Chapstick Addiction

Hi, I’m Nick and I’m addicted to chapstick.

In my back right pocket is my wallet, in my front right pocket are my keys, and in my front left pocket is my phone and my chapstick.  It’s been that way for all of my adult life.  If any one ingredient is missing, it feels weird.  I don’t think I’ve ever run out a tube of chapstick.  I always lose it before it’s gone, and then I buy a new one to restore balance in my pocket universe.

I didn’t learn the extent of my addiction until earlier this month.  At some point during the wedding reception I unintentionally parted ways with my chapstick (it’s very possible it ended up at the bottom of the pool), and spent the next several days without it.  It’s kind of embarrassing to say, but I was physically uncomfortable.  My lips felt terrible; they yearned for the stuff.

I went cold turkey for 5 days, which I guess is an indication it wasn’t all that bad — I obviously could have restocked sooner if I’d become seriously debilitated.

But I definitely felt like I needed it, not unlike how I imagine a smoker must feel when they need a cigarette.  Well clearly not “needed,” since I lived through it, but certainly a very strong want. Very strange.  Is Chapstick secretly laced with nicotine?

So I queried Google for “chapstick addiction” and found some interesting details — and 50,000 results!  (I guess it’s not as big an issue as “gum addiction“, which has 1.8 million results.)  First and foremost, I’m not the only one suffering from a self-diagnosed lip-balm addiction, which is always good to know, and some people have it way worse.   There is even a Lip Balm Anonymous site, that is the go-to source for information on chapstick addiction.

The medical community has responded to some questions from users, generally stating that lip-balm is not chemically addictive, but prolonged habitual use can create a physical and psychological addiction.  Interesting.

However there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that chapstick is bad for you over the long run, so I’m in no hurry to go through any 12 step program.  Worst case, I’ve learned I can survive without it in case we ever get separated again.

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