Vampires Drive Me Batty

[thissucks]

The problem with this is that a small dose of blood, even as much as a shot glass, is not going to contain significant amounts of any micronutrient (vitamins, minerals) in which your body might be deficient. In terms of macronutrients (protein, carbodhydrates, fat) the amounts are still going to be pretty low compared with say, a sandwhich or a glass of milk and either of the latter is most certainly easier for the human digestive system to cope with. On the other hand, drinking relatively large amounts of blood will make you feel very unwell indeed. There is no plausible physical condition in which a human being would physically need to drink blood or where it would be even close to as good a solution as eating a good meal, even if it were any solution at all. There are, as I have suggested, physiological conditions which have an associated perceived need to drink blood but even in those cases, blood drinking is only a perceived solution not an effective actual solution.

Perhaps it is not a nutrient issue, as blood contains much more than nutrients. Not everything we consume orally is primarily for nutrients, for example drugs of any kind. To also connect it to the other thing about looking into it as a fetish, I consume blood for relief rather than pleasure. It's not a high more than it is a return to normal. Perhaps that is where the idea of OCD came from mentioned by DeVega, their rituals are done out of fear rather than enjoyment and they would like to stop.

 

[Throg]

The problem with this is that a small dose of blood, even as much as a shot glass, is not going to contain significant amounts of any micronutrient (vitamins, minerals) in which your body might be deficient. In terms of macronutrients (protein, carbodhydrates, fat) the amounts are still going to be pretty low compared with say, a sandwhich or a glass of milk and either of the latter is most certainly easier for the human digestive system to cope with. On the other hand, drinking relatively large amounts of blood will make you feel very unwell indeed. There is no plausible physical condition in which a human being would physically need to drink blood or where it would be even close to as good a solution as eating a good meal, even if it were any solution at all. There are, as I have suggested, physiological conditions which have an associated perceived need to drink blood but even in those cases, blood drinking is only a perceived solution not an effective actual solution.

Perhaps it is not a nutrient issue, as blood contains much more than nutrients. Not everything we consume orally is primarily for nutrients, for example drugs of any kind. To also connect it to the other thing about looking into it as a fetish, I consume blood for relief rather than pleasure. It's not a high more than it is a return to normal. Perhaps that is where the idea of OCD came from mentioned by DeVega, their rituals are done out of fear rather than enjoyment and they would like to stop.

The same applies to drugs and pretty much anything else you're going to find in blood as applies to micronutrients: there just isn't going to be enough of it in a shot-glass full of blood to have any significant effect on you at all much less the addictive effect which would be necessary for you to experience repeated cravings for blood. There is nothing and can be nothing in blood in sufficient quantities for it to make an even vaguely useful delivery system. Given that you are human, there is no good physiological reason for you to drink blood even if there is a physiological explanation for your craving for blood. There is no even vaguely plausible circumstance in which, from a physiological standpoint, drinking blood would be good for you.

As far as the fetish explanation goes, many people with fetishes derive no actual pleasure from them and are actually quite disturbed by their own fetishes. It is also quite common for those with fetishes to feel a strong need to fulfill the fetish which is a close match to what you describe. This is not to say that you have a fetish or obsession anymore than I intended to suggest that you are actually suffering from one of the various physiological disorders which are associated with a craving for blood. I am presenting possibilities which you are going to have to explore yourself. Other than the slim possibility that it is a symptom of physical illness or a nutrient issue (which could manifest as a craving even though drinking blood could not physically correct the issue), there really is no way that your craving for blood could be a physiological matter.

From a practical point of view, once you have eliminated the possibility that you have medical condition which should be treated, does the origin of your craving really matter. Certainly, it is an intriguing matter for speculation but whether it is a fetish, some sort of obsessive disorder or just a habit you have developed, as long as it causes you no distress does it really matter?

 

[The Mighty Thor]

I agree with those who say you should find out more about this from a medical professional.

I don't know if you can get any illness from this practice, but with AIDS and hepatitus, I'd be worried I might catch something nasty.

If it is any consolation, I read that some people have similar cravings to eat coal. Honest -- they gnaw at the hard black stuff quite contentedly.

Welcome to the forum. Be well

 

[Throg]

I agree with those who say you should find out more about this from a medical professional.

I don't know if you can get any illness from this practice, but with AIDS and hepatitus, I'd be worried I might catch something nasty.

If it is any consolation, I read that some people have similar cravings to eat coal. Honest -- they gnaw at the hard black stuff quite contentedly.

Welcome to the forum. Be well

I remember hearing about the coal thing with pregnant women in particular. I also remember hearing that there was a correlation with that particular craving and a specific mineral deficiency, even though coal is hardly an ideal medium for delivery of vitamins to the human system. I have not seen any studies myself so it is possible that this is all apocryphal but it's an interesting possibility.

 

[Throg]

I had a thought about how you might approach a doctor without having to talk about your craving for blood. It's pretty simple really. Wait until you are near the low point of your next cycle (deteriorate ... drink blood ... feel better - about six months I think you said) then go to see the doctor. Describe exactly how you feel, all of the symptoms (the specifics of what deterioration means) just not the fact that you are craving blood. If there is a real physiological basis to your craving then keeping the craving itself a secret from your doctor should not impact on his ability to make a diagnosis since there are other symptoms and the physiological signs of any problem will be available for diagnosis regardless of whether or not you tell him/her about your craving for blood. If you want, you could actually describe your craving as you perceived it when you were younger - as a craving for an unidentifiable something. Regardless, it should be entirely possible for a good doctor to diagnose any underlying problem without knowing about your craving or to set your mind at rest if there is no underlying problem.

This will not, of course, help if the "problem" is purely psychological since the craving would then be the primary or possibly only symptom. If it turns out to be the case, perhaps you could consider that it is really only a problem if you see it as a problem (assuming, you have some reliable way to ensure you will not catch any blood borne diseases - I believe hepatitis as mentioned by The Mighty Thor is the most significant risk). If your craving is of purely psychological origin and you view it as a problem then you really don't have much option. Psychology and Psychiatry may not be "hard science" (maybe we could argue the meaning of that term some time) but they do offer, by far, the best chance of dealing with psychological problems.

Anyway, I hope you will try seeing a medical doctor and that it turns out to be a waste of time (i.e. there is nothing wrong) and I hope you find a happy way of dealing with your cravings (whether that means getting rid of them or not.)

 

[The Mighty Thor]

BTW, Welcome, Throg. Good to have you onboard

 

[thissucks]

great discussion everyone..I hope to show it to some of the more serious-minded colleagues I have dealing with the same issues.

Throg, you present a nice skeleton of how to approach this on an individual basis...soon as I can find the time to fit in an appointment..perhaps at a more urgent time (I am two and a half months removed from my last consumption, so although I have my down moments, its mainly up) this baby can be checked out and I can figure out answers for myself.

Thank you all for your interest and input, if you have any more curiosities on the matter, I will be glad to chat about it.

Hope to post on other topics...

Call me...

CJ!

 

[Throg]

“Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!"

Yes, indeed but I suppose that if where you are is sufficiently unsatisfactory it is better to risk entanglement than to remain rooted to the spot by honesty. Thanks for the welcome.

 

[Throg]

Throg, you present a nice skeleton of how to approach this on an individual basis

Always happy to present a nice skeleton.