My Experience As An Addict

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Some years ago I had a bad cold. As usual, I had a badly running nose for about two days. When this got better, my nose became blocked. I had difficulty breathing. I slept with my mouth open and, not surprisingly, snored. In the morning I woke up with a dry mouth. I went to a pharmacy and bought an over-the-counter nose spray. Ah, wonderful! My nose unblocked and I could breathe normally again. But after some hours I had the same problem as before. So another dose of nose spray. Relief again. I didn't think much of it then, but when all other symptoms of the cold had disappeared (we say that a cold lasts either a week or seven days) and only the blocked nose remained, I became suspicious. I'd never had this before. I played the blocked nose - spray - unblocked nose game for some more days and then went to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Maybe you've already made this experience: you think you've got something unique or at least rare because you've never heard of it and then a specialist tells you that what you've got is rather wide-spread. I was such a case. I had become hooked on nose spray which is obviously not a rare occurrence. I needed medical assistance to get off the substance. The physician prescribed tablets to get off it and wrote a detailed prescription for a pharmacist who had to prepare a special liquid for my nose which wouldn't make me dependent. Oh, the joy in the pharmacy when I handed it over! Being a pharmacist must be one of the most frustrating professions. Many years at uni only to later take ready-made medicine out of drawers. When a pharmacist can concoct something themselves, they're overjoyed. It didn't take long until I was back to normal. Since then I've never touched this kind of nose spray again. I now take purified salt water from the Atlantic Ocean which moistens the mucous membranes. It’s also sold in pharmacies in Germany. The brand I buy is called Rhinomer. It's also recommended on flights. The air in the plane can dry out the mucous membranes. A shot of this salt water stuff brings relief. I know that you expected a different story when you saw the title. I'm glad to say that this is the nearest I've ever got and ever will get to a severe, life-threatening addiction. Yet, an addiction it was.