Hi There, I just wanted to inform you of my Phobia of Chewing Gum. Why does the Phobia exist you ask? Well it begun after having several Dreams of chewing gum which causes my Teeth to fall out. It's weird but every time I Dream of chewing gum seems like upon trying to get rid of the gum once flavor is gone the gum sticks to my teeth & every time I try to unstuck the gum it pulls the teeth(s) out. Because of these frequent Dreams I fear chewing gum.
		I'd like to add to the fear of gum... I have an irrational fear of gum. I can't look at anyone who is chewing gum. I can't look at a pack of gum, and especially not the wrappers. The wrappers, especially the foil ones, terrify me. They make my stomach turn. I will ask total strangers to throw their wrappers in a garbage can so that I don't have to look at them. If they refuse, I close my eyes, get a paper towel and quickly pick up the wrapper with the towel, run to a garbage, and throw it away. If I can still see the wrapper sitting in the garbage, I find other things to throw away on top of it so that I can't see it. Then I have to find a bathroom and wash my hands very well. I've actually vomited a number of times from having to deal with wrappers. I hate the smell of gum, and if a classmate is chewing gum on the opposite side of the room, I can smell it. If I smell the gum, or if I see someone's mouth chomping on gum, I completely lose it. I am a nice person, but I have been known to go off on people who are chewing gum. If they continue to chew gum, I just shut down. I can't focus on what the teacher is saying anymore. I'll stare at my feet and think about other things to try to get my mind off of the gum, and I'll miss important information from that class because I'm so distraught. What really drives me up a wall is when people take their gum out of their mouths and stick it to their plate or their glass while they're eating or drinking. I have actually taken cans of pop from people and thrown them away if they stuck their gum to it. The same goes for their plates. I would only do this to friends who know about my phobia, but I of course have the urge to do it to strangers. Another problem is that I never look down at the pavement or sidewalk while I'm walking anymore, because it's always covered in spots where people have thrown out their gum, and it was squashed by cars or feet, and the gum, over time, picks up every particle of dirt and turns black. If you take a good look at sidewalks, you'll see what I mean. Just look for the black circles the size of Susan B. Anthonys. Well, in any case, I'm glad that I'm not the only one with a fear of gum.
	Oh my god! I'm so glad I found this site. I thought I was the only person who had a real fear of gum. If I am around gum at all (smell it, see it, hear it, etc.) I start hyperventilating and lose all my concentration and sometimes I get so frustrated that I cry or get really angry. I really hate it when someone is chewing their gum, and I try to avoid looking at them, but manage to view them with my peripheral vision. This phobia is horrible because you can't just tell people that you're terrified of gum. I also can't stand to look at wrappers (especially the foil ones) and this somehow transcended into an irrational fear of wads, i.e., little pieces of paper, straws, etc. that people roll between their fingers and wad up. I suppose it could be because it reminds me of gum. I especially can't stand the smell of gum, particularly the minty ones like Wrigley's. Most of all, I hate it when people snap or pop their gum. I'm so happy that I'm not the only one with this fear.