Who has successfully stopped biting their nails?

Evelyn_Gorfram

Honestly, thinking about how absolutely disgusting your hands look to women might make you stop. I am SOOO turned off by any man whose hands are all mangled. And I can only imagine how gross it is for men if they see mangled women hands.

That's a very good point. One of the things that really helps inspire not to bite my nails is to imagine my hands, er, intimately caressing some intimate part of a lover's body. A rather pleasant thought if my nails are in decent shape, but cringe-worthy if they are a gawdawful ragged mess.

And while I can't speak for all women, when I feel attracted to a man one part of that is imagining his hands giving me a reciprocally intimate caress. That makes the desirabilty of his hands figure very strongly into his overall desirabilty.

Mkristinek

OMG. I stopped my senior year of high school, just with a lot of will power and self control, and was VERY proud of myself (since I had been a biter since I could chew). HOWEVER, 3 months ago I started again!! I went almost 5 years not biting and now I can't get myself to stop! I know it is stress from my internship, so HOPEFULLY I can kick the habit in four weeks when I graduate university! It drives me nuts!

Oh, and thinking back (why I'm just now remembering beats me) clipping my nails once a week helped cope with the habit. It was like, a neater and healthier way to pick/bite at my nails. It was so satisfying every time I got the clippers out. Now if only I could stop chewing long enough for my nails to grow long enough to clip! Good luck!

robinxhope

Since my last post in the thread I have stopped biting. I tried acrylic nails and now I go get shillac done every no and then. It seems to be working.

EmCarroll1990

I put nail polish on them. For some reason I don't bite them when they're painted.

byrnet18

I was a bad nail biter my whole life! Then I became a nurse and working at the hospital really made me think twice about putting my fingers near my mouth. I've been a nurse for 4 years now and I still don't bite my nails. I'm cured!

chelseyjoan

that's what gel nails are for!!
got them in gr8 and haven't had read nails since, they're so pretty!
oh and i'm in 4th year university now!

Pedal_Pusher

Weird.

jenn_may

The thing that made me stop is my first manicure. I didn't get fake nails, but having my hands pampered like that I think made me want to keep them nice.

ninerbuff

I stopped biting them, but now I consistently cut them short and file them.

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Candicimo

I stopped biting my nails my sophomore year of high school. I had bitten them from elementary school up to high school, but I stopped because of a bet! One of my good friends was biting his nails as well and we made a bet saying that the other wouldn't be able to stop biting them. I haven't bitten them since and that was 8 years ago : ]

BrawlerBella

I found a product for my daughter and niece call "Stop the Bite" made by Hoof.Bought it at walmart for $3.00. It works.

Rae6503

I did, but that's because I got crowns on my front two teeth and they aren't sharp enough.

srpm

Chewing gum has made me stop. I tend to bite them when I'm bored or thinking so as soon as I notice I'm biting them I pop in some gum. Haven't had to in about 2 weeks now though.

EyeLikeTacos

I have..I switched over to Taco Shells. Nice and crunchy...so delicious and nutritious.

danam82

I went through two phases of nail biting when I was growing up. Both times, I just...quit. I don't know how, or why. I guess I decided I was done biting them lol. I remember the second time I went through it, trying to stop. I used that nasty nail polish, but it didn't work. I got used to the taste and would bite anyway. My parents offered me money at the end of each week for each nail I hadn't chewed off. You would think that would work...no it didn't. I don't remember what motivated me, I just remembered that I stopped.
I still pick at my nails once in a while if I'm nervous, like at an interview. But now I've replaced the nail biting with teeth grinding, which is bad. It's funny how stress/nervousness always finds a way to channel itself.

