Coffee and I have had our ups and downs, literally.  Over the past several years I went from a bright eyed college freshmen who wouldn’t let the black stuff touch her lips, to the girl who enjoyed a latte every so often, to a hard core caffeine addict (The form it came in, coffee, energy drink, etc. was stripped of most significance.  It just needed to be caffeinated).  I really don’t think “hard core addict” is an exaggeration.  If my day was going to be anything but a headache filled bleary blah, coffee was required within the first 15 minutes of rising and then about every couple hours after.

My relationship with caffeine was part dependency on its stimulant properties and part love of the process.  Forget rolling out of bed, rushing an espresso shot or two, and flying off to work.  I absolutely savor the 15-20 coffee drinking, laptop browsing, waking up process of my morning.  Time catch up an tweets, fb posts, and breaking news, organize my thoughts, and pysch up for the day.  Really, a vital part of most successful days.

However, regardless of how lovely my morning process was, it seemed to wreak havoc on the rest of my day.  Perhaps that is a hyperbole.  Let me restate: IT SUCKS TO BE DEPENDENT ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT.  Ehhmmm.  Excuse me.

Apparently my independent tendencies carry over into all aspects of my life.  Someone who tells me what to do, what to wear, where to go, how to talk, or what I need to drink, or eat, even if that “someone” is an addictive chemical reaction, is NOT cool in my book.  Long story short, with some Tylenol and several extra shots of will-power, I cut my caffeine intake down to almost nothing, and I am now a much more chemically independent,  even-keeled person.  So long, caffeine highs and lows!

But I still drink coffee.  I just switched to mostly decaf .

So I’m still an addict, but it’s the process I’m addicted to now.  And really, I’m okay with that!  Which  is obviously the determining factor of if something is good or bad…

Which brings me to the main point of this post:  Five Hour Energy Shots.

Their recent commercials ask the question:   “Who has time for coffee???”

Excuse me, dear advertisers?  I do.  And so should you.  A people who cannot take 15 minutes out of 24 hours to center themselves over a steaming cup of goodness is an unhealthy people indeed.  Honestly, I’m busy.  So are most people today.  But you have to make time for important things.  Like decaf coffee.

Join me as a conscientious objector to the Five Hour Energy Culture.

Always,

Alissa Jean – Supporter of packing in as many exciting adventures and accomplishments as possible, without destroying the health and balance of all things nice and lovely