Addicted to chewing and eating ice

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Believe it or not, chewing excessive amounts of ice is not only damaging to your teeth, but it also is a real condition called Pagophagia. Pagophagia is a form of pica , and this is the name of this particular type of condition. There are some indications that chewing copious amounts of ice is the result of an iron deficiency called anemia.

Treatment for this type of addiction may be in the form of addressing the iron deficiency. An iron deficiency test can be taken by visiting your doctor and having blood drawn to ascertain the iron levels in your blood. However, if anemia is ruled out then the treatment necessary may involve going to see a specialist in the field of OCD. OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and this could be the culprit. Other causes that have been cited for ice chewing and eating including stress.

Chewing ice, while not necessarily life threatening, can have terrible consequences to your teeth and can in some cases crack your teeth causing permanent damage. Addressing the problem early assures you will have a better smile tomorrow. Keep in mind as well, that many people suffering from one form of Pica, often suffer from another so be sure to make sure that you address each and every addiction and/or compulsive behavior you may have to assure you do no long term damage.
For help with your Pica, see: Eating disorder referral

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Alcoholic Energy drinks may be banned in South Carolina

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Energy drinks containing alcohol are likely to get "canned" literally off of the shelves in South Carolina. After a unanimous vote to ban the alcoholic energy drinks by a South Carolina House subcommittee Thursday, many convenience stores will be pulling the drinks off of the shelves soon.

Testimony by law enforcement at the Thursday meeting said that the energy drinks were especially harmful to those that are underage due to the "fruity" flavor of the drinks offering a buzz and a boost of energy. Coupled with the inexpensive price per can of around $3.00, many young people were finding this an affordable beverage.
Studies conducted by the University of Florida found that those that drank the alcoholic energy drink were four times more likely to operate a vehicle while drinking the beverage as opposed to those that just drank only alcoholic beverages.

College students are collectively against the ban stating that the government has no right to place a ban on beverages they have a right to drink. However, law enforcers say that there are high school aged students that are drinking them as well. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department has discovered the alcoholic energy drinks at 75 percent to 80 percent of recent teen parties they’ve raided, said Steve Collins, a detective with the Sheriff’s Department.

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• Energy drink consumption linked to increased risk of alcoholism [Causationfail] (io9.com)
• Should alcoholic energy drinks be banned on college campuses? (mnn.com)
• Alcoholic energy drinks banned (bendbulletin.com)