Blame it on cafe culture!

There are many interesting stories about why people get hooked to it and how it soon becomes an irreplaceable part of the routine. Many youngsters attribute this habit to the cafe culture  – spending time in cafe mulling over life over a cup of coffee has become a fad over the past decade. It’s not that the older generation did not drink coffee.

In fact, a South Indian household has always been judged by its filter coffee. Breakfast in a South Indian household invariably ends with coffee – the Masala Dosa-Coffee ritual marking the beginning of a Sunday morning. But it was not an addiction – the way it has become with young generation today.

Metrolife spoke to some self-confessed coffee addicts about how they tackle with their caffeine addiction.

Suhas Entur, a former bartender, says, “While growing up, I never really drank coffee. However, in college I had assignments and tests and one needed to stay awake for them. During that time, I drank coffee only during tests. Afterwards I started hanging out a lot in cafes reading and I would drink countless cups of coffee in a day.

Due to excessive caffeine intake, I couldn’t sleep during the nights and my hands would shiver. For a long time I couldn’t figure out why this was happening and then I realised it was the coffee. I didn’t really drink coffee for the caffeine, it was more like a habit. If I went to the library instead of the cafe, I never really craved for coffee. Now I have restricted the number of cups to four.”

There are some others like Abhay Bharghav, who hasn’t really tried to reduce his intake. “Coffee is absolutely essential for me at work. It keeps me alert. In fact, I even have small quantity before I workout, it’s very useful in keeping my energy levels up,” he adds.
Raghu Nandan, a project management analyst, says that it is the stress that gets him to drink more coffee. “When I get overloaded with work and when my mind goes blank, l usually have a cup of coffee. I usually drink 3-4 cups at work. To reduce intake, I stop working and start speaking to my  colleagues. Once I feel relaxed, I get back to work.”

Many claim that they have beaten the habit after they stopped hanging out at cafes. Raksha, a student says, “During PU days, when we used to bunk classes, we would sit in cafes with friends. That time, I drank a lot of coffee but now it has reduced drastically.”