I’ve been trying to save money lately. Between car repairs, rising gas prices, taxes, grocery trips, and unjust wars, I’ve been a little strapped for cash. Alas, you don’t need to read my financial lamentations because I’m certain we all have similar stories right now. Regardless, one thing I cannot forget to forego is my coffee. It’s not merely some social obligation or the company of a good friend that keeps me peppy; it’s what keeps me from descending down that dank, dark rabbit hole of despair and dysfunction. Every once in a while though, I forget.
Whether it’s me saving money or thinking going latte-less will suddenly transform me into the next Top Model, I occasionally cut my coffee consumption way down and opt for a green tea. I love tea. I think tea is a wonderful comfort except on the days when I have gone without coffee for far too long.
For those wondering, I usually only drink one or two cups a day unless I’m at a diner where the waitress keeps refilling my cup. In that case, I’m buzzing out the door, tap-dancing to the rhythm of “Flight of the Bumblebee.”
- 1 day without coffee: I’m fine. In fact, it’s my Sunday ritual. I watch Youtube videos or old episodes of Big Bang Theory and Gilmore Girls all day while I tend to creative endeavors I was too tired for the previous week.
- 2 days without coffee: I feel like something is a little off and ask the cat if she has any idea what my problem is. The cat always thinks I’m weird, so this isn’t abnormal. Even when I’m hugging her and weeping into her fur before bed, she regards this as normal behavior since I cried for the first six months we knew each other. I remember my coffee maker being broken at the time.
- 3 days without coffee: I’ve declined from coherent ramblings to swearing like a sailor and putting Romani curses on everyone who dares make eye contact with me, except for the sweet elderly lady at Trader Joe’s who insisted I go in front of her as I clutched my bag of Arabica dark roast like a teddy bear. I am also responding to emails in ways that remind me how coffee keeps me nice. “Per my last email…”
Some will say my experiences are symptomatic of acute withdrawal from an addictive substance and may even liken it to other drugs. This was the observed and published consensus in the dawn of the 2000s. On February 7, 2014, a John Hopkins University article was published by Brandon Ambrose titled, Caffeine Use Disorder: It’s Real and Warrants More Attention, while less than a month earlier, on January 14, a contrary article was written by the same researchers, confirming caffeine actually helped memory.
In Ambrose’s article, researchers said the problematic results of caffeine use included cardiovascular problems and prenatal complications. Back then, Laura Juliano, an American university psychologist stated, “While many people can consume caffeine without harm, for some it produces negative effects, physical dependence, interferes with daily functioning, and can be difficult to give up, which are signs of problematic use.”
Now, here we are, twelve years later, and the tables have turned. An August 2025 article published in Nutrients Journal stated that current research shows that three-to-five cups of coffee a day actually has long term health benefits, including lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and several types of cancer. Regarding the longstanding taboo of drinking coffee while pregnant, that has also been reversed. According to Nutrients Journal, mothers-to-be are safe to consume caffeine, limiting their consumption to a reasonable 200 mg.
I am going on record right now to say I am not a medical professional or researcher, nor do I claim any special knowledge of anything. I am only quoting their findings. Everything I know about coffee has been learned from my own experience. That experience where I am resurrected from days as a zombie to fully-focused livelihood within the first half cup of coffee. It’s not a result of feeling more awake or on the move. For me, it’s mental stability. It may be the serotonin hit. It may even be more of a gut-to-brain axis influence.
Even more recently, the April 2026 edition of Journal of Affective Disorders published an article researching the effects of coffee on mental health and who benefits the most. Studies concluded that moderate coffee intake (due in part to the antioxidants and other beneficial compounds) helped lower depression risks, but higher caffeine intake could cause more distress in some individuals. The one thing that remains consistent in coffee research is the inconsistency of its results.
Why? In my unaccredited opinion, each of us are made differently; different metabolisms, different dietary needs, different hormone fluctuations, different tolerances. Throughout our lives, it is our responsibility to learn and understand ourselves, our bodies, minds, and their needs. In the same way that cheese is my must-have happiness food, coffee is my must-have mood stabilizer. It also helps that coffee comes in cute cups and sometimes wears sweaters.
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