10. Pagophagia – Chewing Ice
Who doesn’t like chewing ice on a hot summer day? Of course, some people may not be able to partake, mainly because of teeth or gum sensitivity. But those that can know how pleasant it is to chew on ice in between sips of cold beverages, especially when the sun is scorching!
There are people out there who take it one step further. It’s not enough to chew on a few ice cubes and their compulsion pushed them to eat more and more and more. This addiction isn’t as harmful as others on our list but it could lead to dental complications and naturally comes with all the other issues that revolve around an addiction- the inability to stop, the inability to focus on other tasks, forgoing prior arrangements, or dropping promises in favor of the addictive behavior, etc.
Studies have shown that most people who chew ice actually start doing so due to an iron deficiency. Once that problem is solved, patients find it easier to stop their compulsive tendencies.
However, this is not the case for everyone. There may be underlying issues that need to be dealt with. These could be harder to identify. For example, chewing ice may be a symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, in which case physicians might find it very difficult to find the root of the cause. Other people might suffer from developmental disorders or elevated levels of stress that are pushing them to chew ice as a way to cope or release themselves.
