It’s been over two months since I ended the No Alcohol & Caffeine Challenge. Earlier this year, I drinking two Venti Starbucks coffees every day… which undoubtedly led to my poor sleeping habits and untimely chest pains. (and stained teeth, but that’s another story entirely.) After the self-imposed ban ended in NYC with a tasty glass of Johnny Walker Blue, I slowly eased back in to both alcohol and caffeine, but I kept the fear of overindulgence (and chest pains!) in the back of my mind.

Fast forward to this week, which was marked with late night fantasy football drafts, running my first 5K, and a deadline-driven work project. As one might expect under these circumstances, my mornings this week seemed destined to include a stop to Starbucks. This morning, after having two cups of coffee with breakfast at my local diner (Murphy’s in the Highlands – yum!), those frightning, familiar chest pains returned.

Much like my newly formed opinion on alcohol, I’ll have to better monitor and restrict my intake of coffee/caffeine from day to day. It’s painfully obvious that my former daily routine will have to go by the wayside… but I’m confident that my NY Times Sunday Crossword ritual will always include a cup of joe.