Sometimes readers of my blog have long memories and sometimes they find something that goes back a while simply by browsing. So I don’t know why it surprised me when a colleague recently reminded me of my pledge, made in August last year, to stop drinking coffee for at least a year. How did I get on?

It’s worth saying that, even though I was only drinking a mug a day (OK, a single small cafetiere’s worth of high quality, strong coffee) giving up included some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. In particular, though I rarely suffer from headaches, I experienced a few in the days and weeks immediately following my decision to stop drinking coffee.

Then there were more subtle forms of addiction. These were the moments when I thought – as a matter of habit – “ooh! I’d enjoy a cup of coffee right now!” Setting a target to give up for a year worked well for me in relation to these habitual responses. I found that saying no in the moment whilst knowing it might not be for ever was easier than saying no for ever.

Over time, these bonds of habit have loosened so that I rarely have those “ooh! Wouldn’t it be nice…” moments. I’ve been happy to keep coffee in the house for visitors and I now know that’s what it’s there for. Meantime, I have discovered that all those herbal teas that used to smell divine and taste like cardboard now smell and taste divine.

August was an interesting month as the year’s anniversary approached. Let’s be clear, I knew I want to continue to live my life without coffee. Still, the thought that I might celebrate the year anniversary by enjoying a cup of coffee before giving it up – well, it did cross my mind. In the end though, I realised both that I didn’t want to risk rediscovering my love of coffee and that I am enjoying myself just as much without.

On a path to living an enjoyable and healthy life, giving up coffee has been just one small step. Still, it’s a step I celebrate.