¡°Kuch paane ke liye kuch khona padta hai.¡±
Yes, unapologetically, I am one of those people who firmly believes that the only way to get something you really want is by giving up something. How convenient, if you come to think of it. Because half of my vices are no longer a part of my life courtesy this mantra and the other vices (which you¡¯ll read about shortly) have been acquired by this mantra.?
So what made me give up coffee? The chance to move to Bombay last year. Perhaps the idea of moving to Bombay doesn¡¯t hold any romance for you. Maybe you take this splendid city of ours for granted or just know it as a city that stinks, the city with the worst traffic and the houses are pathetically small. But for me, the chance to move to Bombay for the first time in my life was a pretty big deal.?
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Naturally, my mind convinced itself that to move to Bombay I will have to give up something I really love. I looked around and my eyes went straight to my tall glass of cold brewed coffee (I had spent 15 minutes earlier that morning to make my cold-brew, just FYI) and decided that I will sacrifice my coffee addiction for the chance to move to Bombay.?
I love coffee. And yes, I am also the first to admit that I am addicted to it. But in my head the idea of living without an irrational dependence on coffee in my favorite city in the whole wide world was enough to give up this simple pleasures of life.??
So here¡¯s what happened when I gave up on coffee for one whole month so you NEVER have to.?
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Illustration by Ranak Mann
I can¡¯t recall the last time I slept well. By that I mean the last time I slept at 10:00pm and woke up eight hours at 6:00am ready to take on the world. I sleep at 3:00am and it¡¯s a miracle how I am in at work by 10:00am.?
Then, I stopped drinking coffee and started to sleep like a log. I would get home from work, change into my night-suit and pass the f**k out. I wouldn¡¯t even wake up in between my sleep. You could parade outside my bedroom but I would not wake-up.?
During my one month without coffee, I slept for a whole 8-10 hours and I hated it. Fathom this- I would sleep by 9:00pm only to wake up at 4:00am or 5:00am. What the hell am I supposed to do at 5:00am with no coffee? It was just pointless because I would wake up feeling great but without coffee to redirect my focus to writing, it was a sincere waste of time.?
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Illustration by Ranak Mann
It was exactly at 8:45 am on May 1st (the first day without coffee) that I? got a headache. In the beginning, my body was quietly pleading with me for one cup of coffee. Just one. But thanks to my pretty strong will power, I was able to not give in. By 3:00pm that day, I had such a pounding headache (literally like someone was hammering a hammer in my head constantly), that I had to resort to taking Saridon in order to submit a staggering 3500 word essay I had been commissioned.?
My editor hated my essay. I hated my life. And the headaches just won¡¯t stop.?
Such hell causing headaches continued for about 15 days. I was more on the edge than I have ever been in my life. Around the 17th day, the headaches were less severe and by my 21st day of no-caffeine, they were a rare occurrence..?
Illustration by Ranak Mann
During this no-coffee month, I found myself cancelling plans with almost everyone, cancelling meetings with my boss (because she does her coffee really well and I can¡¯t stand her blabbering without a delicious caramel latte. I promised myself no more self-inflicted torture, afterall).?
I don¡¯t drink alcohol. So my friendships have persisted on coffee-dates. I was annoyed if my friends invited me because they know I can¡¯t drink coffee so why bother. When they didn't invite me and Instagram stories would tell me that they are in my favourite coffee shop drinking a creamy cappuccino, I would be hurt. And imagine, I didn't even have my cup of coffee to comfort me. I was really miserable.?
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Illustation by Ranak Mann
One non-contestable fact: There was a reason why I was mustering the courage to drink 6 cups of coffee everyday. Because I could get a lot of shit done. I was supremely productive.?
My normal schedule was: I would wake up at 7, get into office by 8:30am. Work till 5:00pm. Work involved a lot of reading and writing. I would come home, go for a run, eat dinner and get back to reading and writing. While I was awake, recharged and all of that bs- I was really uninspired. Instead of enjoying writing, I took it as a chore and any writer will tell you that¡¯s the worst, sinking feeling to live with.?
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Illustration by Ranak Mann
Ever since school got over, drinking coffee is the ONE task I managed to accomplish everyday. It¡¯s what got me going every morning. It¡¯s what I thrived on. So when I come across people who don¡¯t drink coffee but drink chai, I felt sorry for them. Little did I know that soon I was going to be a part of this exclusive chai drinking club.?
The caffeine jolt from a cup of tea is just not the same level as a cup of coffee. It¡¯s really not but desperate times call for desperate measures. I started drinking one cup of tea and it saved me from losing my mind. I am sort of glad I gave up coffee because I actually enjoyed waking up early, welcoming the rising sun all the while sipping tea with my parents.?
Illustration by Ranak Mann
I was super curious to know exactly how much I was spending on my coffee addiction.?
I would treat myself to a vanilla latte that costed me 190 rs everyday. Rest 4-5 cups would be free of cost because my employer was nice enough to provide a free coffee vending machine in the office. So 190 into 30 days is an astounding Rs 5,700 rs.?
Imagine having extra 6k cash in your wallet. That¡¯s a strong reason in itself to leave coffee.?
While everyone around me was super proud that I was not drinking 6 cups of coffee, I was miserable. And I can¡¯t live life without such a simple and convenient pleasure. But then, I got a chance to move to Bombay and I did and I lived happily ever after. Or did I? Bombay has the cutest bagel cafes and coffee shops. It took a lot from me to move past those stores but hey, kuch paane ke liye kuch khona padta hai.
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Illustrations by Ranak Mann.?