No more Red Bull
Using a Fitbit over the last year and a half has taught me that making your habits more visible in public makes you more likely to work harder. When you’re giving up a bad habit, often there’s not much stopping us from slipping back into the bad habits. So I am writing here, on Tuesday 27th August 2013 that I am giving up Red Bull.
It sounds ridiculous, but I have a problem
Fortunately I’ve not got to the point where my teeth have dropped out or I have heart palpitations, but Red Bull has been my “one last thing” for the last couple of years. I used to have a terrible diet, and barely exercised, which I wrote about a little in my Fitbit review post.
I’m past that now, I do a lot of exercise and eat healthily but not to the point of obsession. But I’ve still been drinking a lot of Red Bull. Last week I fooled myself thinking that if I swapped Red Bull for organic energy drinks, then it’d be ok. Yesterday I realised that I was just attempting to justify the bad habit. Most people just laugh when I tell them I drink a lot of Red Bull, but you know it’s bad when I tell you that I have Red Bull after breakfast.
Addictive personality
Some people just seem to get addicted to things that much easier than others. I’m one of them. Luckily I’m addicted to exercise now, so it’s not always a bad thing. But through drinking so much Red Bull, I’m also addicted to caffeine and sugar. I’ve tried giving up Red Bull before, but I just ended up eating more pick’n’mix sweets. When I go on holiday or away, it’s often harder to find energy drinks, so I find myself drinking coffee (which I hate) or tea, loaded with sugar. I’m determined to not replace it with other bad sugary things. I’m writing this here so I really do it.
Highs and lows
Caffeine and sugar are great, but the rush is so impermanent. I always say I do my best design work when I’m hopped up on caffeine and sugar. I think that’s probably me making excuses for drinking so much Red Bull! I hope that getting caffeine out of my system will result in a more consistent working pace, where I don’t feel like I have to adhere to all these conditions I’ve invented for myself in order to be productive.
Stand by for the whining
I know I’m going to be annoying, and sleepy. Sympathy should probably be directed towardsAral, who has to put up with me. I don’t deserve any sympathy, I’m just doing what I should have done so long ago!
first of all, great desicionmaking here! Avid “water-drinking-and-avoiding-all-sorts-of-coffee” person that I am, I can wholeheartily recommend a healthy lifestyle that doesn’t involve any coffe, redbull or cheap alternative. The only thing that comes close to it for me, is cola, since that stuff keeps me up (and makes me hyper) with even less then half a liter. But since it’s been more than a few years already since I’ve had my last drop, I’d say that that is proof that there can be a life after addiction. You’re not the only one who’s highly vulnerable to addictions there.
The trick that kept me alive through and after the process of the addicition is to have a healthy dose of outgoing alternatives (walking, jogging and running are my favorites), replace the sweet factor by (a lot of) something of the healtier kind (Evian-water is my favorite so far, I’m guilty) and always keep some form of gum at the ready. That last one is to keep your mind of the temptation. Other then that, willpower and short naps are your only friend.
Best of luck (and maybe keep us posted?),
Thierry
PS Sorry I just came around now to posting here, so late after your publication