IT WAS the fourth or perhaps the fifth huge mug of tea within the space of two hours on a Sunday evening a month ago that did it. I stood back and calculated the amount of tea and coffee I was drinking and knew it had to stop.
It seems laughable; cosy old tea, but with large American-style
mugs that needed two bags for required strength; there were days when 16 to 20 cups was not out of the question.
And so, without a word of warning to my body, I stopped. The next day I drank herbal teas and water, taking advice from a knowledgeable colleague and feeling rather pleased with myself. On Tuesday I awoke to a pounding headache, overwhelming nausea, and the feeling that my tongue had been removed and replaced by a used teabag. No matter how much water I drank, how many times I brushed my teeth or gargled, the taste remained. That would have been bearable if it hadn't been for what is best described as ''the shakes''. It felt like the mother and father of all hangovers.
I was assured that it would pass and I would feel the benefits after just a short while.
The next day the ''hangover'' stayed with me but then the vomiting began. My colleague became concerned enough to consult a herbalist who recognised the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal right away.
The advice was to have a cup of tea immediately. My body was suffering and I had to ease it - to let it down gently.
The advice was, and is, simple. The only way to reduce large amounts of caffeine is gradually. From that day I began having four cups a day, then three, then two
and one.
Now, just one month later, I still have one if I really want it. But increasingly I've found I don't
want it.
The benefits have kicked in, as promised. Clearer skin, a sounder night's sleep and, believe it or not, a visible difference in cellulite.
I don't believe that I'll never have a cup of tea or coffee again but I have reduced the amount significantly and over the space of a few days I, and people around me, were shocked into realising how much damage too much of a couthy little substance like tea can do.
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