The Most Unsettling Episodes of 'My Strange Addiction'

TLC’s My Strange Addiction isn’t afraid to expose the most unsettling and disturbing cases of human compulsions. Throughout its six-season run, the series ensured that there was never a dull moment, and always promised to return each week with two brand-new cases of bizarre behaviors. While it may be daunting to imagine wading through them all in hopes of finding their weirdest episodes, we’ve done it so you don’t have to. From men who date cars to women who eat their homes, here are the strangest episodes of My Strange Addiction.

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In season 1, episode 10, "Eats Glass / Bleaches Skin,” the series introduced audiences to Josh, a man who eats glass. While he doesn’t necessarily enjoy chewing on it, he cannot stop. The Ohio resident stated that he gets a “tingly” feeling inside when he bites into champagne glasses and light bulbs. Josh describes it as sharp rock candy that can get lodged into his gums.

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When the episode aired, he had consumed a total of 100 glasses and 250 light bulbs. As his story progressed, Josh revealed that he only eats glass when people are around, boiling it down to a need for attention. While glass tends to be his primary addiction, he also enjoys the thrill of eating bullets. His fiancé is notably concerned for his health, and finds his incessant need for attention through eating foreign objects overwhelmingly upsetting. Even his friends find it rather disturbing.

My Strange Addiction season 2, episode 8 showcased just how far a person will go when their grief consumes them and, in turn, they consume to subdue their grief. Casie’s husband Shawn died of a severe asthma attack in early-2011. She’s had a difficult time grieving his loss, but she isn’t coping in the healthiest of ways. In fact, Casie has resorted to eating her husband’s cremains as a source of comfort.

What initially began as a coping mechanism has transformed into a compulsion. At the time her episode was filmed, she had consumed an entire pound out of the 6 that made-up Shawn’s ashes. While the primary concern would be the fact that she’s eating cremains, Casie is more so worried about eating too much of her deceased husband. The episode is heartbreaking as well as disturbing. Casie believes that eating her husband’s ashes brings them closer together, but the emotional toll his loss has taken on her remains, and no amount of cremains can fill the void. Furthermore, she may be consuming embalming fluid that could lead her into a psychosis. As of this writing, there hasn’t been an update on where Casie is now, but hopefully her in-patient treatment has assisted in breaking her habit.

The series seems to specialize in bizarre consumption, considering just how many episodes are dedicated to it. While Casie loved her husband to the point that she’d eat his ashes, season 4, episode 1’s Lisa cannot stop eating her beloved cat’s hair. In 2013, she had been consuming cat hair for 15-years. She licks her cat, balls up the hair, chews it, and swallows it.

Eating hair can lead to substantial harm on the gastrointestinal tract. While Lisa believes it’s good for her, doctors tell her otherwise. In fact, they inform her that it can cause GI bleeds from ulcers and lead to obstructions in the bowels that could become severe to life-threatening. Her doctor explains that she doesn’t see any foreign objects in her digestive tract, but she also shows her how the human stomach can look if too much hair is ingested. By the end of the episode, Lisa explains that she’ll never give it up.

One of the most unforgettable episodes of My Strange Addiction features a man who is in love with his car. Clips of Nathaniel and his car “Chase” have circulated the internet since his story first aired in 2012. He is committed to his car, giving it kisses every morning and treating it as though it is a real person. Nathaniel never felt true love until he met Chase. His official condition is called objectophilia, which is described as sexual or romantic feelings towards an inanimate object.

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While some may believe it’s an innocent relationship between a man and his car, things get rather serious—especially when the two get sexual. According to Nathaniel, Chase’s boldest position is when he is underneath the car. The only person who knows is his roommate, as he is concerned of how others will react, but his “addiction” isn’t necessarily causing anyone any true harm. It primarily impacts Nathaniel’s self-esteem and confidence around his friends, which could be bettered through therapy, but it is entirely up to him.

There are numerous bizarre and unsettling episodes to choose from that My Strange Addiction offers its audience. Most of which pertain to consumption, but, occasionally, ones like Chase and Nathaniel come up. If you want to discover just how strange these addictions can get, we recommend any of the episodes above. However, be warned, they may cause your stomach to churn with discomfort.