I gave up a psychoative drug for a few days...

I love coffee. I love coffee shop culture. I love coffee gadgets. In fact, I am sitting in a coffee shop right now about to tackle my third coffee of the day! However, a few weeks ago I gave up coffee for 10 days and to be honest it made me sad. :( Luckily I didn't endure any of the side effects that some people warned me about and to be honest I didn't even feel any different. Taking coffee out of my routine really didn't affect my life in any way apart from the fact I was denying myself something I love. But it wasn't the coffee I was avoiding; I was trialling a period without caffeine (Learn more about caffeine from Wiki). It wasn't because I was having any negative reactions or anything like that but due to the nature of my daily routine I found myself drinking three cups of coffee a day and sipping Diet Coke's with my meals. I had a caffeine heavy diet. So, I gave it all up.

As I said, giving up didn't really affect me at all, it was the starting again that made me realise just what coffee did to my system. I had received a new coffee gadget, the Cafflano Kompact, and I couldn't resist testing it out. I ground some beans, boiled some water and went about preparing a beautiful cup of coffee. To say I was excited was an understatement. The smell of fresh coffee filled the flat and I relished the reintroduction of coffee back into my life.

Normally when I have a cup of coffee I don't really notice much of a change. I may spark up a bit but nothing noteworthy. But that was not the case after 10 days off caffeine. I immediately felt my body come alive and I was filled with nervous energy. If you picture the scene in Limitless when Bradley Cooper takes NZT for the first time, it was kind of like that but sadly my brain functionality was unchanged! To be honest I was slightly shocked at how it was affecting me. I tried to sit at my computer and work but I just couldn't channel my concentration and just wanted to move.

The next morning, I had a morning meeting and now that I had broken my caffeine fast ordered a black coffee. Again, I noticed that the nervous energy was back and my mind was racing. I was trying to formulate a coherent pitch but struggling to keep it focussed.

I have now been back on the coffee for a few days and the reaction has become less noticeable BUT it was really interesting to experience the reintroduction of caffeine into my diet and get a better understanding of what it is doing to my body. We are all guilty of over indulging in certain things that stimulate our daily lives, be it sugar, caffeine or nicotine, but taking a break every once in a while, might give you an insight into how it is affecting your body. My break from caffeine hasn't stopped me drinking coffee, but it has stopped me drinking caffeine heavy soft drinks.

To read more about how coffee affects you visit this article from The Daily Telegraph (Click HERE). They give a full description of how a coffee affects you from the first sip.