Aurora Magazine 2019

Coffee: Classifying an Addiction

L.A. Fraley

Technically speaking, it is still morning. Until the glowing blue digits blink 12:00 p.m. I am considered a moderate drinker. Once I venture into mid-day to further satisfy my itch, I cross over from moderation to borderline excessive. If I’m making the second pot, I better do it in the final glints of the a.m. Alcoholics negotiate with 5:00 p.m. while coffee abusers justify, “It’s 7:00 a.m. some - where.” The truth be told, I haven’t finished my fourth cup, but, to be fair, it is cold. Don’t get me wrong; I am not above drinking cold coffee. Ordered iced, absolutely. Abandoned by distraction and forgotten at room temperature, sometimes. Eight hours old in the carafe, shamefully. Caffeine always deserves the appropri - ate amount of contemplation. It’s the only way to be a functioning addict. Anytime I face the choice of whether or not to feed my habit, be it indulging in another cup, purchasing an overpriced beverage, or making a completely new pot, I must measure my exhaustion, correlating awakeness, and safe levels of caffeine, making a reasonable effort to defend my choice. I will make the complaints about the stresses of my life brief, as if somehow my responsibilities and struggles are unique to myself. Still, one’s life and choices are relative to one’s experi - ences. My experience is that I am a thirty-four-year-old woman raising two kids and nurturing a next to non-existent career – what I owe to deciding to go back to school, remodeling a house, staying home with my aforementioned kids, caring for two elderly dogs with incontinence, and remaining connected to my husband who has a very successful and very demanding career. That is not to mention my efforts to stay connected to friends and

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