I'm Addicted to ChapStick

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Chapstick image from Official Chapstick Site

Hi. My name is Jamie and I'm addicted to ChapStick. I have tubes of it all over my house, in drawers, change dishes, and sometimes I've accidentally run them through the washer. I place them in strategic places all over the place, just in case I need a fix.

I wasn't always this way. Back in Ohio, I rarely touched the stuff. But my friend Les was already addicted. If he left the house without one, he had to turn around and go home, or stop at a quickie mart for a tube or two. Foolishly, I made fun of him. Then, I moved to Nevada, and my addiction started. It started innocently enough--just enough to ease the chapping. Then I found myself smooshing it on every time I noticed my lips were dry. That's how it starts.

Now, I'm a hopeless addict. The last time I forgot my stick, I dug through my desk drawer at work, finding a broken stick. I applied it to my lips with a Q-Tip. But it doesn't have to be ChapStick brand. It can be Blistex, Carmex, Vaseline, or even a Walgreens or Wal-Mart substitute, I don't care. The Other Half is a more choosy addict. . .he won't touch the cherry or strawberry flavors (a way to hook the kids, I suspect), unless he's really desperate.

Las Vegas is a difficult place to be a lip balm addict. In the summertime, temperatures can run in the 100s (110s sometimes) for weeks or months. My precious little tubes tend to melt in that weather, even in my pocket. That's when you have to resort to the petroleum jelly squeeze tubes. Scalding your lips with hot petroleum though is no picnic.

It turns out that I'm not alone. There are others with my affliction (besides Les, of course). But I'm not ready to quit yet. Just a few more tubes, and then I'll stop.

[Excerpt (yeah, it's old, but so what?]

A monkey on my lips

For 26 years, I've harbored a craving for this inexpensive substance both day and night, winter, spring, summer and fall. No matter the hour or season, I need my Chap Stick . . .

Read more at: Lip Balm Anonymous