As health-conscious types increasingly talk about being in their post-caffeine era, we take a closer look at what some experts are calling the most socially acceptable addiction
When Hayley Peters and her husband Craig leave the house to take their French bulldog, Diego, for a walk, there’s always one thing her other half does that makes her sigh. ‘Without fail, he’ll be on the lookout for a latte,’ reveals the 34-year-old. ‘It’s the same when we go shopping or watch our five-year old son play football.’ It isn’t that Hayley has an unusual ick about men who like milky coffee – she’s worried about him. ‘He has a busy job in property and will often say how stressed he’s feeling – while holding a cup in his hand,’ she sighs. Last year, Hayley wouldn’t have batted an eyelid – she has her own previous with the aforementioned brown nectar. ‘When I moved to London to work in PR and progressively became more senior, I relied on three-shot americanos up to five times a day from coffee shops,’ she recalls. ‘They cost me a small fortune, but I felt like I needed them to fuel long hours on busy projects. On reflection, Iwas in a fightor-flight mode constantly: jittery, prone to emotional outbursts, bordering on insomnia and with a racing heart.’
So, what changed? Hayley charts it back to one – otherwise unremarkable – day earlier this year, when she was sitting on her sofa with her husband. Aracing heartbeat convinced her she was having a heart attack and her husband took her to hospital. Two further admissions and numerous tests failed to pinpoint a cause. But when a doctor suggested caffeine may have played a part, she immediately called time on coffee – and hasn’t looked back.
Hayley’s terrifying experience is one that doesn’t usually spring to mind when considering the hold of the UK’s £17bn coffee industry, which sees us sip an average of two cups per day. ‘It’s the definition of a socially accepted addiction,’ says Rachael Molitor, a chartered psychologist focusing on health and behaviour change. In fact, getting a caffeine fix has always felt aligned with ambition and sophistication – in contrast to, say, a cheeky cigarette break or swift post-work sauvignon. But could a four-a-day coffee habit be the latest signifier of someone who’s not wholly on their game? Are we, like Hayley, finding it difficult to unsee the impact of others’ caffeine intake – from the anxious colleague always by the office coffee machine to the wired friend clasping a post-4pm cortado? And, as much as we might not like to admit it, struggling not to judge?
Beyond the buzz
The d
