Any other habitual lip biters out there?

iluvsparkles

I know that's a weird topic, but I know I can't be the only one. And I'm serious, not trying to be silly for funny.

Since I was in high school, I have had the nasty habit of continually gnawing on my bottom lip, even if it really hurts to do so. It's so dumb but I can't make myself stop! It leads to pain and chapped lips but I just can't seem to kick it..well...because I haven't really tried.. I was a thumb sucker into late child hood, and then this all started when I was in high school and was dealing with anorexia which I think triggered the Dermatillomania. I also pick at the skin on my fingers, but that is less bothersome than this because I can put band-aids on my fingers to keep from bleeding.

Anyone else have an annoying (and painful) habit like this that they managed to kick...if so..how?! It's not like quitting smoking, where you can refuse to buy more cigarettes or nail biting, where you can tape your fingers if you really want to break the habit. I do it without thinking so it's really hard to quit it even though it's painful and kind of embarrassing.

Sorry for such a weird topic but I'm tired of this and I wonder if anyone has had any success in kicking a weird habit like this.

alecta337

I am also a lip biter, but I dont think that mine is as extreme as yours. I tend to chew off the pieces that stick off if I have chapped lips. I sometimes make myself bleed, but not often.

I do think about how much of my own flesh I eat every year from this.

I usually do it without thinking, but if I am wearing something on my lips like lipstick that makes them taste weird, I stop doing it. Maybe you can try bad tasting lip gloss or lipstick, so you at least realize when you're doing it.

Gemini_at_36

OMG I'm not the only one. I was in middle school and this really hot kid, older, Brian always bit the side of his lip...Guess what I picked up from this so hot guy? You guessed it ----I bite the inside of my lip and still freaking do....Don't know how to help, but let me know if you figure out how to stop. I still do it sometimes.:flowerforyou:

rmartin72

Yes I do bit my lip trying to stop it though very hard sometimes.

surfrgrl1

Oh yah, I bite my lip too!:blushing:
Finally quit biting my fingernails after doing it all my life!

FearAnLoathing

I have an oral fixation,I bite my lip,chew on the ends of my cigarettes,chew on straws,and have been know to chew the buttons of shirts

OfficerFuzzy

I chew on the side of my cheek. >.>

Maybe even try chewing gum to occupy your teeth?

Kekibird

:::bites lip::: Yes...I am. And as I read this forum title, I stopped for a second to realize I was doing without knowing it.

I'm a nail bitter also but have recently stopped since I learned the joy of painting my nails fun colors.

ilookthetype

I used to have a lip ring, totally stopped my lip chewing...

j_hark1022

I bite my lips all the time! I'm not really sure what started mine, but I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it hurts and it's just so annoying, because once I start, I pick the skin off the whole lip. It looks terrible, I've even had people ask me what was wrong with my lips. I've been trying really hard to stop, I put on a huge amount of chapstick at night so that when I wake up in the morning, my lips are softer so I'm not as tempted to pick at them.

skullcrushergurl

I bite my top and bottom lips. I used to bite my nails as well but I slowed down a lot by putting nail polish on them. I recently slowed down a bit on the lil biting by using carmex because its tastes so bad!!

Kdingo

I am also a lip biter, but I dont think that mine is as extreme as yours. I tend to chew off the pieces that stick off if I have chapped lips. I sometimes make myself bleed, but not often.

I do think about how much of my own flesh I eat every year from this.

I usually do it without thinking, but if I am wearing something on my lips like lipstick that makes them taste weird, I stop doing it. Maybe you can try bad tasting lip gloss or lipstick, so you at least realize when you're doing it.

Haha I have that exact same problem. Even when I try not to do it they get so dry it drives me crazy. With as much Blistex as I go through you would think I owned stock.
I find that 12 hour lipstick so much like paint that it helps me not be able to really knaw through it.

usmcmp

I do the same things (biting lips, picking my cuticles). I noticed if I wear lip gloss or even just chap stick I do it less, when I wear a lip stick I don't do it for fear of getting color on my teeth. For the nail thing the only thing that helps me is to get regular manicures. I had to go to several different people and find one who would trim my skin up just right, leaving me nothing to pick at.

weelee87

yup. i do this. all. the. time. I pick at them too. its really annoying. all my friends tell me when im doing it to try and make me stop but it doesnt really make a difference. my mum does it too so maybe it runs in the family?!

farmers_daughter

Lip Biter and Finger picker extordinare here. (not overly proud of it) but I'm glad someone else has this problem.

