Just how bad are you when gum addiction is a possibility?
I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I go into paroxysms if I don’t get it. For the first fifty-two and one-half years of my life I wouldn’t even touch the stuff. I used to look at gum chewers as cows chewing their cud. Gum snappers were even worse. I can go still go days, weeks and even months without having any at all.
But, give me a pack and it’s gone within an hour or two. That’s right, fifteen sticks of gum, chewed and swallowed (I know, icky), gone. Who eats a pack of gum in a few hours? Me.
I chew it for a bit and then, without even thinking about it, I swallow it and reach for another piece. It’s not like being addicted to gum is that bad for you or even that costly. I can buy a pack for .89 cents. It just seems so…ridiculous.
I started chewing it because my wife noticed that I had bad breath, breath she said smelled like moth balls. I have excellent teeth and clean gums, so we went to the gastro guy and, for various other reasons as well, he did an upper endoscopy.
My stomach was fine, there was nothing either in it or my esophagus that would cause me to have bad breath. So, my wife suggested that, in between tooth brushing, I chew some gum.
And look where that got me!
I mentioned this to my therapist today and she was pleased that I was so self-aware. I guess I’m taking forward steps in recovery. I wonder if I should add that I can’t chew gum in safety to my inventory?
M
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