This morning I woke up with a throbbing headache. I dragged myself through my morning routine – brush teeth, wash face, get coffee. If I didn’t mind feeling totally disgusting in the morning I probably would start off with coffee. At the first sip of caffeine I felt my headache slipping away. I have been drinking coffee since I was four years old. I don’t drink an excessive amount, just one cup in the morning and maybe a cup of decaf in the evening. If I don’t reach my daily caffeine intake I develop a headache, I become cranky, and I feel lethargic. I thought to myself, “I wouldn’t be able to give up coffee, even if someday it was discovered to be bad for my health.” And in that moment, for the first time in my entire life, I understood why people can smoke despite the health risks.

I have seen many old cigarette ads and laughed at how gullible people were back then. Cigarette companies used many persuasive, bandwagon tactics in their ads. Some ads even listed the health benefits. Now I am not speaking about the young smokers when I say what I am about to say. I remember sitting through numerous anti smoking campaigns throughout elementary school. They used scare tactics and statistics to persuade me that it was not a good choice. It even got to the point where I would throw away my mom’s cigarettes in the middle of the night and make posters and signs with statistics and hang them around the house. I am old enough to smoke, yet educated enough not to make that decision.

Back to my main point.

I doubt that coffee will ever be considered detrimental to one’s health, but for the older generations still smoking, my horizon has been broadened as to their choice. They weren’t informed of the health risks. Instead the advertising media bombarded people with reasons to make the decision. But to the young people still making the decision, I will have no sympathy for you when your habit deteriorates your health for the simple fact that you know better.

Filed under: Health by virgospl