# How did you stop biting your nails? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773 "2012-04-24T03:18:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/21 "2012-04-24T15:58:42Z")
I bit my nails up through middle school. I remember going into ninth grade, and deciding that I wasn’t going to bite my nails any more. It has stuck for twenty eight years. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/22 "2012-04-24T16:21:41Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > What I want to know is how you _started_. I’ve never done that and don’t get why anyone would want to. I never even realized I was doing it until my parent started telling my to stop. My earliest memory of being told to stop was around 6, so I must have started at least a bit before that. I don’t think anyone does it on purpose. It’s just one of those things that happens. ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/23 "2012-04-24T21:05:26Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > No real “how” involved. I just decided one day to stop. Bought a good set of nail scissors, and have used them ever since. > > (Stopped drinking the same way. Just said, “Enough,” and never looked back.) > > (Now, losing weight… Sigh…) I only smoked for about a year, but I quit that completely once I finished EOD school. No problem, just done. I’m with you on the weight though. > [@Pyper](#): > > Try some negative punishment on yourself. Every time you bite your nails, make a 25 cent donation to a cause you hate. No, really, I’m serious. You can keep track of the nail-biting through tally marks on a notepad you carry with you, and at the end of the day count the tallies. Every week sent a check for the amount to Focus on the Family or something. I like this idea, actually, and even though I’d never heard of the organization you mentioned, after a quick Google search they might just be worthy… my first thought was the Westboro Baptist Church. I can see watergallop’s point about the money going to a good cause, too, though. I may have to try some of that Mavala Stop stuff, or maybe combine it with a nail hardener. I’m pretty secure in my sexuality so shiny nails don’t bother me in the least. I’m just not sure one control measure will cut it right now. I’m dealing with what, for me, amounts to an epic level of stress right now. Thanks everyone for their suggestions and I’ll try to remember to post an update occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/24 "2012-04-24T22:40:42Z")
I didn’t. But I DID notice that the only time I’m compelled to bite them is at work. It’s a stress thing. I just don’t think it’s worth quitting my job to quit biting my nails 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/25 "2012-04-25T00:09:21Z")
I don’t bite my nails much, but I find myself “trimming” them with my teeth. So I started wearing them really short for a while, which stopped me for a while. I also started keeping emery boards around. As soon as I notice a corner or ridge that catchs my attention, I file it off. I can wear my nails longer now (like slightly past the end of my fingers) but I still keep the emery boards around and file off parts that start bothering me. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/26 "2012-04-25T00:18:19Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > However, I have a worse nervous habit now: I shred my lips and inner cheeks. You can take your fingers out of your mouth, but you can’t take your _mouth_ out of your mouth. ☹ Yup that’s how I stopped: picked up a worse habit that’s more difficult to break. And even now sometimes when I feel stressed the temptation is so strong. It’s really weird. I’ve heard it’s a form of automutilation, and it releases stress that way. You get used to relieving tension by doing it. So I would say: find something that relieves tension, but is not destructive (hint: not biting the inside of your mouth) and replace the nail biting. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773/27 "2012-04-25T03:50:12Z")
I stopped as a kid. I clearly hadn’t been doing it for 15 years. I turned it into a challenge to see how long I could let my nails go & how long I could get them. And it wasn’t all at once. I might have one long one and others chewed down for a while. Then getting them back to a socially acceptable level as an adult was another thing. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-biting-your-nails/619773.md?page=1)