Artificial Sweeteners

Around the month of September I bought a package of mints and a pack of Orbit gum (both sugar free, of course). Not too long after this purchase, I developed an oral fixation. I thought I was doing myself a favor by keeping a wad of gum in my mouth or a mint tucked in my cheek instead of stuffing my face with calorie-packed food. While avoiding the food was great, I became mildly obsessed with gum and mints. Whenever a piece lost its flavor, I popped another one right into my mouth. I also started drinking coffee. Over the summer, my mother and I would get the occasional iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts (hazelnut or French vanilla flavored, one Splenda and skim milk). For me this turned into a cup of hot or iced coffee almost everyday. I would stop by the cafeteria before heading to class to grab a cup to go. I couldn't drive anywhere without hitting the drive-up window first.
You might be thinking to yourself, "OK, but you still didn't eat. So what's the problem?" Here's the problem: I've become dependent on gum, mints and flavored coffee keeping me out of the pantry and refrigerator. I should be able to do this on my own! Also, there are companies that sell dessert flavored gum. For instance, I could easily go through a package of mint chocolate chip flavored gum (created by Extra) in about a day. It got to the point where I would have to sleep off headaches I had created myself from chewing gum for hours on end.
Let's look at the ingredients of a stick of gum. The bullets below represent the different sweeteners companies use to create their sugar-free gums.

• Acesulfame K
• Aspartame (CANCER CAUSING; most frequently used, not only in gum but in diet sodas and other diet drinks)
• Maltitol
• Sucralose
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

And just so you know, the FDA doesn't require gum companies to list all of the ingredients because "the packaging is so small." What am I actually putting in my mouth every time I break the seal of gum wrapper?
By using sweeteners, I'm essentially trying to attempt my mind into thinking I still have sugar in my diet. I've realized that when I chew gum, suck on mints or cough drops, drink iced coffee or diet soda drinks, my program becomes unglued. Cravings for sweet goodies begin to creep into my body. On more than one occasion I've given into these cravings. I've never gone for the processed sugar (thank you, God!) but I've reached for a piece of fruit. Again, you're probably thinking, "OK, that's fruit. What's the big deal?" Here's the big deal: currently I'm only allowed one piece of fruit a day. I commit one piece of fruit to my sponsor over the phone each morning. When I take an extra bite, I'm breaking my program and putting my recovery at jeopardy.
If you see me walking down the street with a plastic Dunkin Donuts cup in my hand or you see a minty bubble being blown out of my mouth, drop kick me. It's OK if it's in public.
Avoiding gum and artificial sweeteners is still new for me. Going to the gas station to fill my tank poses problems on occasion. I often find myself standing at the pump of Cumberland Farms thinking, "I'll just grab a cup of iced coffee for the road," or "I'll buy a pack of gum, chew one piece and give the package to someone else." Honestly, I threw a container of mints out of my Saab's window when I was heading down route 2 one evening. These thoughts about gum, gum, are just not normal.