Shine OnWoman addicted to deodorant eats 15 sticks a month
Many people have a go-to snack that they turn to when they’re stressed. For 19-year-old Nicole (last name not given), that snack is deodorant.
"When I wake up in the morning, I want deodorant; after each meal, I eat deodorant; when I get stressed out, I eat deodorant; in the middle of the night when I wake up out of a sleep, I want deodorant," she explains on the TLC show “My Strange Addiction.”
Nicole says she first took a bite from a deodorant stick at the age of four, but it wasn’t until two years ago that it turned into a full-blown addiction. Now, the teenager eats about a half a stick per day – that’s a whopping 15 sticks a month and more than 180 a year.
She takes deodorant everywhere she goes and frequently stops to scoop up a cap-full of the crumbly solid, and she prefers “rich-tasting” deodorants over others.
Nicole says sticks of deodorant often leave her with a stomache ache and a dry mouth, so she’s also taken up antiperspirant sprays as an alternative.
"The residue doesn't get stuck on my teeth and it absorbs into my mouth really fast," she tells ABC News. "The first time my mouth got really numb, but I like the taste."
Nicole’s doctors have expressed numerous concerns about the health repercussions. Many deodorants contain aluminum, which can lead to seizures, dementia and even death.
“Ingesting chemicals and preservatives over the long-term may lead to increased risk of cancer or other digestive disorders,” explains Mike Dow, TLC’s psychologist consultant. "These addicts often need a wake-up call to be confronted with the consequences of their behavior which often helps them to create change."
Ingesting items that are not food is known as pica, and is seen more frequently in young children. Ten to 36 per cent of children aged 1 to 6 exhibit this behaviour, eating things like clay, paint, sand and hairballs.
Dow says that some children who turn to items like drywall or toilet paper may have cravings because of a mineral deficiency.
In adulthood, pica can be triggered by lack of iron or zinc – but often it evolves into a way to “self-soothe and manage anxiety,” he explains.
“My Strange Addiction” has featured a number of other odd cravings and addictions.
In 2011, it featured a woman who ate the inside of couch cushions – chomping down about 15 times a day.
"I unzip the cushions and snack on the foam inside," she tells TLC at the time. "And once I start I just can't stop. But now doctors have told me that if I carry on, my addiction will kill me."
More recently, the show has featured people who eat cat fur, laundry detergent, cornstarch and a woman so addicted to VapoRub that she goes through more than 30 jars, inhalers and patches every week.
“When pica is not caused by an iron deficiency, it is often a disturbance in the thought process," explains Dr. G. Richard Locke, a gastrologist and motility expert from the Mayo Clinic.
Nicole has tried to stop eating deodorant, and while she says she has cut back, she still eats a small amount each day.
"It's really soft," she says. "It feels like it melts in my mouth. Deodorant really has a unique taste of its own."
