Photo & Editing by Cristina Nogueras ©

Hi, my name is Cristina and I’m fighting coffee addiction. I’ve seen loved ones suffer from caffeine deprivations and go through immense trouble to get a hold of coffee in the mornings. I’ve seen the sleepy eyes, the vacant stares and the tamed spirit that can only come from the absence of coffee.

I’ve never liked coffee. I think the first thing I ever ordered from Starbucks was a white chocolate frappuccino, just because it did not taste like coffee. How did I survive college? Diet coke perhaps? That’s still a mystery to me.

Now, in the real working world, I find myself fighting against the urge to get a cup of coffee every day. My reasoning?

• It’s expensive to get the coffee I like (Not that I’m drinking gold, it just adds up)

• I do not want to be addicted to coffee and then be unable to function without it

I think I’m losing this battle. I’m so much more productive and motivated when I drink coffee, I hate it. Why can’t I just wake up all sunshine and glitter every morning ready to hit the ground running? No, I have to depend on this warm and aromatic substance to fuel my system and power my brain. Then they have to come and make it pumpkin spice lattes and all these other alterations that make it actually wonderful to drink and so much more harder to resist it.

Is this it? Is this how I know I am now a real grown-up?