Ever hear this?

“Don’t talk to me until I have my coffee!”

In my first job at PwC, I remember overhearing a coworker yelling this at another coworker.  She couldn’t believe that someone had the AUDACITY to speak to her before she had her daily fix.  I admit, it was pretty funny and it certainly wasn’t the last time I heard something like this.

Is it just me or is it crazy we can’t even function these days without some kind of “crutch”?

You’re DESIGNED to wake up with vigor, with a purpose, and you’re DESIGNED to have sustained energy throughout the day – even at 2:30 in the afternoon despite what those idiots on the 5-Hour Energy commercials try to convince you.

You’re also designed to naturally feel tired and fall asleep at the end of the day.  But with all this over-stimulation — coffee to get you up, wine to get you down, and Facebook, Twitter, texting, emailing, constant interruption in the middle — you’re destined to get knocked off your A-game.

Don’t get me wrong, I love coffee.  I love the taste, the smell, the whole experience.  As a kid, my favorite ice cream flavor (after chocolate obviously) was coffee.  Those lattes with the cool artwork on top?  Love ’em.  Just walking into a coffee shop makes me feel happy and more alert.

Thinking that you need coffee is the problem here.  Yes, it gives you energy.  BUT, it’s a stimulant – it stimulates your body to give you energy that you don’t have.

It’s like borrowing money from Tony Soprano every day…and never paying it back.  What would happen if you did that?  You bet your ass there would be some consequences.

Same thing goes for your body.  You keep borrowing energy that you don’t really have — from your adrenals, your hormones, your blood sugar, etc. — eventually your organs are going to have to start breaking some kneecaps.

Since it’s highly acidic, coffee can damage the poor, cute little villi that line your intestinal wall to help you absorb nutrients.  It also inhibits your absorption of essential minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, etc. which can lead to deficiencies and compromise your immune system.

And, the more you deplete your body’s energy stores, the MORE exhausted you become, leading you to need MORE coffee.  It’s a vicious cycle.

Unfortunately, decaf is no better.  The types of beans used for decafinated coffee are highly acidic and most store brands use toxic chemicals to strip the caffeine out.  Yum!

So, if you think you NEED coffee to get going (in more ways than one), perhaps it’s time to give yourself a little break?  Here are some simple ways you can reduce your dependency in a week or less:

• Substitute half of your daily coffee for green tea or white tea.
• Try Teeccino – an awesome “grain coffee” that has a similar flavor without the caffeine or high acidity.  Hazelnut is my favorite flavor and you can get it in the coffee/tea aisle of a health foods store or here.
• Have some raw cacao.
• Drink plenty of water, especially first thing in the morning.
• Go to bed early. If you’re dependent on coffee, your body is probably chronically exhausted and over-stimulated.  So give yourself a break and get some shut-eye.
• Sweat it out. One of the nasty withdrawal symptoms is the dreaded headache.  Drinking water and working up a good sweat seems to help you feel better much faster.  So pump out a good cardio workout or hop in the steam or sauna.

How do you feel if you go a day without coffee?  What’s one thing you can do to ease yourself off this crutch?  Leave a comment below or on the Facebook page and share your insights.

Reducing any kind of stimulant can be brutal if it’s not done carefully.  That’s why next month I’m launching a new program I created to help you kick your coffee and sugar dependencies and Jack Up Your Energy and Mental Clarity in 21 Days or Less.  Stay tuned!