And I thought I wouldn’t survive!

I started drinking coffee when I got into College. I needed to wake up at 5AM everyday then. It also helped me pull off all those all-nighters. I was able to consume 2 cups of coffee per day the least. I later on graduated, passed the board exams and got a job wherein I needed to be flexible with my time and of course, coffee was the only back up I had. I couldn’t function without coffee. I would need my daily coffee fix before I could start my day. Yes, procaffeinating is the word!

Late last year, around November 2015, I started to get really bad acne break outs. Growing up, I have never tried such. I thought that I’d always have that clear skin since I never encountered acne problems during puberty. The first reason I blamed for it was hormonal imbalance. I tried lots of products but it never stopped and even got worse for the first months of the year. I did a little research and even consulted a dermatologist. She advised me something for it but what struck me the most was she asked me to stop drinking coffee. Coffee magnifies your body’s stress response, boosting stress hormones that lead to acne. Coffee drinks are often spiked with milk and sugar, which are two of the top four dietary acne triggers. I understood her point when she told me to watch my diet but not to the point to quit coffee.

I just couldn’t imagine a day without my daily caffeine fix. A trip to Starbucks would always excite me and the thought that I needed to stop just got me devastated. I didn’t listen to that advice. Also, I was pretty stressed out with some stuff that has been happening around me that time and coffee was part of my comfort food list. Around February this year, I saw how my skin was suffering. The bad break outs had been worsening lowering my self-esteem. I decided that it’s time to take that advice.

A day without coffee was never easy. I would experience withdrawal symptoms like very bad headaches. I couldn’t function but I convinced myself that I’ve got to make this work. Now, I have been coffee free for 7 months now. I still eat chocolates and drink some soda which both have high caffeine content but I see to it that I settle for the least possible intake. I still go to Starbucks and my other favorite cafés but I always opt for the coffee free products.

Did going coffee free help me with my acne? Yes, very much. I don’t have what used to be my clear skin but my skin condition got a lot better, with proper skincare as well. I never thought I could survive life without coffee, I was coffee dependent then. Now, I know it’s possible. Would I drink coffee again? Maybe yes, maybe no. If yes then I would see to it that I wouldn’t be dependent on it anymore. This was like my wake up call, telling me that too much of something is bad. Well, I’m happy now even I’m on the no-coffee bandwagon. Now, I’ll see until when I can continue this.

Be pretty, be happy, be you! H~

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