David Campbell reveals his toughest coronavirus lockdown battle

Coronavirus versus coffee. Who knew this would be the showdown I would be having early in 2020? Certainly not me.

Coffee and I have a very close relationship, I admit it bordered on co-dependent. I loved the smell, the taste, my local barista who knew my order. I liked feeling like a grown up. I imagined I was a renaissance man who used the bean to ponder life's bigger issues, like "when can I have my next coffee?" or "how much coffee can I have in one day and still sleep well at night?"

Here's the thing; I am trying to sell this better than it actually was. My addictive personality meant I had an extremely unhealthy association with caffeine. I was on 3 short cups a day and they HAD to be doubles, otherwise why bother? Like a true obsessive, these cups needed to be timed daily to have the right impact.

Then I got locked into quarantine early with my kids due to a COVID-19 scare. This was in the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and the country was about a week away from total shut down. My wife was out of town and couldn't risk coming back.

Sure, friends would drive past in masks with a single cup of java from my favourite cafe. Just one? With three kids…. Alone!?!?! The horror. I looked down at the empty cup and knew what was about to happen. I would have to confront my ridiculous and (potentially) unhealthy habit, cold turkey.

So I cracked open the tea, popped the kettle on and started the process. I downloaded a terrific audiobook by Michael Pollan on caffeine to coach me through this.

I had forgotten how bad the withdrawal could be though. The headaches, the fatigue, the foggy brain. My temper shortened (it was not that long to begin with), but I drank more water, had cups of tea (with some caffeine but nowhere near enough) and slowly found balance.

Now I am here, four months later and I sleep better. My energy is more even (as is my temper) and I am proud of the achievement.

I still miss it. The taste, the smell, the ritual, but I promised myself I would soon try a single shot again as a reward.

Just no more doubles. I would like to be able to have a cold brew or a (single shot) latte without needing to back it up with another to feel "awake and alert".

It's been a good challenge, however, I'd rather not go through espresso rehab again.