ADDICTED TO: Coffee or Caffeine?

Around two weeks ago, I almost went cold turkey on my daily dose of 2 cups of fully caffeinated(?) coffee no thanks to my sudden fear of having more cellulite than I think I can handle. Besides, I've already hit and crossed over the BIG 3-0, and although people whom I've just met mostly ask if I'm still studying (instead of where I'm working), it's still best to be on the safe side. I also figured I'd give giving up coffee a try because I had done something similar for almost three weeks back in 2009. This time, it lasted for merely a few days before everything went down the drain. Everything except for the coffee, that is.

After the unfortunate incident with my car last week, my coffee intake increased up to about 3 cups per day. I don't know why - maybe some subconscious part in me thinks that the extra coffee will make me feel better/healthier/more energised or something to that effect. Besides, without a car, I've also had to give going to the gym a miss (I'm not a fan of running in my neighbourhood - I've actually seen elderly neighbours take their daily morning walks with a good sturdy stick to ward off would be muggers,thieves and murderers) To be honest, I wasn't feeling all too good (mentally) after the accident although I don't think anyone I've interacted with actually noticed.

Earlier today, my sister put up a status update regarding her caffeine deficiency (she's been slightly more successful than me, I think, hence the deficiency) and as I sipped my coffee while reading her status update, it suddenly hit me: Are we actually addicted to the caffeine in the coffee or are we addicted to the coffee itself?

I'm beginning to think my addiction is towards coffee itself rather than the need for caffeine. See, I come from a family that used to have tea at least once almost every single day. In fact, right up till the end of 2010, I used to have some plain tea every morning for breakfast/brunch. I also used to sporadically take green tea whenever I bothered to remember that it has some benefits, but have stopped that as well for at least a year. Tea is now an almost endangered culture in my life and it's absence doesn't seem to have had much effect on my sanity. I actually dislike drinking Coke and Pepsi (although I do take them sometimes when I get my meals from McDonalds if I forget to change my order to something else being the dreamer that I am), but have never even considered getting addicted to either. I love chocolates but can go for weeks without craving them. I don't take energy drinks like Red Bull. But take away my coffee, and I feel like the day isn't complete.

So, to check out how far my theory can be used, I'm planning to go decaf while maintaining the rest of my lifestyle, although I will have to wait a bit before I can actually do it. Meanwhile, what do the rest of you think? Is it the need for caffeine, or the love for coffee itself?