Weirdest Addictions

Everyone has experienced addiction in one of it’s many forms at some point in their life- whether it’s 3 cups of coffee throughout the day or even the nightly junk food binge that has you waking up in the morning with fingers crusted in cheeto residue, and of course there is always the more common intoxicating substances and habits like drugs and sex. However, some people find themselves addicted to something absurd and strange that seems irrational to an outsider, but they are powerless to resist their unusual cravings. Here are some of the weirdest addictions we could find that people actually have:

5. Piercings and Tattoos

Many people who modify their bodies with piercings and tattoos consider their body their ‘temple’, a vessel to be decorated and adorned as they wish. However, some take it to the extreme and can be considered the ‘hoarders’ of the body modification world, they can never seem to have enough holes in their face or ink etched into their skin- they seem determined to hide or distort every last square inch of their natural body. This may be a way for them to express dissatisfaction with their physical appearance or to create a physical distinction between themselves and a mainstream society that they feel has alienated them.

4. Pagophagia – Eating Ice

Chewing on or eating ice is certainly an acquired taste, many people find it downright unpleasant and painful but some can’t get enough of it. Pagophagia is a disorder where the sufferer can’t stop chewing ice, which can cause severe headaches and cracked teeth. While some say this strange addictive behavior may be purely psychological, it has been loosely linked to individuals with nutritional deficiencies and anemia.

3. Hoarding

While the hoarding phenomena has been around a while, it has recently gotten more attention from the public because of a myriad of televised cases. Hoarding is an addiction to storing items in one’s home without ever getting rid of anything, causing the house to turn into a cramped warzone of miscellaneous junk. This is extremely unhealthy for anyone living in the house and makes living conditions miserable, but the hoarder simply cannot bear to let go of even trivial items that most would consider trash. Some have also taken to hoarding animals, which is more frowned upon because the animals obviously suffer living in such hectic and cramped conditions.

2. Teeth Whitening

It’s no surprise that an addiction teeth whitening is quickly becoming rampant considering how easy such products are to use and how much focus our culture puts on outward appearance and hygiene. Many people go way overboard with teeth whitening because when they look in the mirror their teeth may seem to appear discolored because of the lighting or the lack of another set of teeth to compare them to, when in reality they are quite clean and don’t need a whitening solution. Some people take it to an extreme and use household bleach as a whitener, which certainly gets the job done but can be devastating to the gums and cause serious oral problems.

1. Geophagy – Eating Dirt

Yes- you read that right, there is a significant number of people who actually have an addiction to eating dirt. It seems impossible to be dependent on such an unpleasant substance, but it can develop for a variety of reasons. Some may eat dirt to absorb the phosphorous and sulphur while others do it for cultural reasons (some societies have traditional eaten dirt either ceremonially for for nutrition). This can be quite dangerous as small rocks and stones can wreak havoc when being digested, but in Haiti where this is a common practice they are smart enough to run their dirt through cheesecloth before eating it to get rid of rocks (they even flatten it out and fry it!).

Do you have a weird addiction or know of one that’s stranger than these? Sound off in the comments!