After 16 years (that long already??!?), I still remember that date. Why is that date important to me? It is the date I quite drinking Mountain Dew.
My first trimester of college I started drinking Mountain Dew for the caffeine kick. I hate coffee, so I turned to soda. I guess Coke just wasn't enough, because I don't really like Mountain Dew either, but I was drinking it.
The turning point came when I returned from Christmas break. At breakfast on January 5, 1994, I noticed that I had 3 glasses of Mountain Dew on my tray - and I didn't even like it! Why? Because I thought I needed the caffeine to get through the day.
I stopped cold turkey. I switched to juice with my breakfast. I do drink the occasional Coke, but I don't crave it, usually. I admit I have days when I'm exhausted and really need the caffeine, but I feel much better not having to depend on a chemical to get me through the day. The first couple of days were rough until my body learned to fuel itself. Yes, your body does have to adjust to not having caffeine if you've been drinking it regularly.
The reason for this reminiscence is that Chris is trying to cut himself off from Coke. He's been depending on it too much and wants to stop drinking it every day. So today he is trying to go cold turkey. Hopefully he will stick with it. I think in a few days he'll feel better, but it will probably be rough for a few days.
Yeah, the first few days kicking caffeine are definitely the hardest. The key is sticking with it. It's tempting to have one to "get through the afternoon", but that just bounces you back to square one, craving all over again. Stick with the program, and you'll be good to go in a few days. Whenever I give up caffeine, I sleep better, and wake up far more refreshed. It's nearly enough to make me drop coffee for good. Nearly. ;-)
ReplyDelete