# My one weakness

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 30, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624 "2003-05-30T20:53:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Alex\_VA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f475e1/32.png) [@Alex\_VA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_VA)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624/1 "2003-05-30T20:53:47Z")

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I have a very stange compulsion: chewing on things. I don’t eat it, I just chew on it. Nails, pencils, even my shirts. Lots of times I just move it to my mouth without even realizing it. Right as I am typing, I found myself chewing a piece of plastic. Is there a technical term for this? Is there anything that cures it?

P.S. I searched on google for this, but I only found dog care sites. Can you believe this!?! DOG SITES! I am horribly insulted.

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624/2 "2003-05-30T21:30:12Z")

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I’d recommend reading a book by Terra Ziporyn called Nameless Diseases.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624/3 "2003-05-30T22:25:01Z")

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Does this include sucking on things? Seems to be an oral fixation. I wish we lived closer.

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**Author:** ![Sionach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Sionach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sionach)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624/4 "2003-05-30T23:05:25Z")

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Really, the only way to quit with something like that is to retrain oneself.

I have a jaw clenching problem & have found the best way to quit is to pay attention to what I’m doing with my mouth. If I catch myself clenching my jaw, I relax it straight away and remind myself to STAY relaxed. It isn’t a 100% immediate cure, but it has helped me with keeping my jaw more relaxed more often. Over time, I’ll get to a point where I don’t have to remind myself anymore.

For your chewing habit, try being concious of what you’re doing with your mouth. Whenever you catch yourself chewing on something, _stop_ chewing right away and pay attention to the process of removing whatever item and placing it on the table, reminding yourself that you do not need to chew on things. As time goes by, you’ll likely be chewing less and having to replace fewer pencils. 😉

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-one-weakness/178624/5 "2003-05-31T03:44:40Z")

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IANAPsychiatrist.

Sounds like a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. If it’s really starting to interfere with having a normal life, a psychiatrist can prescribe Seratonin for you.