The Art of the Quit

I have this book called "The Art of Quitting" by Evan Harris that I just adore. It goes step by step, with stories on all the different methods of quitting that one can undertake. The book is out of print, but if you see it around, definitely do get it. It's a really fun read.

So where am I going with this? Well, I was talking with a fellow student a while back and she told us in her Addictions class, the instructor challenged everyone to give something up for the semester in order to get a feel for what it's like to give up something you really enjoy. If we are asking people to give up drugs and alcohol, it's a good idea to know what it's like to give something up.

I don't know if anyone actually did give anything up for that semester, but it's something that I'm trying to do right now. For the month of October, I will be giving up most refined sugars and any related sweets. I love sugar and sweets. I ton of it in my coffee and tea, I love candy and most of all, I practically bathe in pop. It will be a difficult ride, but I'm going to do it.

I must make one note to this, though. Because I am such a proponent of harm reduction, I will be instituting a component of this into my quitting. Although almost all of my sugar intake will be cut out, I will allow myself one coffee packet per day to keep my caffeine levels at a non-headache level. Without that morning coffee, I'll not only be dealing with sugar withdrawal, but also caffeine withdrawal. That's just too much.