Top 10 Strange Addictions
I am addicted to chocolate. Yes, you might have come across this sentence from numerous people but you simply take this for granted or ignore it, isn’t it? What if these people mean what they are saying? What if they can’t resist but eat chocolate even if it makes them sick or result in teeth problems? Yes it is a fact rather a strange one. In our day to day life, we hear about heroin addiction, smoking addiction and alcohol addiction etc. but it is very rare to listen to something like addicted to chocolate or chewing ice. Today I will tell you about some of the strange addictions which remain with the affected individuals through their entire life.
10. Shopping
One of a most famous addiction which is prevalent nowadays in every modern society is shopping. Nearly every woman, whether she is a wife, girlfriend or anyone is a victim of excessive shopping. It doesn’t only come heavy on the pockets of the shopping addicts but also they waste most of their time wandering around in the malls and window shopping. Often they buy such things which they never use and just throw away at some corner of house. It is just that they cannot stop shopping all day long and God forbade if it is your wife who is a victim to it, then get ready to prepare your lunch and dinner by yourself. This cycle can be broken by a combination of behavioral therapy and appropriate medication.
9. Exercise
How about getting addict to exercise? Yes it is possible, why not. When I was a little kid, my mother taught me that excess is bad in everything be it be anything. It seems that this principle applies in this scenario. No doubt exercise is good for our health but some people are addicted to excessive exercise and spend most of their day doing work-out and even ignoring their important work and relations for the sake of exercise. According to a source, about 10% of the bodybuilders are addicted to gymnasium.
8. Tanning
When I heard about this tanning addiction from one of my friends, I thought of my cousin who is planning to open a tanning center in States. Anyways, according to a survey about 50% of the people who love to go to beach very often are tanning addicts. During tanning, one’s body is prone to ultra-violet rays and it is known to cause skin cancer. Moreover, several physiological problems also come up as a consequence of excessive exposure to tanning. I would definitely advice my cousin to pin up a guideline chart as regards to the addiction to tanning.
7. Cosmetic Surgery
How am I looking? How about my hair? My friend was saying that I was looking the best amongst all the women in the party. These are the questions and comments you will most likely listen from your wife or girlfriend. Don’t take these normal if these kinds of talk exceed normal limit and you feel that your lady is getting aggressive about her appearance and looks. It is called Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and in this one all the time thinks about his or her physical appearance and focus extra ordinarily on his or her looks. Several factors work behind the happening of this illness to somebody as the culture of a particular society, societal pressures and a low self-esteem. For this reason, people find themselves excessively inclined towards repeated plastic surgeries often resulting in financial and emotional stress.
6. Ice Chewing
Pagophagia is the term used for the people who are in a habit of consuming large quantity of ice unnecessarily. In this, there is a strong urge in the people to eat nonfood items that have no nutritional value. Let’s take a look on a report issued by The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which will tell us about the ratio of males and females who are victim to this disorder. About 2 percent of American males ages 18 and older and 16 percent of females between ages 16 and 19 are compulsive ice chewers. It is assumed that this habit is due to the iron-deficiency in an individual and fulfilling the iron need of that person may help him overcome this.
5. Hair Pulling
This is not something which is very rare as about 11 million Americans suffer from it. This condition is called trichotillomania and the people suffering from this disorder cannot help pulling out their own hair from certain parts of body such as from the scalp or crown of the head, their eyelashes, eyebrows or any other part of the body. As a repercussion, bald patches are created in those parts. Using anti-depressants and behavioral therapy are the treatments for this disorder.
4. Tattoos
Tattoos are gaining popularity very rapidly as is conspicuous from a 2008 Harris Interactive poll. According to this poll, nearly 14% of Americans have a tattoo. This includes my cousin too who is presently serving in US Marines. Tattoos are not just simply some mark on the body rather they are symptomatic of different things such as some people claim that their tattoo makes the feel stronger while others claim that they feel sexier by virtue of the tattoos they have on their body. However, if precautionary measures are not adapted while tattooing, then certain skin problems can take place which can be really harmful.
3. Eating Dirt
The people who are inclined towards eating soil or otherwise earthy materials it is called geophagia. The possible reasons behind this disorder are nutritional deficiency mainly of iron and zinc. It is surprising to know that in some cultures, eating soil or dirt is not something which raises the eyebrows of the society. It is considered a normal practice. Family guidance to the children and proper education can serve as remedy to this disorder in the individuals.
2. Gaming
Yes it is a form of addiction and there is no doubt in it. My younger brother was a victim to this when he was in his 20’s but he managed to overcome this with the help of family support and guidance. People who are addicted to gaming don’t take interest in any other activity apart from gaming and they are all the time thinking about playing their favorite game. This makes the feel good and light. This is also an effective tool for them to escape the anxiety and daily tensions of life. These people find relief by playing video games. It is found that most the people who are addicted to excessive gaming are males under the age of 30.
1.Internet and the Blackberry
Now, I would like to talk about our business professionals who love to have a Blackberry phone with them all the time. It is no harm in keeping a Blackberry phone but most of the people find themselves riveted in surfing the internet most of their time. I agree that it is important to surf internet for business purpose but unfortunately, the people who are addicted to using internet unnecessarily use it and consequently, compromise with their other activities such as giving time to relations and family. Health professionals recognize this disorder as Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD).
