Dear Tire Guy | May 2021
Here is a brief list of things that I do not enjoy eating:
Cucumbers, pickles, cheese logs, my own words, anyone's "dust" and tires. Now, of course, all of these things suck. (P.S. if you like cheese logs we can't be friends. Sorry not sorry.) But you may say, "Tire Guy, who ON EARTH would even eat TIRES?" and then I would be all like, "This random teenage girl from Georgia. It's totally weird." And THEN i would actually tell you about this girl and stop padding my lazy introduction for content.
Addiction hijacks the brain, alters its chemistry and reward system and a person loses control over their use of a certain substance, even despite adverse effects of its use. This happens with drugs, alcohol and in the case of Allison from Georgia, tire shavings. Allison was 19 when her story found media attention in 2013 and was featured on an episode of My Strange Addiction. Why Tires? She says, "The Texture of the rubber pieces is like beef jerky. It's a workout for your jaw." As somebody who's had tire shavings blasted directly into their face many times, I concur.
Her habit began as a little girl when she would chew on the feet of her dolls. She became addicted to the chewy, rubbery consistency. By 2013 she had eaten the equivalent of 50 car tires. Sounds like an expensive habit, right? Wrong. Her fiance at the time, Sammy, worked in a tire production facility, meaning her strange addiction was both enabled and paid the bills. How did he feel about this odd habit? He is quoted as saying it was "strange," and admitted her to a hospital. Where is she now? (Not going to make a joke about auditioning as the Michelin Woman) I wish I could tell you. Trust me, I looked. I can only hope she found the help she so obviously needed.
Friends: Don't eat tires. There's a lot of chemicals in there. If you know somone who eats tires, tell them to stop. The only dishes your tires belong on are new wheels. And by the way, it's mostly spring now. Enjoy the outdoors. Safely of course.
Until next month, Drive on!
The Tire Guy