Cold Turkey.

That's it. I've had enough. I've decided the time has come for me to officially re-give up caffeinne.

In college I used to get addicted to caffeinne, but only during finals which I rationalized as a logical consequence that came from making it through rough times. After finals though I always gave it back up and resumed with water as usual.

Now when I took this job, I rarely drank caffeinne. It was actually more of a treat than anything else. It was something special that I used to reward myself. I might occassionally stop by the non-local Starbucks and grab a drink while shopping or meet up with a friend over coffee. The driving force behind these stops was never the caffeinne though, it was always subsidiary to other factors. But now it appears things have gotten out of control. I have found that I actually NEED caffeinne and this is not okay.

Last Saturday I woke up early to get some work done and before I knew it I had a headache from out of this planet. I figure it could be due to 3 things: 1. Stress 2. Lack of water 3. Lack of caffeinne. My gut tells me it's the latter though.

It all started last winter when I would arrive to the office early in the morning only to walk in and still feel the chill of the cold evening in its walls. There was something wonderfully warm and magical about a quiet office filled with the aroma of Folger's coffee. My mornings never seemed quite right until I had my 6 oz cup of coffee and my Chewy granola bar.

The time has come though when I must stop myself from this little indulgence and return to the world of water. I prepared myself for this decision and believe I have calculatingly approached the solution in the most logical manner.

1. I picked today b/c I knew our group of patients would be small and so if there is any sign of grouchiness there will be less victims.
2. My co-worker has the afternoon off which gives me 4 hours alone to moan and whine about my headache without bothering her.
3. I came prepared and packed my ibuprofen. (Is it still considered cold turkey if I take pain medication?)
4. I have 2 days this weekend to go through my withdrawal symptoms so that come Monday I should be a re-newed individual.

It feels good to clean house every now and then and take stock of areas that we allow to slip away. I guess I can be thankful for me it's just an addiction to caffeinne.