Nail Biting

[Cats315]

I have been biting my nails for as long as I can remember. What can I do to stop biting my nails?

[craz33me]

Put something that you hate the taste of on your fingernails.
That's what I did.
Or find something to distract you from it, like gum or somethin.

[msfsteven]

Put something on your fingers to remind you not to bite them.
Sometimes I just start biting without realizing.

[Peppermint Tea.♥]

Definitely whenever you realise that you're biting your nails, force yourself to stop. This way you become more aware of what you're doing and will eventually have more control over it, hopefully to the point where you'll be able to stop yourself putting your fingers near your mouth in the first place.

Putting that nasty tasting nail polish on your nails sometimes helps, although it didn't actually help me to stop. But everyone's different and it's worth a try. You should be able to get it at a local pharmacy. Painting your nails pretty can also help a bit because you want to keep the polish intact.

When I was younger I managed to stop biting my nails by giving myself a reward when I went for a certain amount of time without biting them. My mum bought me a dog lead for my toy. But you could get someone else to reward you, or let you reward yourself, after managing a certain length of time, as an extra incentive.

[Artistic Soul]

Try chewing gum. It's definitely better than biting your nails. And yeah, you need a strong will power. Biting nails cannot be good for you, can it? xx

[Unfortunate]

I've bitten my nails too. The others has said most of what i'd have to say. But what also might work is holding a small object in your hands when you feel like biting them. Just try to keep your hands busy.

[Darkeinu ♥]

I used to bite my nails. At one point my occupational therapist tried to bribe me to stop. Of course I stopped, just for the bribes. Right around 15, I realized when my nails were painted, that I wouldn't bite them, because I really liked how they looked, how smooth they were and such, and eventually I just stopped. Do you bite them when they are painted? Have you tried the nail polish that tastes bad so then you don't bite them? (I haven't, but I heard about it). The nail polish is really good because it's clear, so unlike tape, it is not every attention grabbing and more private.

[George^^]

I bite my nails. I haven't done anything, but I find when I have gum I don't. also... sometimes the nail polish thing doesn't work, but it might work for you (Personally, I like it when my nail polish has chips...)