To be so fucking fed up about this *trigger warning- photo*

[woopsididitagain]

I’ve been a nail biter all my life. I’ve tried EVERYTHING. Gloves. Plasters on my fingers. Horrible tasting nail polish. Stress balls. Therapy. Nothing really makes a difference. I’ve bitten my nails since I grew my first tooth (no joke, every baby photo of me shows my fingers in my mouth biting my nails). I know it’s a filthy habit and more germs than a toilet seat etc but I physically cannot help it. I even do it in my sleep. If I go to sleep with gloves tied round my wrists I’ll wake up in the morning with them removed and my nails all bitten down. I hate my nails so so much and feel disgusting- I don’t know why I can’t stop it. I don’t bite the skin around my nails it’s just the nail itself

it’s definitely worse when I get stressed, even slightly or normal life stresses. I’ve tried therapy etc but made no difference.

ive realised tonight that I’ve probably damaged the pain receptors in my finger. Over the last week I’ve bitten one of my nails to the point there’s almost no nail left at all. It hurts but not as much as it would to someone else. I don’t want to bite my nail more but I genuinely think when I wake up in the morning I’ll have bitten it off in my sleep

not really sure why I’m posting but I’m in pain and feel so upset with myself :( I hate this habit so much. Has anyone ever been able to kick it for good? Or does anyone have advice for how I can stop my finger throbbing now as I’m scared it gets infected (my own fault I know but I didn’t even realise I was biting my nails until it was all off)

I bite my nails albeit not so badly.

I needed antibiotics and it wasn’t as bad as that. You need to keep an eye out for an infection OP - they can turn to cellulitis very easily.

Oh you poor thing!

I have long nails and don’t bite them as it would just feel weird to.

But when I cut them short (if I’m going for a job interview, building furniture etc) I bite them all of the time.
I especially bite the bits of skin around them and then it gets sore.

Fortunately, my nails grow quickly so it’s not long until I stop biting them but it makes a massive difference when I have short vs long nails.

My initial advice was going to be to get acrylics put on but I see you’ve said you can’t do that.

Could you try getting cheap stick on nails and putting them on as soon as you get home and then taking them off again in the morning!

I appreciate it would be a bit of a pain but it might get you out of the habit and allow your real nails to grow a bit so then you can get acrylics with last longer.

I haven’t read the whole thread - apologies. This might not be useful
info but having been a lifelong nail biter, I started taking magnesium supplements - nothing to do with nail biting - and was surprised when I noticed that my nails were growing and I had no urge to bite them. The only other time in my life when I didn’t feel the urge to chew my nails was when pregnant (took supplements then too).

Have done similar - used to bite my nails right down and peel the layers off. They would constantly bleed and be in pain. Also my nails no longer grow straight, the are bent a bit aswell as my finger tops are slightly bent off from the constant biting. 2 things only worked for me. One is i now look after my nails regularly, i get regulars manicures and have shellac nail varnish on it ( i know some mums netters are horrified at this and thing such a huge waste of money ) all the time, nails are never bare. I will pick now a bit the shellac grows out but don't allow that gap to be too long. I also had braces and its hard to bite your nails with braces as hard as i tried. Specialized nail places can do a fake nail to try and help the nail grow back

This is going to sound a bit mad but my suggestion is don't try to stop. Thats such an ingrained habit,, its better to redirect it to another activity. At first it won't feel as satisfying as biting your nails so you'll need to persevere.
When I stopped biting my nails, I ended up picking my fingers and chewing the inside of my mouth. I've mostly switched to fidget toys, spinners and finger picker rings.

The suggestion about "allowing" yourself to bite all but the little finger, for example, is a good one. Put a plaster around one nail and keep it on until that nail has grown. Then switch to the next one, etc.

Thank you for posting this. I've just ordered oil, hand creams and cuticle tools.. 🤞

Mine aren't as short as yours OP, but PPs photo could have been mine. I did have false ones done once, just ended up chewing them off! I'd love to tick that off my list before 40.

Wow, I used to bite mine for years but it's far too painful to go even 25% as low as you have!

My friend was really bad and he cured it with this stuff you paint on that tastes really bad. I tried a tiny dab and it was really chemical and just wouldn't go away even after rinsing mouth. No way I could bite my nails with that stuff on.

@ReginaRegina tried that you get used to the taste

Yep, my mum tried it on me several times through my youth and it never stopped me.

For those wanting to get rid of the rough, scratchy bits on cuticles to stop them being irresistible to bite. Sally Hansen does a Cuticle Dissolver. I don't know what is actually in it, but it's good stuff, you squeeze it onto your cuticle, count to 15, push back your cuticle then wash your hands with soapy water to get it off your skin. It really does work but I'd say based on its efficiency and how quickly you're told to wash it off that you should be careful if you have sensitive skin.

There's no simple solution to this, it's an OCD problem and I think you're going to have to take a multi-disciplinary approach. I've suffered a similar problem, although not nails, but reaching the point of doing myself real harm and permanent damage. I'm not sure yet what the long term effects could be. It took anti-depressants to make me stop - I was prescribed them for peri-menopause symptoms, this effect was just an unexpected added bonus!

Like others, I'd tried all sorts of other methods and I think they can be helpful by focusing on all of them. First, visit your GP ad see what help you can get in terms of medication and/or therapy. Then add in all the other suggestions - the clippers and nail care oils and creams, the gloves and biting lotion, the fidget rings, the mouth guards, braces or tooth caps. I think you have to do all of it at once because any one method can be cheated. Add in some meditation. As soon as this works just enough to get enough length for acrylics or gels then do that too. Try also supplements as mentioned - magnesium, nail specific blends, collagen and also vit. D3. You can also look at taking N-Aceitylcisteine and L-Lysine supplements which, off prescription, have shown some success in helping these sorts of compulsive behaviours. Throw everything at it.

Maybe some Michael Jackson gloves are the only solution. 😂