Coffee: My Liquid Drug

The aroma of fresh ground coffee beans being steamed, ground, and brewed envelops me the moment I walk through the door. It sticks to my clothing like honey to toast so that even when I leave it will still be with me. Soft music plays in the background, something I haven't heard before but it is calming. Whispers of chatter flitter in and out of my ears while I wait behind a tall guy--tall meaning he stands several inches taller than my 5 foot 4 inches--in a leather jacket ordering a caramel latte. While waiting behind him I am holding an internal debate--cold or hot drink? It's cold outside so my body wants something warm, but I always get a blended drink. A shiver up and down my spine makes the decision for me and I order cappuccino. It arrives a few minutes later, steaming, and just right. I take a sip and sigh in content as the hot liquid heats my throat first and then my entire body.

Settling down on a multo striped green colored chair, I tuck my feet underneath me while cradling the hot mug in my hands, breathing in the heat along with the smells of cinnamon and ginger. I almost forget about how cold it actually is outside until another customer walks in bringing the icy wind with her. The smells of numerious other drinks overtake my senses and I lose myself in their aromas. I catch myself lost in a trance, watching the steam rise from another girl's coffee mug. I wonder what she is drinking. I glance back at the menu listing drinks behind the counter and wonder what i should order next time. i take a sip of my cappuccino before setting it down and pulling out my laptop from my backpack.

I am addicted to coffee. I think that half of the campus may have the same condition. As I walk campus on my way to classes, I pass numerous people with coffee mugs in hand. In my classes there is always at least one person with coffee. In my nonfiction class the other day, I noted 3 people with coffee from two different coffee shops. It is a campus wide epidemic. Hence the reason there are so many coffee shops on and off campus in Moscow. People use coffee as a way to become more social. Coffee shops, such as the one I currently sit in, are full of people, sitting, sipping, and chatting away. Not only does coffee serve as a great sorce of caffeine and in turn an engergy booster, it helps break tension.

I am addicted, but at least I know it. At least it's not a drug or alcohol addiction that I can't break. Do I have a problem? Probably. Am I willing to do anything about it right now? No. So I will sit here--curled in this chair with my coffee, and ponder the reasons why I love coffee--my liquid drug--so much.