America's Most Unusual Addictions

By Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen for MSN Health & Fitness

Is your obsession normal—or is it an addiction? "Generally, if the behavior interferes with your career, relationships, finances, or health, then it's no longer normal," says New York–based psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert. Addicts have little or no control over their behaviors and are irresistibly drawn to certain habits regardless of the potential harm.

"Another sign of addiction is distress, anxiety, or even mild depression if you quit the behavior," says Alpert. Treatments for the nine more unusual addictions that follow range from mere antihistamines to therapy for learning how to interrupt the pattern of behavior.