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The fact that I drink coffee may be unhealthy for me, but it definitely provides a health benefit to others!

I am the first to admit that I am not a morning person and no one who knows me would argue with me on that point. Before I left the corporate world co-workers would actually see me drive into the parking lot of our building at the start of the day and they would anonymously have a hot cup of coffee waiting at my desk when I walked in the door.

"It was self preservation" I was later told only half jokingly by a colleague at the annual holiday party where my co-workers decided to bestow upon mea gift card to Starbucks as my company gift. When I was all smiles at 8:00am for the next week, they were too.

Truth be known, caffeine takes a lot of heat in the health arena but my own opinion is that it isn't the caffeine that is the problem caffeine has been effectively used for centuries. The real issue is with the excessive nature of today's society. We don't just have a cup or two of coffee in the morning or after dinner like our parents did. We have coffee when we wake up, a soda or two at the office and still more for lunch and dinner.

Moderation seems to be a word reserved only for presidential debates these days. It has no place in the average home and if you are looking for the real problem, you need look no further.

The caffeine in coffee and other drinks is a drug, plain and simple. It can help to get (or keep) us alert and focused or it can, when used in excessive amounts, leave us jittery and unsettled. The Folgers ad gurus knew what they were talking about when they coined the eternal phrase touting their product as "the best part of waking up".

Before I reach for the newspaper or even consider turning on the shower, in the morning, I know that the programmable wonder in the kitchen will have a hot cup of morning love waiting for me as soon as I am ready.

Withdrawal from caffeine is an ugly beast that can cause headaches that defy even massive amounts of Tylenol or Advil. The nay sayers can do what they want, but I am sticking to my guns this time.

Learn more about this author, MichaelNolan.
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