Healthy Addiction

Yeah. That title is a contradiction in terms, isn't it?

Except in this case, it isn't.

About six years ago I was working for Alltel back in the States, and during a lunch break I discovered a natural foods store on Battlefield Rd in Springfield. I can't remember the name of the store now, but you walked in and it was vast and smelled strong of herbs and spices. It was there that I found Reed's.

Reed's is a company that makes ginger "brews," not "ales" like you would normally find from Vernor's or Canada Dry. Mind you, I was raised on Vernor's. But Vernor's is more of a soda, with a hint of ginger. This stuff from Reed's is more of a ginger juice, with a hint of soda-like properties. They also serve it in a beer bottle, which tends to freak out your coworkers and such until they read the label.

For two years at Alltel, I was addicted to Reed's, and then, when I left to move to this lovely state, I somehow forgot about them in the fray. This past couple of months, however, I have been cycling through energy drinks, and found one in a purple can in Roxie's, the corner mom and pop place in my neighborhood.

Reed's Natural Energy Elixir: Ginger, Green Tea, Ginseng, Goji, Acai, Camu Camu, Jiaogulan, L-Theanine, B Vitamins.

An old friend has returned.

Lucky for me, I can also get their brews at this store, but this new energy drink has that softly sweet bite that I remember, which is enough for now. Apparently, I am the only person in the 9 square block area that drinks it--there's always the amount that I left behind the day before. I crave this stuff, crave this ginger signature. I can taste it at the strangest times, get cravings for it in the midst of writings or readings or just any old time. My body is returning to a saner time when I drink this stuff. It's my ginger, my medicine, and my life's blood.

It's me. And I don't know of others who drink it. Dear reader, if you drink this stuff too, be not afraid.

It's a healthy addiction.