How my life has changed after drinking only water for a month

I sat on my bed an hour after I submitted a brutal, fourteen page paper and thought about the papers still looming ahead. My first thought: how am I going to get enough caffeine to make it through finals? My second thought: when and where can I have caffeine? At this moment, I realized I needed to curb my caffeine addiction.

My caffeine of choice was soda. To keep up my caffeine levels, I had consecutive days, perhaps weeks, in which I went without water. I scheduled my day around soda. If I didn’t have two to three sodas a day, I had terrible headaches from caffeine withdrawals. Not to sound too melodramatic, but soda had taken over my life. So on that day I had my last soda and, with it, my last sip of caffeine.

For the last five weeks, I’ve had nothing to drink but water. Through this experience I’ve learned a lot about how water, soda, and caffeine affect the body. Everyone talks about how positive hydration is for your physical health, but few talk about how positive it is for your emotional health. The most valuable thing I have taken away from dipping my toe in the water (pun intended), is how hydration has changed my mood in the following five ways:

I am energetic

Ironically enough, water has given me what I was hoping to obtain from caffeine–energy. I feel like going to Planet Fitness every day. I wake up and want to go for a walk. I don’t require a mid-afternoon nap. I enjoy waking up early (actually early…like 6:30 early). Drinking water equips me with so much energy that I feel like caffeine would be useless.

I am happy

I no longer experience severe anxiety about staying up to complete writing assignments, research requests, or any time-consuming activity, because I know I’ll have the energy to complete it. This decrease in anxiety, plus my increased energy and newfound confidence, makes me happier than I was while obsessing about caffeine.

I am confident

Without having even the occasional blemish, and having the energy to work out when I want to, I feel more confident. I now know that I can do anything I want. If I can stop an addiction like I’ve stopped caffeine, I feel confident that I can do anything that I want to do in life.

I am more attentive

Because I don’t have to focus on scheduling my next caffeine binge, I can finally prioritize different aspects of my life. I’ve noticed that in the past month I’ve been more intentional about planning time with family, friends, and mentors. In these planned times, I’m more attentive to them and less focused on satisfying my caffeine cravings. My attentiveness has strengthened my previously established relationships, and fostered other unexpected relationships.

I am more appreciative

In my aforementioned feelings, I have found more appreciation for the things and people around me. I appreciate the good intentions of my friends and family members. I appreciate the energy I have to keep up with them now. I appreciate hearing about their perspectives, thoughts, and feelings. I appreciate what water has done for my life.

Cutting out soda and caffeine is truly one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’ve learned about the physical and emotional benefits of staying hydrated, and I’m forever grateful for that. Soda and caffeine, like most things, are fine in moderation, but I know that, for me, moderation quickly snowballs into addiction. If I can give up soda and caffeine for five weeks, I can give them up for life, and I plan to do so.

@TheTab