Chapstick: MY ENEMY

I haven't used any kind of lip balm or chapstick since last Thursday night. I am a warrior; I am a trooper; I'm not giving in. The only thing that I've used within recent days has been vitamin E on my poor lips, which have been chapped to hell and back. Literally.

Friday was spent licking my lips almost continuously. Note to self, and any others kicking the chapstick habit: DO NOT LICK YOUR LIPS!! LEAVE THEM ALONE!! YOU WILL CREATE MAJOR HAVOC AND DAMAGE!! I'm serious.

Yes, my lips were chapped beyond belief -- like, I've been picking bits of dead skin off of them, they've bled in spots, and I have a couple of minor scabs. Do NOT lick your lips. I also had sores on the inside of my mouth (around the inside of my lips) from my teeth, from bringing them in to lick. Oh man, was it disgusting; but thankfully, the wounds healed after a day.

I've been so focused on my mission that it took my good friend Mimi saying, "You haven't considered using any alternatives in the meantime?" to have the light bulb slowly flicker on and realize that, yes, I can use vitamin E to soothe those poor, dry, chapped suckers. Quite literally. Rubbing my lips together pre-vitamin E was not unlike rubbing sandpaper together. Thanks Mimi! It is good to have a little outside influence into the mania of quitting an addiction. My brother compared it to quitting smoking, with how much I've been thinking about it. The vitamin E has been quite soothing and I actually feel a little more human after using it.

It will be interesting to see how long this actually takes to get out of my system. I'm on Day 5, and this girl isn't giving in. The saga continues...