Soon after becoming a serious student of Christian Science, I came upon this statement on page 406 of Science and Health by our Leader: "The depraved appetite for alcoholic drinks, tobacco, tea, coffee, opium, is destroyed only by Mind's mastery of the body. This normal control is gained through divine strength and understanding."
While prayerfully considering why Mrs. Eddy had included tea and coffee in that list, I came upon this passage on page 462: "Whoever would demonstrate the healing of Christian Science must abide strictly by its rules, heed every statement, and advance from the rudiments laid down."
While I did not at the time see the reason for the inclusion of tea and: coffee, I felt that I could at least heed the statement and follow our Leader's counsel in this respect and desist from their use. Now, it is plain to me that caffeine is a subtle culprit. Its general acceptance as a stimulant frequently results in its use becoming a habit unnoticed until an effort is made to break it.
