My Addiction

For about 12 years I had a true addiction to sugar free gum.

It all started in Biology class in 9th grade. The guy sitting in front of me told me I had bad breath. After that, I started chewing Extra spearmint gum, secretly in class. I never got caught.

The addiction escalated as the years went on. In the gumming world there are some gums that are mild and some that have a little more kick to them. Extra spearmint is fairly mild. Extra wintergreen gets a little more strong. Eventually, I was chewing Eclipse, which would shock the senses out of a non-gum chewer. It got to the point where if I ran out of gum, I would immediately go to the store to get another pack. That's when I knew I had to stop the addiction.

Two years ago, I quit cold-turkey. I just stopped chewing. I've been able to stay away from gum ever since and turn it down when offered.

This whole pregnancy thing may change me for the worst.

Right now, I am having mild nausea most of the day. It's not bad enough to hit the toilet, but I can taste that nasty bitter taste that usually happens right before you pray to the porcelain god. That taste is in my mouth most of the time.

I remember when I was about 10 or so years old. I was visiting my cousin, who lived quite a ways away, and I caught a stomach flu. I was vomiting at her house and on the car ride back home. Halfway through the car ride, my aunt gave me a piece of bubble gum to chew. After I had that gum in my mouth, the bitter taste was gone and I didn't throw up any more.

I think I will pick up some Extra at the store today and see if it makes me feel better. Hopefully this will be a temporary set-back in my quest to conquer my addiction.