One man's story of addiction and suffering
Name: Xu BingBin
Location: Changsha, Hunan province
Age: 38
I started eating betel nuts in 2003, and it has been 16 years. It never occurred to me that it's worth trying to wean myself off betel nuts until recently.
Chewing betel nuts is addictive, sort of like smoking. Whenever I have a bland taste in my mouth, or feels like nibbling on something, I pick up a betel nut.
The snack is a quick pick-me-up. At the beginning, I would feel both nauseous and stimulated, and even sweated a little. After I got used to the taste of betel nuts, it gave a warming and mildly numbing sensation, as if hugging something toasty and anesthetic in the mouth.
Sometimes, I have diarrhea and suffer from recurrent canker sores in my mouth. My teeth have gotten worse and more sensitive over the years.
I usually take three to four packets of betel nuts a day, but rarely do I buy them just for myself. Most of the time, my friends and colleagues will share a bag of betel nut together, like the way cigarettes are handed out.
I have recently decided to quit betel nuts because a close friend of mine, surnamed Xiong, who also has a habit of eating large amounts betel nuts, had surgery on his mouth last year.
There is a stark, long scar on his neck, which got me thinking about my own situation.
Besides, my oral health is so poor that my teeth have started bothering me a lot in daily life. It really hurts when I taste cold or sour food.
It's been four days since I gave up betel nuts and everything seems to be on the right track so far. I won't even touch betel nuts again, at least I believe so.
Xu Bingbin talked to Feng Zhiwei in Changsha.
(China Daily 04/05/2019 page6)