Our list of five strange addictions will surely shock you. People from all over the world suffer from many types of dependencies. You probably already know of at least one person (if not many more) who is addicted to food, drugs, alcohol or tobacco. But all of these are seen throughout the world.

At least one of the addictions in this article may leave you scratching your head in disbelief. From extreme body modifications, to a bizarre funeral addiction, we are definitely going to share some information that will fascinate you. We will first start off with an interesting image of the brain.

Chemical Differences In The Brain Between Addicts And Non-Addicts

Dopamine is a compound that is present in the body as a neurotransmitter. The compound is also a precursor of other substances (such as epinephrine). It plays a role in behavior and cognition, punishment, motivation, attention, sleep, mood, voluntary movement, learning and working memory.

Above is a positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan that shows chemical differences in the brain between addicts and non-addicts. The bottom row shows brain images of non-addicts, while the top row shows abnormal images from patients who suffered with addiction disorders. The scan clearly shows that the addicts have fewer than average dopamine receptors in their brains. Therefore, weaker dopamine signals are sent between cells. Let’s begin our list of weird addictions.

#1 Hair Pulling

Trichotillomania (also known as hair pulling disorder and trichotillosis) is a disorder involving a compulsive urge to pull out one’s hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows and other areas (such as the arms or pubic area) where hair is present. The addict continues to pull their hair despite attempts to stop. Sadly, the disorder can lead to noticeable hair loss and even eventually balding.

Although there is no single cause of trichotillomania, it is believed to be a reflection of a mental health issue. There are psychological and behavioral theories suggesting victims may be pulling their hair out as a way of relieving stress or anxiety. According to some experts, the disorder is closely related to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Suffers of trichotillomania may be treated with behavior modification programs. They may also be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

A patient suffering from trichotillomania. You can see a pattern of incomplete hair loss on his scalp.

See a video of a woman who is addicted to eating her cat’s hair on 5 Of The Most Disgusting Habits.

#2 Body Modifications

Throughout the world, there are people who will deliberately alter their physical appearance and participate in body modification. Body modification can be done to create body art for the purpose of sexual enhancement, attention, or other reasons. The addiction can start off with something as simple as ear piercings. A simple procedure common in females (not uncommon in males). But for some, soon after they pierce their ears, they will make more alterations to their anatomy. They may move on to subdermal implants and other alterations that involve multiple plastic surgeries.

Examples Of Body Modification

A man with a facial tattoo and eyelid piercing.

Tongue splitting is another form of body modification.

Above is a man from the early 1900s. His scars were not caused by an accident. They were deliberately and permanently created. This is yet another form of a body modification practice called scarification.

#3 Internet Dating

Do you enjoy online dating sites? This is very common. According to recent research from Statistic Brain, there are 54,250,000 singles in the United States. The total number of people in the U.S. who have tried online dating is 41,250,000. Match.com alone is said to have 21,575,000 members.

Online dating is easy to use. It also allows people of all backgrounds to find someone special. There are even sites designed for a specific request (such as one who wants a beautiful or ugly date). Dating websites are virtually everywhere. There are ads all over the Internet (including social media). You can even watch your daily television show and see commercials from popular online dating sites. Therefore, it may not seem surprising that one can become addicted to using them.

The online dating addiction comes in many forms such as chatting, viewing profiles or meeting the contacts. This can become a big problem for the addict. Besides spending too much money on membership fees and time surfing through profiles, online dating sites are often used by those who are already in a relationship, or even married. This is what makes it even more dangerous.

#4 Funerals

Though most people dread going to funerals, some can be addicted to them. A Brazilian man named Luis Squarisi is an example of a case of funeral addiction. Since1983, Squarisi has attended every single funeral in his town. He has even chosen to quit his job just to keep feeding his bizarre addiction. Every morning he wakes up, he turns on the radio to see if anyone in his town has died.

So when did Squarisi’s addiction start? After his father’s death in 1983. After seeing his father dead, Squarisi became obsessed with funerals and became addicted to attending all of them in his town.

#5 Baby Addiction

Naturally, most women want to experience pregnancy and child birth. But did you known that some women can actually become addicted to it? With a baby addiction, the mother feels like she needs to have more children regardless if the decision is not good for the rest of the family.

A Well-Known Woman With A Baby Addiction

An example of a woman with a baby addiction is Nadya Suleman (known as Octomom). Suleman has four daughters and ten sons. But this is absolutely nothing compared to the crazy world record below.

Who Owns The World Record For Having The Most Kids?

The world record for the most children born to one mother belongs to Mrs. Valentina Vassilyeva. She is the wife of Mr. Feodor Vassilyev (b. 1707–c.1782). Feodor was a peasant from Shuya, Russia.

Mrs. Vassilyeva had a whopping 69 children in 27 confinements. This includes 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets. Though many people find this story hard to believe, many contemporaneous sources suggest it is true. It is listed in Guinness World Records.

For a list of more insane world records, visit our article called 10 Crazy World Records.

Final Words

Out of our list of 5 strange addictions, which was the most bizarre to you? Was it the online dating dependence, or maybe funerals? Do you know of anyone who is currently suffering from any of the five mentioned? One thing is certain, these are some of the strangest addictions known to man.