consume less caffeine

I fell back into drinking caffeine again. It is difficult because caffeine acts like an antidepressant (something I need right now), and the more one consumes, the more one has to consume to get the same effect. Thus it’s too easy to develop a dependency.

I think I’ve got it flushed it out of my system again this weekend. And hopefully I can prevent the temptation by finding healthier treatment for my depression (see my other goals).

I have in the past consumed as much as 4 or more cups of coffee and/or a quart of cola per day. Now, as in the past, I’ve found that I sleep better and suffer less free-floating anxiety after decimated my caffeine intake (I still have an occasional cup of decaf or hot chocolate, both of which have a little caffeine but not nearly as much).

It seems to help to have a coffee substitute on hand at work, since there always seems to be a pot of extremely-high-octane joe brewing and tempting me. I stumbled upon the Web site for Teeccino and wanted to give it a try, so I ordered a sampler package and single-cup coffee brewer. Overall, as far as far as fake, caffeine-free coffee goes, it’s about the best I’ve found. Different flavors are a lot more pleasant than others, though. I like chocolate mint and vanilla nut best. Least favorite: “original” (go figure).

To keep my taste for cola fulfilled, I drink Diet Rite. It is both sugar- and caffeine-free. Sometime in the past few years it’s been reformulated to use Splenda, and in my opinion it tastes a lot better than the equivalent caffeine-/sugar-free offerings from Coke and Pepsi—plus it’s a little easier (read: not impossible) to find in grocery stores.