Chewing gum

Hi, I'm Julia, and I'm a chewaholic. Since middle school, I have been (on and off) addicted to gum. I'm not quite sure how my addiction started, but it's been strong enough to prevail through six or seven years of my life. I have actually become a gum connoisseur; I have tried countless brands and flavors of sugarless gum out there, and I have a strong opinion about every single one. Just for kicks, my current gum of choice for the past few months has been the Apple Pineapple trident layers.

A sugarless gum addiction seems like no big deal; after all, I could be hooked on cigarettes, right? Well, here's the conundrum; is the trident doing enough good things for me to outweigh the negatives (and yes, there are negatives)? I think I will make a pros and cons list.

Pros of chewing:

-It cleans my teeth

-It tastes delicious

-It relieves my anxiety

-It keeps me awake, for example, during a boring class.

-It is a better addiction to have than most other addictions (I'm not sure if this is a pro or just an excuse to keep chewing :/)

NOW, the CONS:

- There are many issues I have regarding oral fixation habits... Mainly I think they block the body's natural signals of hunger and fullness.

- Gum causes bloating

- A gum habit like mine adds up in expenses.

- The gum has probably increased my tolerance for sweetness and therefore makes me crave more sweets.

- Gum causes acid reflux

- Gum can cause lock jaw

...

I am sure there are more, but that's really enough cons for me to say that I should stop chewing so much gum.

As this relates to happiness, if gum makes me less happy than I would be without it, I should stop chewing it. I think that this relates to any other addiction. If it causes more harm than good, stopping is the best option.

But then there's the actual stopping part...

Easier said than done.

I guess we'll just have to see if I have the will power and motivation to truly stop chewing!