| It's about that time, folks. Happy Sunday. I'm thinking about coffee right now. There's been a fair bit of talk in social media about "giving up coffee" for health or other reasons. I'm not convinced it's a big deal for your health. I mean, I wrote an entire post (actually, several posts) describing the health effects of coffee drinking, and on the balance the majority of evidence is positive. It's linked to lower rates of dementia, diabetes, liver disease. It improves physical and mental performance. There are clear benefits to using it. But I think there's something to the idea of a coffee break. Not the kind where you go grab a coffee with your co-workers but the kind where you stop drinking coffee for a couple weeks. Not necessarily because it will improve your health—although you should pay attention to any beneficial effects you get from your break. Mainly just to see what you're made of. Nothing elective or extracurricular or supplemental should hold power over you. You should be able to give a substance up and not just get by, but maintain your performance. A substance should be an enhancer, not a crutch. I'll continue to drink coffee. So should you. But you should be able to skip a few days without wanting to stare at the wall all day. And if you think it might be difficult, maybe you should try taking that break starting tomorrow. (I would have said today, but I'm not a monster.) If you need extra help, try this post on for size. Are you going to try a coffee break? Have you? How did it go? How do you think it'll go? Let me know in the comment section of Weekly Link Love. | 