Coffee *is* a drug!

This morning I managed to require only one half cup of coffee to stave off my usual caffeine headache. I haven't gotten by on this little coffee since I was trying to get pregnant with Kira (and I felt like a wreck). Even when I'm down with the flu or recovering from surgery I manage to get some coffee down my throat. So today, I was very proud of myself. So happy with myself, in fact, that I thought if I needed another half cup in the afternoon that would be fine. So I did have that second half cup. And I could *feel* it - not in that jittery over caffeinated way, but I could actually feel the blood vessels constricting through my temples, and feel my jaw tensing up.

I recently learned that the reason we addicts feel a caffeine headache is that caffeine restricts the blood vessels in our head, thereby letting through less blood. So, when we don't have coffee, the blood goes rushing through making our heads throb. Of course, better circulation is a good thing if you can handle it.

I feel like I just discovered my best friend has been robbing me blind while I had my back turned. How could my beloved coffee be doing this to me?! The very things I've complained about, tense jaws, pounding headaches, whacked out metabolism... seem to have some roots in coffee.

So, this week should be my last caffeinated week - after that, it's decaf all the way, baby!