InnerFatGirl

Sort of. I used to chronically bite them. Then I just stopped, cold turkey, and grew them. Now I go through cycles - I bite them sometimes, and sometimes I don't. I can't seem to stop biting the skin though. I am so ashamed of my hands and nails

ScientistStudy

I stopped after my partner told me off for it.
My sister told me at that time, if I didn't bite them for 1 week she would paint them.
She did and I haven't bitten them since, I paint them weekly now and own a ridiculous amount of varnishes haha.

victoria4321

I stopped when I started painting them all the time. I love nail polish so I don't like to ruin my manicure

Impy84

i stopped when i was quite young maybe under 14yoa. Death threats from my mother i believe lol. Can't recall how or why i stopped but i know i was coerced

CynthiaAnnGA

I'm trying now to stop biting my nails. It's a hard habit to stop. I try to file down the rough edges & also have tried a clear polish called Stop Bite or something like that. Good luck.

WifeNMama

I carried a nail clippers in my pocket for three months or so. Any time I got a snag or noticed a nail was uneven, etc., I would clip.every nail. So they were short all the time, but they were even and no bleeding around it.

mbrou28

I can't remember when I started biting my nails, I was very young, probably about 5 years old. But I stopped about ten years ago when I got to college. I don't know why I stopped, I think I was just tired of them hurting me - I would bite them down to the quick and they would often bleed. I picked up the habit again after I started a full time job and my boss commented one day that he had them same bad habit. I told him that I had stopped once before and I could quit bitting them agian if I wanted. He said that I couldn't, that it was impossible - I showed him!! I quit bitting them again immediately and haven't looked back since!

megfoulk91

I did! Back when I still bit them I found that if I painted them I had no urge to bite them because they looked nice, which allowed them to grow out, but as soon as it chipped off I went right back to biting them. Recently I noticed that my nails were growing (without being painted) and I just haven't had the urge to bit them ever since. I don't really know what happened, but I'm sure glad it did!

gogojodee

ME!

I stopped when I started going to school online about 10 years ago. And after having fiberglass nails paid for by my aunt when I first started working. haha. My nails were SO bad, they'd split right down the middle and several of my nails needed fiberglass/acrylic "extensions" to look like the rest of my nails. The taste was horrible. Get that - with a French mani and you'll never want to bite them off due to taste and how they look. Because of this, I have a tendancy to get French manis than a plain mani. haha

Laura_Suzie

I allow myself only one nail to bite and pick at and then leave the rest alone. I try to keep them short and all the same length so I don't feel tempted.

takehimaway

I've bit them my whole life, not gonna stop anytime soon; I also smoke and eat a million sunflower seeds a day.

Still right, but dumped the sunflower seeds.

Kari089

I treat the anxiety..what triggers you to bite them?

I have long periods where I don't bite and when I do I notice it's because I'm in a very anxious situation. I stopped drinking coffee as this used to aggravate it. Think of ways to calm yourself. I have bit them to the quick, sometimes leaving them so raw they felt like they were on fire. I haven't bitten them in months now. I've had less and less episodes this last year. Maybe happened 3-4 times total. Which is amazing for me!
Also when I feel like I am about to bite them I go get the clippers and I clip them..once there is nothing to bite off I seem to relax. I also put nail polish on them. Somehow that keeps me from biting them.

Pbuttercup78

I used to bite my nails when I was bored; watching TV, in a meeting, etc. I spent two months making wine charms while I was watching TV and that cured me (going on 4 years without biting). I did not make a conscious effort to stop biting, but since my hands were busy, I couldn't bite my nails. If I feel the urge to bite while watching TV, I work on some craft project to keep my hands busy. I also keep a nail file with me at all times to smooth rough edges, as I find that's what makes me want to bite them.
Good luck!

dalgirly

I am just like you. I cannot stop for the life of me.

I have grown out my nails for things like my prom, and what not. But my nails are so messed up they look all flimsy when I grow them out.

Plus, I bite my nails if I'm stressed or bored. I work a stressful job and also drive a long way to it. So if I'm just sitting in traffic, its likely I am biting my nails without even thinking about it.

I have come to the realization I won't ever stop biting. I've done it since I was 3, and its not going to stop now. Even as a child my parents tried everything under the sun to stop me from biting them, and nothing ever worked.

Valleydachs

While it's not as bad as when I was growing up, I do still "groom" my nails and, ashamed to say, bite the skin around my nails. Years ago when I went for fingerprints to begin a massage therapy business, the examiner questioned lines on one of my fingers. It was scarring from years of nibbling.