I have always seen the need for caffeine in the morning as a sign of weakness. This is not to say I haven't had problems in the past. My college cafeteria had free refills, and I became physically addicted to Mello Yello. I was drinking about 80 ounces a day and was waking up with a can of Dr. Pepper every morning. If I did not get a fix before 10am, I would get a severe headache.

That Lent, I went cold turkey. Afterwards, I took my consumption down to reasonable levels, and no longer needed a drug to wake up in the morning.

I have had jobs in various office settings, and have been amazed by the amount of stimulant consumption that occurs. Some people need 4 cups of coffee to function. My Dad would often complain about these people. He is the type that is ready and rearing to go at 7:45am. He was always annoyed by people that were not mentally functional before 9am. I vowed not to become one of these people.

Fast forward to today. I am now spending up to 8 hours a day in lectures. I have been trying to stay off the morning caffeine. I usually have some Dr. Pepper at lunch, but never in the morning. With breakfast, I drink something healthy like water or grape juice. But today, it became too much to bear. I couldn't keep my eyes open. At 9am, I drank some Barq's (With Bite, and rather little caffeine) Root Beer. I felt alert almost instantly.

So it has happened. I see the long spiral back into caffeine dependence beginning. In not too long I will be a slave to disgusting coffee and hacker mints.