Nail biting

[mtastic]

Hi guys,

 

For as long as I can remember I've been a compulsive nail biter, I've tried to stop several times, but have had no success. Its something thats bothered me for a really long time, to the point where now I'm very self-conscious about my hands. I'd really like to quit it for good this time. Anybody here have the same problem? Has anybody quit nail-biting all together? If so how?

 

Any advice would be most helpful,

mtastic

[DragonGirl724]

im an artist so everyone is always looking at my hands, so i try to make them look as presentable as possible by going to my preferred nail salon every 2 to 3 weeks. u can try to get manicures or if u dont have nails get acrylic tips put on -> FOR THE LADIES!!! (i prefer gel over acrylic, they look better but are a lil more pricey). i have an oral fixation myself-not to be taken in a perverse way- but watever. i get my nails done every 2weeks, they are too expensive to gnaw on & they look too nice to muck up. maybe look into that. otherwise paint ur nails (even CLEAR polish works fine! even for you GUYS out there! its ok to paint ur nails CLEAR. so wen u bite on them u regulate urself to just peeling the paint off w/ ur teeth & not biting the actual nail. i know its so tough. i still find myself w/ my nails in my mouth even after i get them done soemtimes. SUCKS!!! maybe try chewing gum when u have the urge to bite ur nails. (sugarfree so u dont get cavities @ the rate ur goin) or have toothpicks handy. its just a habit of having to chew on something. i work at a bar so i found myself biting on straws alllllll day long!!!!! maybe even try drinking water when you have the urge. if the habit is more in your hands & fingers rather than your mouth when you feel like you want to bite rub lotion on your hands (scented so it tastes nasty!)

 

-DG724

[otrebla]

Hello

I've stopped biting my nails 20 days ago, because I wanted to give my ex gf a good impression, she didn't like me biting my nails. It worked, she noticed.

Sometimes I catch myself trying to bit them, but now I have cutted them VERY, VERY short, I wish this helps, if not, I'm gonna put some chili or excrement on my nails

Good luck

[under_the_pressure]

I bite my nails. I don't know any ways to tell you to quit. I have tried putting finger nail polish remover on them b/c that tastes gross but that doesn't help me. I do it all the time! Just be determined I guess.

 

good luck

 

under*

[i_hate_the_world47]

well i bite my nails as well.I dont have any suggestions except maybe putting some kind of foul tasting stuff on your nails.Good luck.

 

~Meagan~

[ravens_folly]

HI,

 

I used to be a really bad nail biter, my nails were always a mess. And one day I just said to myself I don't want to do this anymore.

 

So I had to stop. it was really hard. You have to catch yourself doing it and make yourself stop. I have found that when I have the urge to chew my nails, I would take the nail clippers and clip them off neatly and file them. I have grown them long several times and they look pretty good, but I find that sometimes it bothers me so I do trim them and I do still sometimes chew them a bit, but then I have to stop myself and find the nail clippers.

 

thats what worked for me, hopefully you can find a solution that works for you, but it takes really strong will power!!

I haven't chewed my nails like I used to in almost 5 years! Once you start getting over it.... it gets easier!

[firedreamer]

I stopped nail biting, for now. i used to have them so short they'd bleed and hurt and i just didnt stop. it felt good to bite. the trick is to take it a day at a time a moment at a moment. when u feel the urge stop yourself , its kind of like being a recovering alcoholic i think. i stopped biting them before and they grew out so long. i was so proud of them because they felt beautiful, they were- they were LONG- well, to a nail biter being able to see your nails from the underside of your fingers is a huge deal. i meticulously took care of them- manicures at the salon and i learned how to do some at home too. but then one day i was feeling a little pressured and one by one i bit them off. i remember thinking i wanted to feel "free" of the nails. but after a while and some rude comments from spectators, i decided to try again. so this is what worked for me: i grew them out a little- up to the point where i thought they were the perfect length for biting them off (i know this all sounds sick but..well no buts, its sick) then i filed them back down, smooth. next time i grew them out a little i had a manicure..the manicurists sometimes are mean to us nailbiters but the end result is worth it. then i took it a day at a time and grew them out. get regular manicures cuz if the nails split then the urge to bite them comes back. its hard, i dont know how long this "remission" will last but its a process you have to be willing to go through to actually go through you know?

[Jsphsl4204]

I PROFUSELY bite my nails... It's a habit I've had for as long as I can remembner... I'd love to stop, but I just can't... I bite them so short, so often, that they often bleed, and I can even peel back the skin with my teeth... Which is digusting, but I can't stop doing it... I've had many nail infections, and one time even, I was trying to get a hangnail so hard, I dislocated my pinky, which actually was only a couple of weeks ago, but still... At least it's better than toenails... :shocked!:

[lostNheartbroken]

I've bitten my nails ever since second grade (at least thats as far back as I can remember). I've tried to stop many times over the years. Last summer I took on a lot too much in my life and got burned out, so I went to the doctor. He prescribed some prozac and fluoxetine to help me get back on track. I took them for 2 months and never really thought about my nails. One day around a month into the medication I remember the shock I had when I had to trim my nails for being too long. It wasn't a conscious effort to not bite my nails, just kinda subconsciously happened.

[reflex]

iv just shopped bitting my nails, been a mouth still going strong but when i have an erge to bit then that i just do is but a finger nail between my teeth and start chewing but not bitting, it just help me deal with not bitting any more and its working 4 now. hope this helps

[mtastic]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've been going good for a few weeks now, although there were a few slip ups during my exams last week. I think i've been catching myself before I actually start biting for the most part. Thanks for the support, and al you guys who were able to quit, good work, i think I'm at least making progress, and you're right Jsphsl, at least its better thn biting toenails .

 

Good luck to everyone,

mtastic