After trying unsuccessfully to quit coffee for three months, I quit in ten minutes.
How did I do it?
I did it with the help of my three sons.
The idea of quitting coffee had been percolating in my mind for a while, and the boys knew it.
On our way to the park one day, I stopped at a coffee shop to grab a coffee. It was a scalding hot day in July.
My middle son said: “Why do you need a coffee on such a hot day?”
“Don’t you want a cold drink instead?” said the oldest.
Then the youngest said: “Didn’t you say you were quitting coffee, Mom?”
I always told them to do what they say they’re going to do, and I wasn’t following my own advice.
Worse than failing to quit coffee, was failing to lead by example. And I was being held accountable.
Why quit coffee? The adverse side effects:
1. The shaking hands after drinking three cups. 2. The “coffee headaches” if I didn’t drink a cup upon waking up. 3. The coffee cravings that felt like I wasn’t choosing coffee- it was choosing me.
I quit coffee that moment in the parking lot, but the shift in my behavior came with side effects.
I didn’t drink coffee that day, or the next day, or the day after that. I had a coffee withdrawal headache that continued for three days. But on the fourth day, my coffee headache was gone.
My new habits no longer revolved around drinking coffee. I didn’t miss the smooth, dark, warm, aromatic beverage — much!
I started drinking water or tea instead.
I knew what I had to do, but it was the guilt from my family that made me commit.
My behavior didn’t define me, my ability to change it did.
In the end, I quit for love. Love for myself and my kids.
Once I was freely choosing what to drink, I found that coffee really wasn’t my cup of tea.
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This story was also published on Medium.