Confessions of a Coffee Addict

Before

I used to be completely hooked on caffeine. In a normal day I used to drink 15 to 20 cups of coffee, as well as at least one can of diet cola. If I was lucky I managed to get to sleep at bedtime, but I used to wake up about 4.00 a.m. and get up and do some work. After an hour or so I would go back to bed and sleep until 8.00 a.m. To be honest, I didn’t use to feel 100%, but I didn’t connect my poor health with the caffeine I was drinking. In fact, I was absolutely convinced that I needed it, because of my incredibly busy lifestyle as a singer.

However, earlier this year I got ill when I was working abroad. I couldn’t eat anything, and the only thing I could drink was water. My appetite returned after two days, but suddenly the idea of drinking coffee or cola made me feel sick, and I haven’t drunk a cup since then.

After

Although I thought it was going to be really hard, I got used to living without caffeine straight away, and in fact after the first few weeks I started to feel much better than I ever had before. I found that I was beginning to sleep better, and that I had much more energy. But the most dramatic change I noticed was what happened to my skin. The tension lines relaxed, and my face began to look like it looked when I was a teenager. Everyone started to tell me how much younger I looked! When I realized that chocolate also contained caffeine, I decided I had to give that up, too. That was difficult as I’ve always been really keen on sweet things but now I’m used to it – I usually have a piece of fruit instead of chocolate.

And there was another really unexpected benefit from giving up caffeine – my memory, which used to be embarrassingly bad, has improved considerably, so I never miss appointments anymore.

II. Find phrases in the text that mean …

1. In the past I drank a lot of coffee.

2. I habitually woke up during the night.

3. I normally never felt totally healthy.

4. I adapted very quickly to life without coffee or cola.

5. Now, not eating chocolate isn’t a problem for me.

6. Now I normally eat healthier snacks.

III. What is each part of the story –‘Before’ and ‘After’ - about?