The caffeine in coffee and tea can cause bleeding in the most unexpected of places.
I was Internet surfing and discovered that that occasional bright red blood I had noticed when wiping up after I moved my bowels was probably due to an anal fissure. That anal fissure had something to do with my “light and sweet” habit, because it only happened when I had coffee or tea with milk and sugar.
Now, I was a huge fan of coffee, so I actually struggled with this decision for a while. I do not like plain black coffee, but I tried the other combinations: milk with sugar, strong black tea with sugar, milk alone, tea alone, both combinations with artificial sweeteners, but it was only when I had milk and sugar plus coffee or tea that I got the bleeding. And I am smart enough that if you eat or drink something that makes you bleed, then the only choice is to stop. But for some reason it took a while for me to decide to stop.
On the day I finally quit, I found myself walking the slow deliberate walk of someone who has had to give up his or her addiction, past the place where I used to get my fix. The coffee truck. And that day, for the first time, I was able to keep on walking and I was so proud of myself.
The next few days of headaches and loose but not bleeding bowels had me reconsidering, but I stuck with it. By the fourth day I had to leave work early and I stayed in the fetal position on my couch. Lying there, I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus, and actually threw up a couple of times. Dry heaving came after that.
I discovered some things that day: I learned that I was going through my own withdrawal, and sugar and caffeine were real drugs. I was addicted and I needed to get healthy. Coffee addiction was just the tip of my iceberg. It was the start of my journey to calm, centered and balanced.
