The Caffeine Question

Feeling really positive today. I had a very productive day at work - busy but not stressed - and I'm sitting in the kitchen with a glass of really good red wine and the radio playing.

This morning, once I'd read the post, checked my messages & prioritised the day’s jobs, it was time for a cuppa. My brew of choice is decaffeinated coffee, white, one sugar (I tried giving up the sugar but failed dismally).

Usually when I asked for decaff I get a sigh and a (jokey) comment like 'ooh, you like to be different do you?', or 'just to be awkward!'. And asking for decaff in a restaurant is like asking for tap water - a look of horror and a whispered conversation between the waiter and the maitre d', followed by 'I'm sorry madam, we don't do decaffeinated coffee here'. And even when I do get the coffee I ask for, I sometimes wonder whether it actually has caffeine in it, and they are serving me the ordinary stuff just so they can sell me an expensive coffee.

Last week, for the first time, someone at work asked me why I only drink decaffeinated coffee – the usual assumption is that the normal stuff stops me from sleeping. I suppose not being kept awake by caffeine is a good thing, as I already have my Tinnitus to cope with at night. I actually do it because someone once told me that caffeine can aggravate tinnitus, although I’ve found out since then that no-one’s proved it (yet). Judging by the empty jar of decaff coffee at work it looks like I’ve started a bit of a trend, and I’ve noticed other people asking for decaff drinks.

I wonder, do they have Tinnitus too?