r/addiction • u/CisseBen • 20h ago
Venting I got hooked on chewing ice.
I got hooked on chewing ice. It started harmlessly during college. I would finish my drink and absentmindedly crunch the leftover cubes. Soon, I was buying bags of ice from the gas station just to chew. The sound, the texture, even the cold sting on my teeth gave me a bizarre kind of satisfaction. Friends joked that I must be a penguin in disguise.
It got weirder when I realized I craved it at odd times, like sneaking to the freezer at 2 a.m. or choosing restaurants based on the kind of ice they served. My dentist warned me I was destroying my enamel, but the urge was stronger than the pain. Eventually, I learned it was linked to low iron levels, and once I treated the deficiency, the craving faded. Looking back, it feels almost comical, but at the time it felt like a real addiction, one that made my freezer sound like a slot machine every night.
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u/KittensLeftLeg 19h ago
This is not an addiction but a compulsive behavior. OP I recommend checking if you have ocd or something similar. If you don't have it just have fun chewing ice. I heard its good for teeth health (but don't take my word for it I don't remember where and when I was told that, might be bs)
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u/krispy-cloud 19h ago
It's really common with iron deficiency, and like OP said, treating the problem stopped the craving. Any time people have a compulsion to eat weird things, it's a good idea to look into nutrient deficiency before assuming a psychiatric cause.
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u/divincamping 18h ago
I've had that for years. Its anaemia. Bad iron deficiency. Get an iron infusion and the cravings disappear
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u/Marikrih 19h ago
I'm there right now. I've been like this since I was little! It's crazy because my Mom craved ice when she was pregnant with me and no other time in her life. I've had my iron levels checked and it's normal. I don't get it but I crave ice like crazy. Especially before bed. I sit there and eat a ton of ice.
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u/divincamping 18h ago
I've had that for years. Its anaemia. Bad iron deficiency. Get an iron infusion and the cravings disappear
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u/divincamping 18h ago
I've had that for years. Its anaemia. Bad iron deficiency. Get an iron infusion and the cravings disappear.
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u/Redahned1214 15h ago
I crave raw meat, which is also a sign of low iron, but much less socially acceptable 😞
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u/vegasgal 12h ago
I loved chewing ice, too. I found what is called ’rabbit poo’ ice. Or maybe that’s just the name the locals call it. Anyway, it nice little town softish bits that look like rabbit poop, seriously. They don’t crack your teeth. I chewed ice because I was anemic. One day it dawned on me that I wasn’t interested in chewing ice anymore. If you protect your teeth, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Sonic has this type of ice. So do some convenience stores.
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u/OversensitiveRhubarb 11h ago
Try a multi-mineral or mult-vitamin with minerals in it for about a week of regular usage. A good one, like Thorne or Pure Encapsulations.
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u/NovelShelter7489 19h ago
So you probably have Pica, do some research. At least its not ICE ice. I drink far too much pure lemon juice and my enamel is going the same way.
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u/youdontgetityet 19h ago
chewing ice to an eating disorder? that’s a big stretch.
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u/NovelShelter7489 19h ago
The term pica means the desire to eat something with zero nutritional value. Look it up.
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u/youdontgetityet 19h ago
“Pica is an eating disorder characterized by compulsively eating non-food items that have no nutritional value.”
eating disorder
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