I found the following list of interesting addictions on the website Masters In Counseling. I thought you’d also like to know about addictions to ice, taxes, toilet paper, glass, babies, couch cushions, funerals, plastic surgery, and dirt. Yep. You can get attached to pretty much anything. Cool, huh! Here is their list!
Bizarre Eating Addictions
We all need to eat to stay alive, but the below addictions take it to a whole other level.
Everyone gets a “jones” for some drive thru every now and then, but is this food actually addicting? Marshall Allen of Boundless Webzine thinks so. In this article, he reports on how college students are especially vulnerable to fast food.
Did you know that soda is a $66 billion a year industry? With so much money at stake, it isn’t surprising that a significant portion of that is coming from addicts. The blogger at Going Like Sixty discusses how he became addicted to soda and how he got through it.
In addition to regular soda addictions, fans of diet soda are at just as much risk. According to Denise Mann, who is reporting for CNN, diet soda is an addiction that can be very serious. A survey of diet soda drinkers showed they average 26 ounces on a daily basis, or more than two cans per day. There are even many addicts who can put away as many as two liters of diet soda per day.
Yes, you read that right. People can actually become addicted to eating frozen water, which even has its own name: pagophagia. However, far more than a bizarre food addiction, pagophagia can actually be an indicator for iron deficiency anemia. Check out this blog post by Kevin MD with more.
Although soda and fast food addictions have become more and more common place, did you know that health food can also become an addiction? Also known as orthorexia nervosa, it is a desire to eat only foods that have been dubbed “healthy.” However innocent sounding, these people can deprive themselves of meat and dairy, or adequate substitutes, depriving themselves of protein, calcium, and other vital nutrients.
Every time a new diet comes out, do you know someone who is already on it? They may be diet addicts. According to Brainz, diet addicts constantly feel the need to live up to standards that are virtually impossible to obtain. They even discuss healthy, neurological ways to counter a diet addiction.
7. Food Addiction
If we all need food to live, how can it become an addiction? Dr. Mark Hyman discusses the obesity epidemic and how a food addiction can be part of that. He also discusses which foods are more prone to addiction.
8. Glass
This isn’t commonly thought of as a food, unless you have this bizarre addiction. A man in Ohio is addicted to eating glass and doesn’t even do it as part of some show. Environmental Graffiti has more and even a video.
Bizarre Everyday Addictions
Although many people do these things every day, there is a point that they will become bizarre addictions.
9. Tanning
Whether by tanning beds, sprays, or the old fashioned way of sun-bathing, we all know at least one person that can fit the tanning addiction model. According to Medical News Today, repetitive tanning is a similar addiction to that of alcoholics and those with a drug dependency. The study involved asking 145 beach goers a series of questions such as “do you try and cut down on time tanning, but still find yourself doing it?” and “Do you think you need the perfect tan?”
Whether as a kid or if you have a kid that loves video games, chances are you have turned the game on only to have hours pass by without notice. However, addicts can take this to a whole new level according to John Richards of Legal Match Law Blog. He reports on a lawsuit from a man who claims a video game was so addictive, it made it impossible for him to function in real life.
Also known as “Crackberry,” this addiction often involves a Blackberry, iPhone, or other mobile device that leaves its user disconnected from the real world. In fact, the addictions can be so severe that users experience symptoms if they go for more than a few minutes without them.
Similar to the above, technology in any form can be addicting, and teens are very susceptible to it, as reported on by Parenting Teens. They found that of all technology addictions, including video games and cell phones, that the internet itself was the number one addiction. Younger children are especially vulnerable to internet addiction trouble as they can be the main targets of identity theft and other online predators.
Because none of us would be here if babies didn’t happen, it doesn’t seem like it can be addiction, but some women can actually become addicted to becoming pregnant and having children. As reported on with Nadya Suleman, aka Octomom, the addiction left her delusional enough to think she could care for fourteen children. Samantha Chang, the Celebrity Fitness and Health Examiner, has more.
As inevitable as births, funerals are also an unfortunate part of life. However, while most people are at the very least reluctant to attend a funeral, Luis Squarisi of Brazil never misses one. Short News reports that he has been to every funeral in his hometown since 1983.
Everyone knows they should read more, but is there such a thing as reading too much? According to Reading Addiction, the short answer is yes. A reading addict can harm themselves by spending too much time reading instead of connecting with the real world. It is when the habit keeps people from facing reality that it becomes an addiction.
Other Bizarre Addictions
These bizarre addictions get a category of their own
At first glance, one might think sitting on couch cushions was the addiction and an understandable one. However, a blogger at Socialhype is actually reporting on a woman who loves to eat the fibers contained in the cushions. The woman is so addicted that it is speculated she has consumed seven entire couches and two chairs.
With an entire cable show dedicated to animal hoarding, it can be a serious and bizarre addiction. It is defined by Dr. Owen Kelly of About.com as the desire to keep animals to the point where they become too much for the owner and a hazard to both people and pets alike. As many as 33 percent of the millions of people who compulsively hoard are thought to involve animals in the process.
Meant to be addictive, the daytime shows known as soap operas have been around for decades and since the days of radio. A. Brewster Smythe of Yahoo! shares the seven signs of the soap opera addict. They include multiple viewings, lack of social skills, and even financial hardships.
With tax time upon us, have you ever stopped to think that the act of taxing addictions can be an addiction? William Saletan of Slate discusses just that. He uses taxes on cigarettes and proposed taxes on marijuana as examples on how government budgets become addicted to taxes that were supposed to be temporary.
Ever since the drive to the local video store became too much of a hassle, Netflix and other movie on demand services have become the norm in how Americans rent movies. One of the bloggers at Open Forum discusses how these business models can actually be converted into useful practices.
Whether it’s Zeppelin, Guns ‘n Roses, or Slipknot, every generation has a heavy metal band. However, not everyone gets addicted to it like Roger Tullgren of Sweden. The government has actually acknowledged his addiction and sends him disability pay. One of his favorites remains Black Sabbath and he actually plays guitar in his own rock band.
Who knew that your face could actually freeze in an expression? For addicts of plastic, or cosmetic, surgery that is a reality. With everyone from Michael Jackson to Heidi Montag suspected of the addiction, it is a well-known problem. The folks at Oddee have a top ten list of addicts who saw plastic surgery go wrong.
The reason most people wash can also be a bizarre addiction. Also known as geophagy, eating dirt is actually a global practice that takes place in Central Africa and even some of the southern parts of the U.S. Containing nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and more, dirt has been used for pregnancy, remedies, and other uses.
We’ve all heard the accusation of someone being a compulsive liar, but that is actually a real thing. Elizabeth Hartney is the addiction expert at About.com and gives loads of useful tips for those who feel the need to compulsively lie. They include ideas, tips, and more.
For most of us, toilet paper has the one and only one function in our lives. However, there are some people who have become addicted to eating toilet paper. This blogger at Experience Project tells how they could go a whole day without real food if there were just a few rolls of toilet paper about.
Because not all of the above top 25 bizarre addictions are harmless, please consult a physician or mental health professional if you suspect that you have a bizarre addiction.
Visit mastersincounseling.com for more information.
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