The Lip balm Addiction

Hi, my name is Gabrielle and I’m addicted to lip balm. No, this isn’t an AA confession, but a realization that a small tube of wax controls a big part of my life. I’ve been consciously aware of my problem for 10 years and have been habitually feeding this addiction for eight. I’m not sure exactly how it started but I remember when I was a little girl watching my mom put on her make-up in the bathroom. She told me I was too young to wear lipstick but after a few “I just wanna be like you” lines she gave me lip balm instead.

Between then and now my addiction grew. I craved it more, I used it more and when I was without it (even for a second) I became crazier. I slept with it under my pillow for my nighttime cravings. I began doing research to find the best types of lip balm, best flavors, and longest lasting. But when you crave it, you learn to sacrifice jobs, class lectures, and intense intellectual conversations to feed that addiction.

I am not the only one addicted to lip balm.

Lip balm fanatics agree that “something” in the product got them hooked—they say it’s addicting. But the only people aware of the ingredients used in the products are the companies who make them, the FDA who approves them and doctors who test them. Some experts estimate the number of addicts is in the millions, though there is no data to confirm it. The idea of being caught without lip balm sends some into a frenzy. In fact, the serious users won’t be able to finish this paragraph without applying, because it’s been 15 minutes since their last hit. But to others, lip balm addiction is simply a myth.

With such extreme usage and dedicated routines for a one-and-a-half inch wax stick (or a 1’x1’ inch tube for those who prefer), the only word that can adequately describe some people’s passionate relationship with lip balm is addiction.

And according to the American Psychological Association, addiction “is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.”

But how do you know if you’re addicted?  Find out the answer with this quick test:

Testing the Lipbalm Addiction

Three characteristics typically go along with addiction: tolerance, withdraw and cravings, says Dr. Carl Lejuez, a professor and director of the Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research within the Department of Psychology at University of Maryland College Park. Tolerance means using more of a substance to get the same effect. Withdrawal is the physical need felt after trying to cut back on a product, and craving is the idea that a person will do anything possible get substance.

“A good water test is to go a full day or week without it,” Lejuez say. “If you feel anxious or depressed or frustrated, that’s a pretty good sign that you’re experiencing some withdraw and if you feel like you want to do anything you can to get it then you’re probably craving it.”

Now that we know if we’re addicted or not to lip balm,  it’s time to meet real-life lip balm addicts and learn more about the “addicting” ingredient in these tubes.  Click here for Part 2.