ice addiction help!!!

[Ava_mommy]

I'm addicted to chewing ice. I chew 2-3 cups  a day I love chewing ice is this normal??.

[Tswana]

Hi yes it IS normal its a condition known as PICA and people eat all sorts of even more crazy stuff than ice! It can also end up as exstreme as self abuse and self harm in some cases 2 Schools of thought on it is Deficiency of some kind and/or Stress. Lots of info on the web about it xxxx

[clean_in_ks]

Welcome to the forum~  There really IS a name for this......it's called "pagophagia".  You can bing or google it and learn more if you wish.
The most common cause is an iron deficiency....a simple blood test can tell you if you are low in iron.  In most cases, once iron levels are increased...the constant desire to chew ice stops.

Another big thing, as mentioned above, is the damage you can do to your teeth.  Hope you are able to find some answers...wishing you the best~

[cstep496]

Ava, my wife had the same issue with chewing ice. She actually went to the Dr. for it. What hers was, is a mineral that  that she was low on that the body needs. That somehow strangely chewing ice produces a little of. I can not recall what mineral it was, but if sure if you go to your Dr. or Google it you'll find out. May not be your case but maybe?

[CRSeaside]

Dear Ava, I met a lady in my Jazzercise Dance class & she had terrible teeth. Later she confided in me it was caused by her compulsive ice chewing. Also the double whammy of being pregnant.
      See your dentist, to be sure you aren't causing dental damage.

    Do some soul searching,as Weaver above post) suggests. Pamela

[weaver71]

This sounds like it could be similar to cutting or punching walls. Do you feel like you have some deep pain you haven't dealt with? Do you see yourself as a good person and capable? The intense sensation could be compulsive behavior that distracts you. Maybe something to think about. I have never seen chewing ice as an addiction personally, but anything can be an addiction. Doing something and not knowing why, doing it even though you said you would stop and believed yourself. Compulsion is a key sign when I notice an addiction, often it is linked to something being avoided, but not always.