’s basically a 22 day cleanse, of which, no alcohol and no coffee. Let’s just say it kicked my butt. I got headaches, I was grouchy, mean–basically, I was no fun to be around. And then it happened…ahhhhh. It stopped being so bad. In fact, waking up is easier, I no longer need my mid-afternoon caffeine boost, and my craving for sweets went way down. So weird. 

Then I tried a cup. Just to try it. It still tasted good. Obviously. I noticed something though…it made me grouchy and tired by noon and I “felt” dehydrated. That’s when it got really easy. If it doesn’t make you feel good, why do it? Huh…

So, what do I drink instead? Mostly a steaming hot cup of water with a wedge of lemon squeezed into it. Sound gross? It’s not. And I actually look forward to it. If I do feel like I need a bit of a push in the morning or mid-afternoon, I go for Yerba Mate (pronounced mah-tay). If you haven’t tried that, you should. Drink it plain, add some honey, or lemon, or even some mint leaves. It is so good. 

Anyway, what have you given up?