COFFEE ADDICT

Dear Jellybean,

I have a terrible habit. I'm a coffee addict! I have to have (at least) 2 cups a day. I've tried to stop by replacing it with hot chocolate, but i just don't feel the buzz i get from coffee. Even the employees at my local coffee shop know me by name and what I like. I've noticed that my teeth are getting yellow and my friends don't want to talk to me anymore because my breath smells like a mocha latte! Please help me before this gets much worse!
-Cranky with Caffeine

Dear Cranky,

Don't panic! You can bust that coffee addiction and get control of yourself again. It's just going to take some strategy, plus a bit of willpower.

You certainly fit the profile of a coffee addict - and I'm being serious. Caffeine really is addictive, and besides making you all jumpy and causing yellowed teeth (yuk!), it's also hopelessly expensive. Even if you avoid the lattes and frappaccinos and just go straight for the black cup of joe, a two-cup-a-day habit can easily add up to almost $1,000 a year. That's enough for an all-inclusive beach vacation, for crying out loud!

If your unquenchable craving for caffeine has got you feeling icky and broke, it's time to kick the habit. Ready to quit? You'll increase your chances of success, by setting realistic goals.

If you've been inhaling coffee drinks for a while, it may be tricky to go cold turkey. Your chances for success will soar if you take a slow and steady approach to quitting. For one week, try to drink just one cup of coffee a day. That's pretty good if you can pull it off - it's half of what you're drinking now, after all. The next week, you can cut back to a cup every other day, or maybe no-coffee-Tuesdays. And so on, until you're coffee-free.

Instead of replacing your beverages with other caffeinated drinks, switch to a bubbly mineral water like Perrier. This will not only freshen your breath and keep teeth scrubbed, it will fill up your tummy and it tastes good. Plus, drinking water is a great way to flush out all those toxins you've been loading up on with your mega-caffeinated habit.

Finally, every day that you don't have a coffee, put the money you would have spent on it in a clear container, like a plastic or glass jar. Watch in amazement as it fills up quickly with coins, and promise yourself that you'll slurge on a big treat when you're caffeine-free. Just make sure whatever you buy yourself doesn't come from Starbucks!