I can't stop eating TIRES! Woman addicted to rubber consumes two feet of shavings a day (good job her fiance works at a tire factory)



Allison, 19, from Atlanta gorges on two feet of rubber a day

Her rubber addiction began as a child when she chewed her dolls' feet

She says the tires are 'like beef jerky'



From fizzy drinks to chocolate we all have our vices, but 19-year-old Allison has taken hers to another level - with cravings for rubber shavings.



For the past six years Allison from Atlanta, Georgia, has chowed down on rubber car tires as her favourite daily snack.

Allison explained it was the chewiness she finds so appealing: 'The texture of the rubber pieces is like beef jerky. It’s a work out for your jaw'



Strange addiction: Allison, 19, from Atlanta, Georgia has been chowing down on tire shavings for the past six years

Her first love: Allison started chewing rubber as a child when she used to munch the feet of her dolls

Shaving craving: Allison admits that she often gets stomach issues but she cannot kick her habit

She keeps little shavings bowls around her house for snacking whenever she gets the urge.



Although she is not worried about the chemicals in the rubber, she does make sure the tires have been washed.



When she was a child she used to chew on the feet of her dolls, but when she tired of that she moved onto chewing gum.

One day she tried tire shavings instead, attracted by their potential chewiness, and has never looked back.

Now she consumes two feet of shavings a day, a total of 50 full tires since her addiction began.



Allison said: 'It does taste chemically but it's amazing.'



Like popcorn: Allison keeps the shavings in little bowls around the house so she can snack on them all day

Grub's up: Allison says that the tire shavings are a 'great workout' for her jaw Back up snack: If Allison cannot find any tires to hand, she makes do with the rubber bands as a lighter option

If she cannot get her hands on tire shavings, Allison eats rubber bands or rubber glue as a substitute.



As much as she loves her rubber, she does admit that it gives her regular digestion trouble.



Her fiance Sammy, who works in a tire factory, was so concerned about her addiction he pleaded with her to see a doctor.

When Allison eventually underwent several x-rays to make sure there was no permanent damage to her stomach, which were all clear.

However, the doctor told her that there is still a chance she could get cancer from all the chemicals she is ingesting every day.



Since then Allison has cut down, but is still struggling to quit her addiction completely.

Harmful chemicals: Allison says she is not worried about the chemicals that she is ingesting in the rubber, but she does take the precaution of washing the tires before eating them

Worried fiance: Sammy, who works in a tire factory, sent her to see a doctor

Medical help: Allison, 19, from Atlanta, Georgia, seeing Dr Melvin Glover to check there is no permanent damage to her stomach

Checking for damage: Having eaten a total of 50 tires since her addiction began, Allison had to have an x-ray to check that her body could cope with her rubber habit

Allison features on an episode of TLC's My Strange Addiction, in which another women reveal their bizarre eating obsessions - including everything from tape to cat hair to vapor rub.

Danielle, 33, from San Antonio, Texas told the programme about her vapor rub addiction.



She uses inhalers, patches, candles and rubs to get her fix, and even adds the gel to her morning tea.



'I like to feel it melt in the back of my throat,' she explained.