So when i see someone now with a fag in their hands, or hanging out of their mouth, i have to take a second look. It's a strange, unnatural and rare sight.
Australian consumption is on the decline.
But the new millennium has a new addict. You see them clutching it in their hands as they drive, steer the pram, walk along the beach, go to meetings, arrive at dance class, walk the dog......you name it.
And to what do they cling?
Coffee.
Takeaway, cardboard cups of coffee are seen in hands everywhere, in places coffee was previously rare or non-existent. Like so many other things, Coffee has become portable. It's now possible to get your latte-cappucino-espresso-machiato-chocolate-sprinkled-low-foam-double-shot caffeine hit anywhere, any time. And it seems the more available it is, the less people can possibly live without it.
Are they seriously unable to even stroll down to the beach and take a short walk along the water without these cardboard, caffeine filled security blankets?
A survey showed that the 3 most important things to people - that they would not leave home without - are keys, wallet and mobile phone.
I am sure that with those 3 things they then head straight for the nearest coffee shop and grab a takeaway - the 4th essential item.
I see them walking the streets. People who are travelling light - no bags - obviously just out of the house for a stroll, or walking the dog, probably wallet keys and mobile phone in pocket; and in every hand is that signature takeaway cup.
Like it's THE fashion accessory of the year.
I watched - or rather smelled - one such addict pass me as i sat at the seaside. At the point she was directly downwind, a sickly sweet smell of chocolate and sugar hit me. When she passed, the relief of the return to the scent of salt, salt and ocean.
The trouble is that these addicts have become as litter-prone as those smokers who discard their butts any damned place they like.
Last week i watched a smoker flick their butt into the gutter, 30 cm from a public ashtray.
No respect.
Now it's empty takeaway coffee cups littering public places everywhere: stoops, steps, parking lot corners, kerbs, gutters, doorways, benches..... They're bloody everywhere.
Aren't we supposed to be reducing our disposable waste, trying to preserve trees, reducing our carbon footprint? And those plastic clip-on lids will become permanent landfill.
There's a simple solution.
All caffeine addicts should be made to carry their own cup with them at all times. They can have it refilled at any coffee station the moment a craving strikes. It's hygienic, simple, cost effective. Get a cup with handle and you can strap it conveniently to your belt and key ring. In fact, coffee shops could start encouraging this eco-friendly behaviour by offering a discount to byo-cuppers. I just might go and speak to my local purveyor today.
"I've always felt nervous around large quantities of coffee." Anon
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