The past 6 months I’ve been conducting an experiment on my poor, feeble, unsuspecting body: I completely removed caffeine from my system. Back before October I was downing red-eyes from Starbucks 4 times per week. I had 2 cups in the morning, 1 cup during my lunch break and a tea after work. I was a junkie. I was having really painful stomach trouble so I had to stop. Also, I hated being dependant on a substance at this ripe, young age. Stomach aches were replaced with everlasting headaches and complete body fatigue. At work I couldn’t get motivated to do anything. This lasted for two weeks and I was miserable but I was firm and kicked the addiction. Now, 6 months later, I am still feeling the pain of withdrawal. In the afternoons, around 2:15, I get so tired that I zone out for a while in front of Excel sheets. Forget about the mornings. I am so grumpy, small children and the elderly and infirmed better watch out because I’m ruthless when I plow by the crowded streets, and my body feels like it is in a daze which lasts until my 2:15 zone out. I work a lot of hours with an internship and a job-job to pay the student loans. Well, silly goose that I am, I should realize that work is making me tired. That is why I’ve started letting caffeine back into my life. I don’t do coffee anymore because it still kills my stomach (it is probably a combination of the acid and the milk. I don’t drink milk anymore, only soymilk so my body has developed a slight intolerance, even with respect to my beloved ice cream.) but I am a great fan of green tea and it’s relatives. Today I had a green tea matcha blast form Jamba Juice. Those little guys are bliss. I have a terrific caffeine high and I am getting a lot done at work, with the exception of this blog post, sans stomach ache. Green tea is the way to go.