I’m addicted to a number of things: chapstick, coffee, The Office… My dependency on the first and third items in that list doesn’t bother me, but I really, really have to figure out a way to (majorly) cut back on my consumption of the second substances.
I started drinking coffee in high school. During my sophomore year, I spent nearly every evening at a semi-local diner that had at one point in time been called the Pancake House. By the time my friends and I started patronizing the place, it had fallen into new ownership and had been given a new name. Nonetheless, we always referred to it as the Pancake House. Anyway. At that point in my life, I drank my coffee black because I was repeatedly told that only pussies took cream and/or sugar in their cuppas. Whatev.
During my first two years of college, my addiction grew exponentially. I drank coffee all. the. time. I made midnight runs to Dunkin’ Donuts to satisfy my cravings and sneaked many a cup into the campus library to facilitate my studying. By that time, I had started using cream and sugar in my coffee.
I kicked my caffeine habit shortly before I transferred out of my first university. I didn’t do it by choice; my body suddenly started rejecting coffee and I ended up sick to my stomach and jittery every time I drank it. So I quit. Cold turkey.
Over the past few years, I’ve somehow regained a tolerance for that hot, tasty beverage. Up until recently, I indulged in maybe a cup or two a week. Since moving to Chicago, I’ve been consuming two cups a day, on average. It’s crazy. I LOVE the taste of coffee, and sadly, I’ve once again grown dependent on its “upping” property. And while being dependent on any substance is bad, the worst part of falling off the wagon is the actual expense of funding my addiction. I can take the withdrawal headaches, and I can deal with not being able to function properly until after my morning cup, but Christ… I pay $1.98/12oz. at the local coffee shop, and it’s breaking the bank. Something has to give.
An easy solution would be to give it up. I know I can do it. It’s actually not even that hard. If I could get back to drinking in moderation, I’d save my wallet and body a lot of heartache. Or, perhaps an even easier solution would be to buy a pound of coffee and brew it at home and at least save myself a few bucks. We tried that a few weeks back, but the coffee we got was just terrible. I mean, I still drink it, because that’s what addicts do, but honestly, it sucks.
So, in the spirit of giving (and of enabling), please send Zummo’s. Preferably Blue Moose. Thanks.
