[LoveMy3Dogs]

I am a professional very well respected business woman, wife and mother. I cannot stop biting my fingernails! The only way my hands look decent is to wear acrylic nails from the nail salon. I have done this ever since I was in first grade according to my parents. I am now 40.

I want to stop and just grow my own healthy nails, but I bite them without even thinking about it.

My husband continually corrects me about this in public and I get embarrassed.

Please help me stop this terrible habit is you can.

[cari0]

I bite mine too, probably since I was 8 or 10. Same situation, but I don't pay to have mine done, I just go to Wal-Mart and get the cheap ones. I would like to quit, but I just keep doing it even though I tell myself I'm not going to anymore. I've tried the nasty tasting stuff too. I don't know, my nails are paper thin, so even if they grew long they'd probably break right off anyway. It drives me crazy that I can't stop. It's weird, I'm not stressed or anything.

[BIM]

I used to bite my nails also. I also did the acrylic nails. When I took the acrylic nails off my nails were completely ruined :eek: So, it took A LOT OF PATIENCE. What I did was I kept them clipped short, and kept a skin colored polish on them. It took me approx. 9 months to grow out where the acrylics were taken off. Then from that point I always kept them polished!! When they are polished I would pick at the polish and not the nail. I finally go tired of polishing my nails all the time.

To this day though I still pick at the polish once in a while. I also find that if I get a tear in my nail (because they are paper thin) I will start biting at that unless I clip it off right away.

I truly feel that nail biting is an addiction!! :p

[YeloDasy]

I used to bite my nails, and now Ihave them grown out... but I do find myself when I am nervous, then I will bite them again... like when I am watching a scary movie, or sports and my team is losing! :) I believe it is a nervous habit.

[LoveMy3Dogs]

And an addiction is??

Is there anything I can do to stop?

[Geoffersonairplane]

Wear Gloves for 3 months...

Sorry if that is a crap answer... I have a problem for 9 years where I bite the skin around my fingers... Yuck

Makes them sore

I think it is anxiety... I know it is hard, I am considering seeing a doctor because perhaps I need help to conquer anxiety. Well, I don't knoiw your history and stress levels but I know that stress can make you anxious and nail biting is an indiction of anxiety which can be caused by stress...

Perhaps look at areas of your life that may be causing stress..

But it might just be a habit for you and old habits are very hard to break.

[scotchtape]

Yes, I used to bite my nails, too. I finally got tired of them looking so awful all the time that I made myself a promise in my head that I wouldn't bite them anymore. I would catch myself doing it and forcec myself to stop. I knew when I would do it (whenever I was in a nervous situation like talking to new people or watching an intense movie), so during those times I would be on the lookout for it. It didn't take me long to get out of the habit. Now, though, I pick at the skin around my nails in those situations. It's like I have to do SOMETHING or else I'll explode! I'm going to have to set myself another goal and hopefully I won't just stop that and move onto something else...

[theresbeautyinu]

Maybe your just stressed out. Try the nail polish one... I do that same thing.

[NallaNeedsYou]

I bite my nails and flubby skin around them constantly. My fingers are really sore when I try and type :( I make them bleed almost every day. My solution is chewing gum... it works for me, you might get a liquice root or something else if you like but if I have something to chew or twiddle with I don't normally bite. If I wasn't at school my fingers would be fine.

[NallaNeedsYou]

Its all the stress from the mentality... plus I can't chew gum :(

[Miss-T]

Replace 'addiction' with 'addiction' LOL
I'm not saying you need to start drinking,smoking or something but try to find something interesting that will occupate you so you could forgot about your nails(or wear gloves)

I NEVER put my nails near mouth but I'm playing with my hair all the time and sometimes I have to cut it off

[jenniepepsi]

Im the same way hon. Like everyone else who has replied I bite my nails, the skin around them, and I just can't stand to see some grown nail without biting through it. I can't wear the acrylics cause I bite through them too *blush*

You can try dipping your fingers in vinegar each morning and then not washing your hands all day. (of course wash them at night before bed, we don't want dirty fingers HEHE) it won't hurt your fingers or the nails. And its non toxic if you do happen to bite through the horrible taste anyway :D

[Princesscia]

Ok so like everyone else, I eat my nails and my skin. I have been at it from as long as I can remember and I'm 19 now :(
I have tried to stop a couple times now, but man, it it so hard.
Like when I catch myself doing it, I would stop and tell myself "no... no..." But then I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I don't do it and then I start doing it again, lol *sigh* :(.

I think I can't stop because it taste so good, especially the skin. I know that sounds weird, but hey, those who do it can't deny that. Or maybe I do it because I'm a nervous person, I don't know. I just know I really want to stop cause my fingers look really bad, like if I butchered them... oh wait I did, lol. Maybe when I get older I will, hopefully :)

[SafeHeart]

I cured myself of nail biting. First, I reminded myself that my nails could always grow back but that I might be harming my teeth too. Then, I started filing them straight across, which strengthened them. It worked.

Now, I cut my nails back often because long nails are not always practical.

