By Becky Polini
It’s gone. It was on the bedside table a few hours ago but now, in the dead of night, it has disappeared. A feeling of panic takes over as every pant pocket is checked, every surface scanned. The need for it is overwhelming and, at this moment, true acceptance takes place.
You’re addicted. To Chapstick.
Lip balm dependency — fact or fiction? With the winter months rapidly approaching, it is becoming more common to see people digging through their purses and pockets in an attempt to find a bit of comfort to slather on their lips. This evidence seems to suggest that habit or not, applying Chapstick is a do-or-die situation for some.
Rumors that Chapstick has ingredients in it to provoke addiction have gone from word of mouth to World Wide Web, with one website offering support to those in need. Lipbalmanonymous.com, a Web site completely devoted to those who feel they are addicted to the seemingly harmless substance, has a Lip Balm Anonymous club whose “primary purpose is to stay free from lip balm and to help others achieve the same freedom.” Links on the site include the “Addict Denial Page” and “Chapstick Conspiracy.” Those in denial of their addiction are free to post opinions and stories regarding why they feel their problem is not one for the textbooks.
According to medical experts, there is no evidence to suggest that Chapstick is physically addictive. Though avid users claim otherwise, Dr. Tony Manos, a family physician in West Chester, Pa., argues against the idea of becoming dependent.
“I do believe that it is truly an oral fixation,” he said. “A fixation that is not, by any stretch of the imagination, addictive in the truest sense of the word.”
Tanya, who deals with product quality concerning the Chapstick brand and would not reveal her last name, assured me in an e-mail message that Chapstick does not contain any addictive ingredients. However, she said that if I do feel as though I’m addicted to the product, she would like to gather additional and confidential information regarding my habit.
It is interesting to note, however, that so many people truly believe they are physically dependent on the stuff.
In an article by Rob Schneider and Danese Kenon on IndyStar.com, Jay Stokes sets off to break the world record for the number of parachute jumps in 24 hours. Though one may think his daily needs would include food, perhaps a shower and maybe a cell phone to contact family, Stokes claimed his needs included nothing but water and lip balm.
Another article published in Psychology Today by Charles R. Larson tells the story of the author’s own addiction to lip balm and how he unintentionally passed the habit on to his two year-old son.
“His addiction has transformed him into a thief,” he says. “He’s discovered the tube I keep in the car, the one in the kitchen and the one in my briefcase. He will enter my study, climb up on my desk and locate the tube there, no matter where I try to hide it.”
Carly Wilmot, senior at Philadelphia University, says she goes through a tube per week.
“I wake up in the middle of the night to put it on,” she says. “I can’t imagine going even an hour without it.”
HealthCentral.com dealt with an e-mail question regarding one woman’s incessant need to apply. Dr. Dean Edell answered the inquiry by saying that yes, you can get into a vicious cycle with Chapstick. This isn’t truly an addiction in the classic sense, but the struggle to kick the habit is similar. He suggests simply “cutting back.”
Dr. Manos agrees, saying he believes it’s simply a difficult habit to break — a habit which can be tamed with the gradual weaning of the number of applications per day.
Kirsty McLeod wrote an article for The Times in London which seems to agree that incessant application can lead to irreparable damage.
“Unlike the rest of the face, the skin on the lips has no oil glands and, as it is thinner than the rest of the body, blood vessels are situated closer to the surface — which is why lips appear warm and red,” she says. “Lips are vulnerable and during the winter months you could end up with lip-balm addiction.”
A true addict may not be applying Chapstick for the sheer cosmetic lure of a rosy pout, but possibly to avoid the feeling of panic that dry lips seem to bring. While physicians may claim that physical addiction is entirely impossible, the countless people on campus with Blistex tubes all but glued to their hands may not agree the problem is all in their heads.
In reality, the only 12 steps these folks will need are to the nearest trashcan.
