I admit it: I love coffee and wine—my addictions of choice. More specifically, I love coffee in the morning with organic, real cream, and I’ve never been one to turn down a glass of Chardonnay. Lately, my ability to manage my addictions has shifted. The two cups of morning coffee make me jittery, and wine in the evening makes me so sleepy I’m often in bed before 9:00. This morning, I woke up thinking it might be time to change my evil ways. I’ve given up both before—yes, at the same time—but constipation drove me back to my morning cup of joe and social pressure found me saying yes to wine.

I decided to do a little research on both to see which of my indulgences I might consider giving up. I Googled “health benefits of coffee” and immediately found many compelling reasons to drink coffee.

Some of the most compelling reasons are:

• Coffee may protect against melanoma.
• Women who consume coffee have a lower risk of death from cancer, heart disease, and other factors, which therefore promotes a longer lifespan.
• Coffee reduces suicide risk and depression.
• Coffee lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

The article concludes, “For most people, coffee can be a healthy part of the diet and there is no reason to not enjoy a couple cups a day unless you can’t control your consumption.” Two to three cups a day is the recommended amount. This is particularly good news, since I’m generally a two-mugs-a-day coffee drinker. For now, it seems like a good idea to keep my caffeine habit.

Next, I Googled “health benefits of white wine.” The list wasn’t nearly as impressive as the one for coffee—especially when you consider that the recommended amount for women is no more than five ounces per day—just enough to wet your whistle! Because I love the taste of Chardonnay (and I enjoy the relaxation factor), I’ve been exceeding recommendation by several ounces. What’s a wine lover to do?

I’m considering my options:

• Stop drinking wine entirely (because one five-ounce glass just doesn’t seem like enough).
• Drink only one five-ounce glass of wine on weekends. That’s one on Friday night and one on Saturday night.
• Drink only one five-ounce glass of wine during social occasions and celebrations.
• Think about it for today, and make a decision tomorrow.

Jan Fishler, MA, is currently co-authoring a new book, Don’t Stop Now, Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life (DontStopNow.us). She is also the author of Searching for Jane, Finding Myself (An Adoption Memoir), and has written several articles about alternative health and PTSD. You can learn more about Jan at www.JanFishler.net.