De-Caffienated

I love coffee.
I really do.
Its such a comforting little beverage. (does it qualify as a beverage?)
There is nothing sweeter than curling your fingers around a warm mug of the aromatic, dark brew. I drink mine with a bit of cream, or black if its really good stuff.
Ice-caps, Frapps, iced lattes, cappuccinos...I like them all.

I used to drink a lot of coffee, especially working at Tim Hortons, and while I worked at Camp Homewood in '07. Thinking back, I can't believe how much I drank. It was my liquid of choice. I'm sure it was not good for my heart. Maybe that's what started the problem...
About 2 years ago (after I left Homewood?) I began to notice some negative effects now and then. An inability to sleep at night, rapid heart beats, headaches.

Then I went to Ireland and drank black tea incessantly for 9 months. It wasn't a good scene, my friends. Drinking it at breakfast would give me a good kick in the pants, but I found that if I drank anything caffeinated after lunchtime, it was likely to keep me up into the wee hours of the morning, or at the very least, cause a very restless sleep. Sometimes I would wake up extremely early, and my heart would be racing...not cool.
Since then, I've decided to cut back. Most of the school year I went without, except for a few rough mornings in the kitchen. I substituted it for naturally caffeine-free teas so I could still have that warm drink on a cold day. I did especially well this spring and summer, slipping only occasionally for a nice cold ice-cap (its the drip coffee that does me the most harm, anyway).
And did you know that decaf coffee still has enough caffeine to cause addiction?
The problem is, I still love coffee, and I want to drink it! Most of the time I am pretty good about sticking to my decision, but I might occasionally ditch my caffeine-free morals and dive into a soothing foamy cafe latte! What can I say? I am mortal and weak. And I love my coffee.