Compulsive nail biter!!!!!!!!

[Maroney555]

I need help.

 

I compulsively bite my nails. And when I say compulsive...that is NOT an understatement. I have a nail that won't even grow anymore..it's disgusting! I have pretty hands otherwise and when I have acrylics on, my hands are beautiful! But, when they are bare, holy cow...my hands/nails are wretched.

 

HOW DO I STOP?

 

I've tried fake nails then getting manicures when the nails grow out, I have tried bitter stuff on my nails, I feel like I have tried it all to no avail.

 

I am so sick of being embarrassed by my own fingers. I also work in the food industry, so when I hold my "book" *the mini binder thing that I keep all my tips, orders, etc in* and take orders I feel paranoid and try to hide my fingers. The way I hold everything is to take a precaution to the pain that my fingers have from biting.

 

Someone help

[Maroney555]

I should have actually said that "compulsive" is an understatement haha

[Stinkweed]

I'm in the same boat... I think it's the stress that makes me do it, though. Haven't done it lately, but 1 or 2 weeks ago my fingertips were bleeding and all...

[Perfect Dark]

You can get nail polish that has a nasty taste, so when you have the urge to bite your nails you wont because of the taste.

[yeawutever]

Just don't do it no more. Afterall you got self-control for almost everything. There isn't one thing in which you can't control yourself, you choose to bite your nails.

[Maroney555]

Just don't do it no more. Afterall you got self-control for almost everything. There isn't one thing in which you can't control yourself, you choose to bite your nails.

 

Why is this advice so easy for everyone to give? It's a LOT harder than you think.

[yeawutever]

Why is this advice so easy for everyone to give? It's a LOT harder than you think.

 

It's not easy but it's called common sense. Right now I feel like playing checkers but I won't because I gotta practice on my typing speed for my job. If you think about, any bad habbit is possible to control, you just gotta have enough of the ''No I will not bite my nail'' will power reinforce within you.

[sarey]

Hi

I have been a nail biter since very young age...

I think you need to find a way to let out stress/anxiety/frustration, even boredom, in a more better way.

Self discipline may work...

if you catch yourself biting your nails... tell yourself off... and if you get urges... try real hard to resist...

if you do resist... treat yourself.

 

Addiction...just gotta break it.

 

Good luck.

[lila...]

I used to be the same way. It got to the point where some of my nails got soo tiny!! There was NOTHING that could help me, not even that bitter tasting nail polish that people suggest- it actually made me want to bite them more. Nothing helped, until I met my boyfriend and I was really embarrassed about him seeing them- I was around him all the time so I would have to write, eat, hold things differentely so he wouldn't see them. He also always made comments about me biting them and asked why I never got a manicure, so it became evident he didn't like them. Then he outright asked if I could let them grow for him, so I said yes. It's been about 3 weeks now and all my nails, except two that I keep biting, have grown really pretty. So, the only thing that helped me was getting a boyfriend hahah. Other than that...I don't know what could be done. You have to have pretty strong will-power, which I don't. But, just think about it, don't you wish you could stop having to hide your nails all the time? Think about how embarrassed they make you feel. TRY your best to keep them out of your mouth. After a couple of days, when you notice them growing, it'll be a lot easier to stop biting them because you see them getting so long and pretty that you don't want to ruin them again.

[greensleeves]

When I was a kid my friend used to bite her nails constantly. Her Dad showed her under a microscope what the bacteria under her nails looked like and she never bit them again after that. It might work for you. I'm not implying that you don't keep your nails clean but our hands touch so many things throughout the day; door knobs, keyboards, shopping carts, etc., that there's probably alot of bacteria on you finger tips so if you see it up close you might not want to be putting your nails in your mouth.

[Applewhite]

Why didn't the bitter nail polish work? It worked for me. But it was SO bitter that whenever I washed an apple or something it got on that too.... So I have to use it with clear nail polish over it.

[Maroney555]

I don't know, maybe the stuff I bought isn't potent enough to make me stop biting.

[journeynow]

These things in combination worked for me:

• hypnosis with a licensed hynotherapist

• filing my nails often (obsessively at first) to prevent rough edges

• using clear polish/nail strengthener to help them feel smooth and strong

• using cuticle oil to keep them soft and smooth

• chewing on coffee stirrers (the little plastic straws) or toothpicks until the hypnosis "took" (It involved several sessions)

• eating balanced meals regularly, taking a multivitamin, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, all to help balance moods and handle stress

 

I am grateful for the hypnosis. More important than breaking the habit, I no longer have the level of anxiety and nervousness that lead to the urge to bite.

[Maroney555]

I have always been hesitant to try hypnosis.....does it really work? Is it expensive?

 

I CAN"T STOP BITING MY NAILSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!

 

I will do REALLY good for a week max..then fail.

[Applewhite]

I sat try the bitter nail polish again. Find a different brand.

[journeynow]

I understand your hesitancy. Hypnosis really helped me, and it's been 2 years (or 3?). I just sent you a PM. I know how hard it is.

[greensleeves]

Try looking at the bacteria under your nails through a microscope. My best friend when I was a kid quit when her dad made her do this...gross but it worked!