sob! I bite. Been biting for as long as I can remember. The one thing that saved me was Sally Henson nail growth stuff. Not that it made my nails all better, but when you put 8 layers of polish over it, you can peel the polish off. It’s really neat and gives me something to do other than bite them. They grew into REAL NAILS!!!
And then the horror began.
After 17 years (I guess) of biting not only the nails but the cuticles and skin around the nails, I had grown a crop of warts. I just could never tell cause I was always gnawed up. Well, I tried to treat them, but they are the warts from hell. I think I’m gonna have them forever. They’ve been frozen, burned, and acided and will still not leave. Oh, they’ll disappear for a while, but then they will come back and laugh in my face! All because of my obsessive-compulsive need to bit my nails! (I hope the Paxil helps)
Then I bought a guitar. A Stratocaster. Realised that to play it you have to have nails. Actually, long nails make it impossible, but closely trimmed nails and not nails bitten down to the quick and bleeding.
So I grew nails. Sometimes, I get stressed and bite them, back, but my BIGGEST problem is hangnails- I keep nail clippers with me ALL THE TIME so I never have the temptation to bite off a hangnail.
Never did get any good at the guitar, but at least my fingers don’t hurt like hell when I try to play…
If this wasn’t enough, I stopped smoking at almost exactly the same time.
now if I could just give up the heroin I’d be fine.
[rant]
I hate, Hate, HATE those people who feel it is their moral duty to point out (in front of others) that “You shouldn’t bite your nails! It’s a disgusting habit!”. Well, FYI, Bigmouth, I DON’T bite my nails. I agree that it’s a disgusting habit. My nails are short because I keep them trimmed as short as possible because I hate the thought of the disgusting things that grow under long nails like the ones you’re waving in their air. Besides, are you really that worried about MY nails, or are you just looking for an opportunity to show off the fact that you spent half your paycheck having yours done at a beauty salon. Fer crying out loud, painted talons are not beautiful! Who needs to look like they do nothing but maintain their nail polish? I wash dishes, I do things with my hands, and I don’t care to waste my time checking to see that they are painted, buffed and filed in a futile battle against wear and tear. Fingernails are impractical, uncomfortable, unattractive badges of uselessness. Bah humbug!
[/rant]
I’m an ex-nail biter. I gave it up as a kid - just stopped one day for no apparent reason. I keep my nails short because I hate the feeling of fingernails :::shudder:::
An ex-biter checking in.
I desided to that I wanted to stop bite,
have done that before and now what’s work for me.
I put fakes nails on
and then my own under grows up.
It works for me.
And no Montfort, no way I’m letting you bite on mine,
then you would be in big trubbel.
I got tired of being unable to do simple things, like pick up coins, etc. So, I picked one nail and resolved to grow it, figuring I should be able to deal with a mere 10% reduction in activity. After one grew out, I selected one on the other hand and repeated this until a 25 year habit was broken. As they grew out I was very careful to keep them clipped and filed very smooth to avoid the obsessive picking at rough spots (I am assuming all nail biters know what this means.) Also, the contrast between the nice new nails and others was good motivation.
This was quite a number of years ago and I haven’t reverted to former behavior even in very stressful situations. I think the key (for me) was transferring the obsession with biting to a similar one for keeping them clean and smooth.
I also can’t remember a time when I didn’t bite my nails. I once completely stopped for a week by chewing on bubblegum instead. Otherwise, I haven’t completely stopped but had kept my biting confined to my pinkie nails for a few months. I have bit my toenails, now I just clip 'em. My nails tend to peel when they snag on something so I need to keep 'em short. If I’m careful, I can trim my fingernails by biting instead of clipping.
Montfort’s post reminded me of an even more shameful nail-biting episode from my past.
I have a little sister, 6 years younger than me, who used to idolize me. She would do anything I asked. And so…<cringe>…I used to make her let me bite her nails from time to time. When she hit about age 5 though, she realized I was definitely NOT worthy of such adoration and so ended that embarrassing behavior.
I used to bite my nails, then one day I said F this so I stopped. I think I’ve bitten 3-4 in the last 2 years or so. But I can not have nails at all, they anoy the hell out of me. I keep them short, very short. I really need some good clippers at work because I tend to use the sissors to cut them. I still bite my skin though. can’t seem to stop that.
This is almost the case with me. I can’t remember when I quit biting or why - I’m guessing it was when I took up guitar playing. That was when I realized that I played better when my nails were short. I got used to short nails, and these days if I should let them get a bit long, I’ll likely snag them on something and break one. I keep a nail clipper in my purse and when they start feeling too long, I take care of them right away.
My motivation? I wanted to prove that I have will-power. I have will-power when it comes to food and many other things, but I just wanted to have it ALL going on. The only vice to attack was nail biting.
I don’t even want to bite my nails. That’s when you know it’s a done deal: When you don’t even want to return to the bad habit - it doesn’t even interest you.
I’m not so much a biter as a peeler. My nails crack, I find an opening, peel off some nail, nail is weakend, nail cracks, I peel… well, you get the picture. I do bite when the nails get raggedy, but not to the point of drawing blood or anything.
My SO hates the fact that I have short nails which are often peeled and ugly. However, this is hypocritical because he EATS ALL THE SKIN AROUND HIS THUMBNAILS. For crying out loud. I don’t mean a little bit of skin. He bites around the nail, then travels down his thumb (on the insides, towards his hand) and his thumbs are always red and patchy, except right after he showers when all the dead skin turns white. Oddly enough, he most emphatically does NOT bite his nails. It is far, far grosser than my nail problem.
I totally buy the Obsessive/Compulsive thing. I’ve been peeling since I was three. In the case of my SO, I think it’s mostly stress. (He claims he didn’t do it until he moved here and started his first real job. I dunno. It’s been three years. You’d’ve thought he’d have relaxed by now.)
I’ve had the problem for a number of years also. I sometimes bleed, not much. I don’t let it get too far though. I have a little more willpower than I did before.