When a person uses a substance or engages in a behavior that is hindering their ability to live life, they have an addiction. What are the first few words that pop into your mind when you hear the word “addiction?”
You probably think of drugs and alcohol, right? Actually, people can become addicted to pretty much anything.
Today, I am going to share a few addictions that are bizarre. If you’ve seen My Strange Addictions, this blog is on par with that.
5. Getting Stung by Bees
After hearing that the venom from bees could benefit arthritis, a woman named Margaret developed an addiction to bee stings. She gives herself stings on all parts of her body in an effort to relieve her arthritis.
Soon, she felt the need to give herself a bee venom dose over times per day. She began keeping the hives in her house. The Sun wrote an article about her. There was also an episode about her on My Strange Addictions.
4. Huffing Gasoline
There are a few different methods of inhaling gasoline. Some will put a cloth that is saturated in gasoline over their mouth, called huffing. Others will collect the gas in a bag and deeply inhale or sniff it straight from the can.
The effects include dizziness, hallucinations, coughing, lightheaded-ness, throwing up, and problems communicating. It is extremely dangerous and has major life-long consequences on the brain and body.
3. Bleaching Teeth
What does it look like to become addicted to teeth whitening? Occasionally using a white strip in an attempt to remove stains is not an addiction!
Addiction occurs when someone overuses white strips, gels, certain pastes, or bleaching kits to the point of serious damage on their teeth. We all want to have a beautiful smile, but for most of us, the appearance of our teeth is not constantly on our mind.
There is a term for teeth whitening addiction, “bleachorexia.” Bleaching your teeth causes the enamel to weaken.
2. Ice Cube Eating
Compulsively chewing and swallowing copious amounts of ice cubes is an addictive behavior. This behavior is called pagophagia, a form of pica, which is a condition where people will consume objects or nonfood items.
Some who are addicted to ice cube eating have an iron deficiency while others have OCD. Chewing and swallowing ice can cause problems for your teeth, gums, and health.
1. Nail Polish Drinking
One woman who was featured on My Strange Addictions admitted to drinking five bottles of nail polish every day for five years. After visiting a salon, she claimed that she couldn’t get enough of the desirable smell.
Drinking nail polish can be seriously detrimental to your health, causing permanent speech issues, walking problems, and memory loss. Drinking a chemical that is meant for the nails is poisonous and requires immediate medical attention.
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Although these are funny, if you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction, there are many ways to seek help and support. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is always available to help. The hotline number is 1-800-662-4357.
This blog is meant to inform you that it is possible to get addicted to most things. Addiction expands beyond drugs and alcohol.
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