Lizzie Foster. Credit PA
Bad habits I need to get out of...
- Biting my nails - I do this when I am nervous.
- Singing in the office. I'm sure everyone wants to slap me.
- Getting really excited about what happened in GoT and giving hints away to people.
- Supporting Tottenham Hotspur.
All of them, apart from the last, are things I can easily stop doing if I really put my mind to it. The last one is really shit for me. Still, I have a mate who's a Sheffield Wednesday fan. And one who's a Notts County supporter. Life could be worse.
It's common that people get addicted to white powders, but this addiction is not your typical one. One lady has had a near decade-long addiction to talcum powder! Seriously.
25-year-old mum-of-two Lizzie Foster has digested an incredible QUARTER OF A TONNE over this time.
A nice dose of talcum powder. Credit: PA
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As reported in The Mirror, this equates to 31-stone in weight. Jesus!
How the hell do you get addicted to talcum powder?
Well this interesting addiction started as a craving when she was pregnant with her daughter, Ruby. Assuming it'd stop after the birth, Lizzie was surprised that this demand continued.
The cleaner, from Hampshire, explains that she takes some for her lunch every day: "When I go to work, I carry a tub of it in my bag to have as a snack." That must be an interesting topic for new staff members.
'What's that you're tucking into Lizzie'.
'Ah, you know, a bit of talcum powder. It's dead moreish'.
'Oh...right...fair enough'.
What more can you say?
But it wasn't until she was having her second child, Billy, that the cravings got so bad that she let people know about this addiction:
"We were sat watching a show and I craved it," she told. "I craved it so much I didn't care what my family thought anymore."
Lizzie and Billy. Credit: PA
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Recently, however, it has been detrimental to her health, but she's still not at the stage yet where she can wean herself off the white stuff:
"I've looked it up to see if it's harmful and it says it could be to the lungs and now I'm tempted to ask my doctor.
"I've not tried to break my addiction but if I found out it was bad for me I would stop." Seems rather contradictory, that!
However, I've since done a bit of research and found out that talc is used as a food additive. Maybe there's something in her addiction? Furthermore, Pica disorder is a recognised illness where you get addicted to eating non-edible substances. Remember the lady who ate sponges? lady who ate sponges?
And how much has this cost? Well, as addictions go, this is one that's not too costly. Lizzie reckons that, overall, funding the habit has cost £800. She must be buying budget talc. Cheap.
Let's hope she can start the road to recovery. She really needs to keep dry and stay dry from this.
Words Patrick Hulbert
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