[Kaleki]

I don't know if you are still biting but I have just stopped after about 20 years of hardcore biting, so I thought I would tell you how I did it. I think working in an office & drinking lots of coffee contributed to the extent that I bit them - but I have always been a terrible biter. I used to bite them until they were bleeding & I couldn't do my buttons up or zip up my bag... that's how much it hurt. And one day my partner was drinking and totally humiliated me in front of his friends about how disgusting it looks when I sit there and nibble my hands all the time! I was mortified.. Soo... I went and bought some of that bitter nail polish you can get. I have tried it before and it didn't work but this time I made sure that I stuck to having it on my nails. When I wanted to bite them it would taste that foul that I would look for something else to do like doodle on paper or sit on the net. And I continued wanting to bite them until I saw that they did grow! - Even though they were paper thin.. Its like losing weight.. you don't want to do it until you can see that there are results and then that gives you more ambition. When you do see a bit of white, file it so that it looks neat & put nail strengthener on. Keep nail strengthener on all the time, this way they get nice and strong & don't tear, because as soon as they tear you'll want to start biting them again! Keep a nail file on you at all times! This way when one is a little ridged or wonky you can just file it into shape rather than hacking away at it with your teeth. And before you know it they will look nice. I never thought I would have nails - and now (to me) they are gorgeous!! Its great fun painting them and not having to hide my fingers when I pass someone something etc. - Good Luck, & I hope this helps!! =)

[Thargus]

I also constantly bite my finger nails I have had it that bad before I almost lost a finger due to it getting infected and I Didn't seek medical attention for days my finger was all and swollen till my girlfriend Made me go to the hospital had to have x ray one my finger and all.When I asked what caused the problem they said your finger got infected due to me biting my nails.Also if u are a smoker be careful how u smoke your cigarette as the Smoke can get into the wounds and will cause infection also.I have been biting my nails for as long as I can remember and I still do it now.I have tried stopping countless times with all different remedies and they all failed.

As far as I know it is not all stress or anxiety it can be both and even sometimes for some people it can be a way to lose weight.Sometimes instead of getting something to eat if I am hungry I just naturally start biting my nails without realizing it.I do have anxiety and stress problems in my life I stress about the smallest things and the smallest thing can make me anxious as hell also even if I am looking forward to something I get anxious as well.The best way to stop is to find something for yourself as we are all different and there are many many reason why people bite there nails.Find what works for u and stick with it.I am yet still trying to find a solution to me biting my nails.
Just make sure if u get a infected finger though to go seek help cause it can only take 4-5 days for the infection to get that bad they may have to amputate and u will loose a finger forever.I was very lucky I went to the hospital.As I said they to smokers be care full as the particular germ I got into my finger was a nicotine from smoking.

[jr4902]

Just don't bite them. It's all psycological. It's all in your head, you think you have to. Just don't. I used to bite my nails for about 20 years and know I'm sick of seeing them all torn apart because of them always in my mouth. I have stopped because I wanted to. I want them to look nice. Now they do because I can control myself. Its all about control, you want to stop biting, just don't.

[Taradactyl]

I have bitten my nails ever since I can remember and I am 27 now. I have quit a few different times, and then always go back to it after a few months. I have quit again, 7 months ago, and I really hope that this is it. They are finally grown out, and getting stronger, and are actually almost pretty by themselves (even though my nail bed is very short, and I have heard that it will never grow back because I did so much damage).
Anyway, I have to make a HUGE ordeal out of quitting, but here is what works for me... I will get acrylic nails for about 30 days to shut off the immediate nail biting habit. My mom always use to say that it takes 30 days to break a habit and create a new one. During this time, when I feel myself wanting to bite I do something else with my hands and my mouth. Usually I will chew gum AND rub the backs of my nails together. I kind of like the sound it makes, and it is something to do with my hands that won't do any damage. I have also used my one fingernail to clean the dirt from behind the other fingernail (even when there is no dirt). Anything that satisfies both oral and manual fixation. If it is really bad, I put on the cheap $1.00 cotton gloves you can get from wal-mart. I do this when I watch movies, because that is when I bite without even realizing it.

I also, REFUSE to bite my nail at all for any reason, and I even try to completely keep my hands out of my mouth. So when I get a little snag, I will not allow myself to tear it off with my teeth. I carry around a nail file and clippers so I can clip it off ASAP. I keep them very short for as long as it takes, and also polish them as often as possible so that they look pretty, and so that I can pick the paint off in a worse case scenario.

Anyway, That is what is working for me right now, but it seems like it is a ton of work, and even more thought and preparation. I always felt like I had an easier time when I quit smoking, because at least I felt like smoking could Kill me.

[juandelnorte]

I bit my fingernails for about 40 years, from age 5 until age 45. Finally I made a serious effort to stop. I realized that I needed to stop the behavior that led to my nail biting. This includes keeping my fingers out of my mouth completely. Keeping my hands away from my mouth entirely. I still have the urge to start again, but it's under control, and I have nice nails now. I think it's like a nervous obsession or a "fingernail fetish." Either way, it's a bad, nervous habit. I'm glad that I was able to stop, and now I have no intention of starting again.

[ramona_]

I have bitten my nails since I had teeth and I'm now 19 years old. For me it just turned into a habit and I do it without noticing. About a month ago I went to the salon to get acrylics put on and they seemed to work perfect, my nails were a little brittle when I got them taken off but all I had to do was file them down short and use special nail polishes which strengthen nails and cuticles. Although its only been a few weeks, I haven't bitten my nails. Maybe you could try that? An alternative could be to go to hypnotherapy to get you to stop, it works for many people. Good luck.