Addicted to Altoids!! (nicotine, sleep, addictive, stop)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OMG I have the same problem. I just can't stop. I eat two at a time and sometimes 3. I don't know whats going on. I don't do it with tick tacks or any other mint, just altoids. Did you find a solution?
Wow. I was hooked on altoids long, long ago. I believe it was one of my quit-smoking tools, of the many times I quit smoking, and then it was even worse with those Mentos chewey mints.
I would worry very much about taking in all that sugar all the time. Sugar is supposed to lower your immune response for several hours after you eat it.
When you are sooo hooked on something, taking action to stop must include some kind of replacement thing for the habit / addiction thing, or its too hard to break. I think the carrots idea is a great one, and carrots do have some sugar in them for you but in a more healthy form.
I was hooked on buying sweet things about every day til recently, and found if you eat sugar you crave sugar, and if you stop it the craving goes away, but first you will miss it.
Try eating raw, real food, and taking some liquid minerals for awhile, as you may be having misplaced food cravings due to a deficiency that may be iron, but may be more than iron, too.
I was addicted to Altoids for the last 2 years or so. 2-3 packs a day (more if I was stressed). My Altoid of choice was the peppermint Smalls (no sugar). And yes, it was the crunch. I found that different stores had older or newer supplies, and so where I bought the Altoids made a difference in the crunch. I would buy boxes at a time when they went on sale. When travelling in Europe, I switched to Smints, but they weren't as good. My friends thought I was crazy.
About a year ago I was denied the opportunity to give blood because my iron levels were low. I ate more red meat, spinach, lentils, etc. Apparently it wasn't enough, as I kept getting denied. I wasn't quite anemic, but nearly.
Four months ago I started taking iron-rich vitamins, and the cravings tapered off. I was eating 2-3 packs a WEEK instead. Still couldn't give blood. Started taking an iron supplement.
I have had no cravings for Altoids whatsoever since then, and have only recently figured it out. (I also got married a month ago and so wondered if it was the stress or change in life that did it.) Altoids don't taste nearly as good to me now as they did then. I only use them for breath freshening now, which doesn't create the craving to binge (like alcohol or chocolate addiction might if consume just a little).
I would say if you are addicted to Altoids, start taking iron supplements right away and watch what happens over a month or so. Of course you should consult with your doctor. But I think it's a good chance this is a form of pica, which it was for me.
Additionally, I take Prilosec every day for chronic acid reflux. Continued use of Prilosec (omeprazole) has been linked to iron loss.
Last edited by Phantasteek; 10-17-2008 at 01:49 PM..
Reason: Wanted to add more
A few years ago I was hooked on Altoids till I almost gave myself an ulser. I must have forgotten how bad they were cause I'm at it again. 2 cans a day. @ $2.00 a can it's not really funny. My wife is worried so now I hide how much I eat. Might as well be Crack..
OMG! I thought I was the only one. I eat/crunch them everyday--sometimes 2-3 tins, escpecially when I'm watching my favorite show. I've given up other sweets/cakes, etc. I really like the taste. I've been to the doctor and found out I have iron difficiency, and I'm anemic. I too have considered buying them by the bulk--I did once at Cosco, but they didn't last long. I find the more I have I'll go from one tin to the next. I also found that the releive my congestion during allergy season. It's the crunch!
There isn't anyone in the world, who eats as much altoids (wintergreen) as i do. I eat 6 to 12 can per day and there's nothing I can do to stop myself. I've been addicted for over six years and tried many things to eliminate this addiction, but nothing worked. I think that deep hypnosis may be the only option, but no-one does this technique anymore, it has been replaced with hypnotherapy, which doesn't work for me. I do know that deep hyponsis work for me, because 20yrs ago i use it to get rid of a problem and it hasn/t re-ocurred since. Does any one out there know a good traditional deep hynosis specialist??????????????????????????????????
Last edited by nomajune; 09-17-2010 at 02:32 PM..
Reason: need to add a sentence and alter the first sentence.
I can certainly relate--I love a good strong minty taste and I've gone thru my phases with them. What's worse for me is cough drops though--and when I go overseas I can get the really strong ones and I love those things. Interesting that you all are anemic--so am I. I don't know if it's the crunch I crave, but I always end up chewing them up about halfway thru, so maybe it is.
When I was in New Zealand, I was able to get these mints--forgot what they're called, but they were sort of like altoids only bigger and not as strong. When you sucked on them, at some point about halfway thru the middle would suddenly collapse and I loved that. I went thru my share of them and haven't had any since.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Altoid Addiction--Take Iron!
