[starburst (OP)]

i've been addicted to smelling my soft toy, a seal, since young. will smelling a soft toy damage your brain? especially since i'm addicted to the smell. i can't live without smelling my soft toy and my mother has tried many times to curb me of this addiction, once she threw it away, but i used another soft toy. she was afraid i would get sinus, as i never wash my soft toy, and it has gotten blacker each year. i don't even put it out into the sun to sun it.

=/

[valley]

I very much doubt that there is any potential for physical damage from smelling a soft toy! Any addiction to the scent is likely to be purely psychological, especially if a new toy happily replaced the old one.

I suspect that your mother is less worried about you catching some illness from the toy and is more concerned that you are still relying on this form of comfort. How old are you now? Maybe she's just worried you'll put the boys off [].

When you do finally put your toy away, remember there are lots of socially acceptable forms of self-comfort like face-touching and arm-crossing that you can rely on instead [].

[neilep]

Starburst, do not worry.....if you were doing this from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep then I suppose it could be considered an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

When your mother threw the first toy away did you choose another toy with the identical smell ?...I'm just trying to fathom as to if it's the aroma ,or the act of the smelling which you enjoy......

I doubt very much that there is any physical harm that can come from smelling your soft toy....else it would not be a toy would it ?....it would be prudent though to put it in a pillow case and stick it in the washing machine though []

Unless your habit is interfering with your every day life, then I do not think there is anything to be concerned about...except that, are you in need of the comfort so much ?

Are you truely addicted to it ?..can you not think of anything else besides smelling your toy ?..when you go out, is it on your mind so much ?

I suspect it's one of those lingering childhood comfort things .I'm sure that as you gain more life experience it will fade away.....err...unless of course you're 47 []

In short though, unless one of the nice medical people here comment on it, I very much doubt(as mentioned) that there is any physical harm to come from it.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

[starburst (OP)]

i'm 16 this year [] my new toy can never really replace the soft toy that my mother threw away, it is never the same. i can still remember the imaginary games i played with that toy, how i always brought it along with me on holidays, how it was useful as a tool to whack my younger brother with (it was quite big compared to his size)... [:I]

its the aroma that i am addicted to. as i smell the soft toy, the area where i particularly smell gets blacker gradually and i am addicted to smelling the aroma (actually it's quite smelly) of that black area. this addiction has not interfered with my everyday life, though there are times when i just can't seem to stop myself from smelling the toy, and eventually end up falling asleep and being unable to do my homework. so maybe in that sense it has in a way interfered with my everyday life. but it doesn't happen everyday, so that's good i guess. i can't go to sleep without smelling the toy. but i don't think i'll ever grow out of this bad habit, as it is very comforting. [] my mother has given up hope on trying to get me to curb the habit, and lets me have my way. hehe.

[neilep]

Starburst...Do you see it as a problem ? are you concerned about it yourself ? or is  it just Mummys concern that worries/bothers you ?

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

[drmint]

I honestly didn't know that there was someone else out there who had the same problem as me!!
I am addicted to sniffing this small brown dog that i used a replacement to a small baby hippo that I had since the day i was born.
I was wondering if it would be bad for my health (both mental and physical) because I noticed that when I havent been around my toy for a day or so, i begin to get really frustrated and angry with people. Which is strange, because im not the kind of person who gets angry easily.

I'm 16 too xD

[Branden123]

BROOO!!!, omg were twins dude, i as well smell my little brown stuff dog, its a pound puppy lmaoooo and im 19 XD, its just a habit i had since i was 4

[Bored chemist]

It's not a rare idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_object#Use_by_adults

[mildlysaltyfish]

@starburst @drmint @Branden123

I feel so at home here... (T^T)
I too, have smelled my plush animals since I was young (that sounds strange when I say it like that lol...)
Right now, my constant companion is a 10-year-old baby golden retriever plushie from Ikea!
His stuffing is a bit deflated and fur is all matted so I'm considering giving him a repair, but then again, I don't mind his matted fur~
And I'm so glad to know that at least *some* other people do this too! (^_^)
Not to mention, it's such a interesting coincidence that we wondered this while all in our teens!

Since there's a low chance of any of the posters upstairs responding back, I welcome any future posters on this topic in advance~ Hello there~

[Tsm3696Monkey]

That's a great smell. I had many toys in my childhood. But one bear smelled so good