I'm more along the lines of biting at my dry lips than just biting them to have something to do. I also bite at the loose skin inside my mouth.
At times I thought it was just because my mouth needed to constantly be "eating" or chewing something, so I tried gum, didn't work, I'd unconscienciously bite my lips still. I have found if I constantly keep water at hand, every urge to bite or when I catch myself in the act, drink.
Lipstick doesn't work, vasoline doesn't work, just drink, I've literally sat at work and drank until I wanted to puke and the whole feeling of...feeling like crap kinda made me back off of biting my lips so much. It sounds bad, but I guess it was a "punishment" method.
As far as the finger picking, please let me know, I've developed calouses on the sides of my thumbs from it, the only relief I get is to cut the calouses off, but they just grow back. I'm up a creek there.

andreae13

I'm a cheek biter and I've tried to quit for years. I have noticed that the habit picks up considerably the more nervous or stressed I get. Also, when I get really hungry. I'm a nail picker as well...don't pick the actual nail, its more the sides. I just have a hard time holding still in general.

surfrgrl1

I chew on the side of my cheek. >.>

Maybe even try chewing gum to occupy your teeth?

OMG yes, I do that too. I had a new dentist that commented on it, and I told him that unless it caused cancer, I wasnt going to stop! (I did stop going to that dentist though!)

NatalieWiley

Initial Bite


30 minutes later


one day later

iluvsparkles

wow, I knew I wasn't the only one!

Mine definitely gets worse when I am nervous or stressed. Sometimes my husband will grab my thumbs to keep me from picking at them when he notices me doing it.

I'm going to try the carmex thing for my lips, i think that might help me. I was moved to write this today because my lip is in really bad shape today. I am probably not the only one then, that uses my fingers to press my lip against my teeth to further aid in biting it. That then causes it to show on the outside of my lip where my nail digs into my skin. I tend to always stick to the left side of my lip thought I do usually keep a lesser chewed-on spot on the right side. Wow, I had no idea how common this is.

HollieDoodles

Technically I bite my lower lip, but only if I'm in a certain mood.

I do NOT chew my lip though. So I guess I'm not doing what you are taking about.

SiltyPigeon

Hmmmm..... I can't find LIP in the database.

FitRodr

Oh my! I have this space between my front side teeth that is a sharp. I am constantly sucking on it and biting on it. Somedays, like today my mouth actually gets raw. Finally, I found that if I put dental wax on it, I don't do it as severely. Drives me nuts. I see pictures and I am sucking on my chin from the inside. I thought for awhile that it was a medication I was taking. But now even several years later I can't break myself. Good to know I'm not the only lip biter in the world.

Cait_Sidhe

Yeah, I do this. I'm not even aware of it when I'm doing it though. I only do it when very stressed. I work emergency, and it gets insane sometimes. After a really busy night at work my lips are bleeding and painful!

kennethmgreen

I've done this. I'll pretty much chew on anything, I guess. More of a cheek biter, often drawing blood. I don't do it very often anymore, mostly stress related, I think.

As far as trying to stop, I think you have to simply not start. And I'm not being flippant. Once I start, it's hard to not keep going back to it, even absentmindedly. So just be aware of the behavior when you start, and calmly focus on something else.

MrsCon40

I do this under times of stress. After 35 years of doing it (if not more) I have not figured out how not to start - it's so unconscious.

What I have done is figured out how to make it heal faster. Massive amounts of Oragel (to numb it and make me stop making it worse) and sometimes even having to bite down on something. I can't stand to chew gum so I am known to clench down on a straw or even a pencil - anything to make me stop moving my jaw.

It's not pretty. My teeth have suffered from it.

Wish I could be of more help.

Ugh.