You Might Be Addicted To ChapStick If This Happens To You
There is always that one friend in the group — it might be you — who simply cannot survive without ChapStick, claiming they are utterly and completely addicted. While no one enjoys having chapped lips, there is a difference between having to moisturize them and needing the constant comfort of the ChapStick to get through the day. But, are you really addicted? According to Healthline, addiction and habit are, in fact, two different things.
A habit is an action or routine that gets more difficult to give up the longer it is practiced, like placing your napkin on your lap or stretching when you wake up, while an addiction is more of an obsessive behavior that is hard to derail, regardless of negative effects (via Alvernia University). According to the American Psychiatric Association, addictions will cause personality changes, extreme behaviors, and can even cause you to alter your life's path. Typically, a lack of ChapStick would not be the culprit for you losing your job or stealing from your family; however, a lip balm habit can result in some problematic behaviors.
When ChapStick becomes a problem
According to Healthline, you may have a ChapStick problem if it becomes the reason your day-to-day activities suffer. Examples include: arriving late to an appointment because you could not find your balm, keeping a stick stashed in multiple places, or frivolous spending in search of the perfect lip moisturizer. If your need to re-apply becomes more important than turning your car signal on, you may have to assess and make some adjustments for your ChapStick habit. As for an actual addiction, there are no ingredients in lip balm that are considered "addicting" or that can prevent your lips and mouth from naturally producing moisture (via WebMD).
It is worth noting that according to WebMD, there are some ingredients in lip moisturizers that may irritate your lips due to an allergy, or even cause them to become drier, which can play a part in the overuse of your lip moisturizer. Look for ingredients such as flavoring, fragrance, phenol, and oxybenzone as possible triggers for drying and agitated lips or surrounding skin.