There once was a girl named Angela who really didn't care for coffee. She prefered hot tea, hot chocolate, or even hot apple cider while her friends chugged down what they called java juice. Now Angela, did like the smell of coffee, but the thought of needing this hot caffeinated liquid every morning in order to function was a mystery to her. In fact she was quite proud of herself for not needing such addicting things to get her going. She did not need this hot steamy liquid to start her day off right. Now, once in awhile she would meet a friend at Panera or Starbucks to chat and she would get a coffee, not because she loved it, but because it was the cool thing to do. She loved Friends and the whole coffee shop idea, so she would occasionaly sucumb to the pop culture and get a small coffee....well not really coffee, but a coffee type drink. Mainly something that had very little coffee and a whole lot of sugar and cream. You know, the cinnamon dolce latte, a vanilla latte, or the oh so yummy caramel macchiato. Her friends would always order venti or grande drinks (that's medium and large in Starbuck's speak) and Angela would order a tall, rather a small, and not even drink the whole thing. She just didn't get the whole experience....until.....she recieved about $100 in Starbuck's gift cards over the holidays. She even got a very special card from her coffee addicted friend Kelly. Part of the reason she recieved such a multitude of cards is that these creamy, sweet coffee drinks from Starbucks are full of calories (unless you order them lowfat, sugar free, etc.), but what's the point in that when you're trying to gain a few pounds?! So began the beginning of a love for coffee. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings on her way to work Angela began the habit of driving through Starbucks to grab a coffee, rather a caramel macchiato or a latte. After a week or two of doing this she began to notice that on Mon, Wed, and Fri she just could get going or be as efficient as she was on Tues and Thurs. So, realizing that keeping up a pattern of getting Starbucks everyday would quickly run her out of gift cards and then begin a $30 a week habit that would not be good for the family budget, she went to the store and bought some cinnamon hazelnut coffee along with some flavored creamer. That was over 6 weeks ago and a morning has not gone by that the coffee maker has not been turned on by Angela. (Brian has been a coffee fan all along, and now he grinds his own coffee and uses a french press every morning) In fact, she notices that the first thing she thinks of when her alarm goes off is the happy thought of coffee. She can hardly wait to get out of bed and get it made...to pour the creamer in and hold that precious, warm mug in her tiny hands, breath in the steam and take her first swallow of that most delicious liquid.
So, what prompted this confession of my new addiction...well this morning I had to have blood work done at the Med Center and a part of the protocol of bloodwork is to fast for 12 hours before labs. Only water to drink. I actually looked at my coffee maker and sighed. I just felt foggy, driving to the hospital I just wasn't as with it as I usually am and I was absolutely CRAVING a cup of coffee. I sat in clinic, waiting for my labs to be drawn, and the only thing I could think about was getting a cup of coffee asap. Seriously! Once my labs were drawn I hightailed it down do the little on the go "cafe" on my way to the parking garage and got a cup of happiness to charge me up for my day of errands. It took a few minutes to kick in, but when it did I could feel the alertness and energy flow through my veins. It was at this moment that I realized that I am addicted to coffee. In fact I'm so addicted that I just made another cup for myself at 6:15 in the evening. Seriously!