i know that this question has already been asked but i have done some research and i just cant figure it out..

 

i have just recently (the past two weeks) become obsessed with the smell of rubbing alcohol and a wet sponge. i always liked the smell of alcohol but this is out of hand. i cant stop thinking about either of them, i will take showers just to smell the sponge over and over again. and i carry a bottle of alcohol with me everwhere

 

i read somewhere that it is a common thing for pregnant women but..my husband is in iraq, i cant be pregnant. i also read something about iron deficiency but i donate blood all the time and never once has my iron level been out of whack. so what could it be?

I think it could be due to anxiety, in the same way anxiety can produce food craving. Do you feel anxious or worried about something?

You should know that smelling alcohol (in large quantities) can get you drunk, and also if the one you are smelling is not suitable for drinking you should not be smelling it either.

 

You are definitely not the only one though:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=MI3&q=%22smell+cravings%22&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1

well i am stressed..my husband is deployed to iraq, it is our first deployment, you think that is it? just stress?

I am not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but it is known than stressful situations lead to cravings or to increase the intensity of the old ones.