My Strange Addiction

It's not dirt or tree bark or anything mind boggling like that... My strange addiction is strange because I didn't used to like "it" at all. And now "it," which is really more of a "they," is/are the only thing I want to eat. Yes - I'm talking about a food, of course. And oddly enough, it isn't chocolate, which I have had a love affair with for most of my life. This strange addiction is worse than any craving for chocolate I've ever experienced. It was born back in May of 2011 when we went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries after Brailey's dance recital. You might be thinking it was their delicious food, but no. It wasn't the burgers or the fries that got me started on my daily addiction, although their burgers and fries are TO DIE FOR...! What was it? It was the PEANUTS!
Now you know what I mean when I say "strange." Seriously, have you ever heard of such a thing? For some bizarre reason, I decided to crack a few peanuts while we were waiting for our food. I must have been starving, because normally, peanuts are one of my least favorite things to eat. Much to my surprise, however, they tasted so good! After munching on those delicious little peanuts from Five Guys, I decided to buy some more, not realizing I was setting myself up for a horrible future affliction I would battle with on a daily basis for months...! By the time fall rolled around, peanuts were pretty much the only thing I was eating, and even worse, the only thing I wanted to eat!
Let me try to describe to you how serious this is... I could eat peanuts morning-noon-and-night. I could eat peanuts and nothing else for the rest of my life. I could eat peanuts 24/7. I am positively addicted to peanuts! And even crazier? Only the salted ones, and they have to be in the shell - I don't like them any other way. And even more specifically? They have to be Hoody's in the big bag - no other brand tastes as good, and even the smaller bags of Hoody's have a slightly different flavor than the big bags do. If I sound nuts to you, let me assure you, I AM!
When the New Year rolled around, I decided I must stop the insanity. And my family agreed it would be a good idea. After all, enough is enough, right? A person cannot just LIVE on peanuts. What kind of an example is that for my B's? Although they are said to be a good food for your brain, I have to face the truth. They are TERRIBLE BAD FOR ME - salty and fattening. They're messy. They're time-consuming to eat. They're bad for my teeth. Did I mention they are SHEER FAT?
In the beginning of my addiction, I told myself they were actually GOOD for me. I was actually PROUD of the fact that I had found something halfway healthy to eat. I didn't know they were bad until I candidly shared with the checker at Bi-Mart (the best place to buy peanuts, in case you were wondering) that I had traded in my chocolate addiction (which was NOTHING compared to this peanut addiction) for peanuts. The checker lady gave me a sardonic look and said, "I think you should have stuck with the chocolate." I thought she was just a rude, grumpy and frankly mean old checker lady, until I sat eating peanut after peanut in front of my mother, who enlightened me to the true facts of life about peanuts...
I wish I could write about how I have kicked them to the curb and I am now peanut free, but I have to be honest and tell you that I have been having a terrible time giving them up. And NOW I know how it feels to be truly addicted to something! I have gone an entire week without them two different times since the New Year began, but then I caved in and thought I could handle just a few at a time. And that is how I know it is an addiction - it is all or nothing for me. And when I don't have them? I experience withdrawals. I ransack the pantry trying to find something to replace them! Even my old friend chocolate can't fill the void I feel without my peanuts. I literally sit and crave, crave, crave my peanuts. Can you believe it? Have you ever heard of such a ridiculous obsession? I honestly would like to know what it is about them I am craving... What is it that makes me so desperate to have these little morsels of delight?
So I'm going public with my demon. I'm going to get this monkey off my back once and for all! I cannot continue to self-destruct in this manner. Sadly, my family likes to eat peanuts, also - not to the degree than I love them, but all four of us B's enjoys eating peanuts. However, my B's will be supportive of me "getting off" them. I know this, because those two weeks I went without, they never asked for peanuts for themselves one time. I'll keep you posted on how I do with this strange problem of mine. Say some prayers for me, okay? Seriously, I need all the help I can get! If they had a rehab center for peanuts, I would SO BE THERE. And while I am thankful not to be an alcoholic or a drug addict, I do recognize that I have a problem, and that, my friends, is the first step to overcoming it, right? Right. So I'm on the right track. Just as soon as I finish this last bag of peanuts...