My bad habit: chewing my fingers. What is the best way to stop it and break the habit?
84618
HMMMM some very interesting answers here that I like....Such as the rubber band idea. I would recomend that idea and see if that helps. If not....\n\nFirst of all as a former thumb sucker and smoker I understand oral fixations (I quit the thumb thing a 12 started smoking at 13 and just quit that at 22, about two months ago). Even now you will usually catch me with a touthpick, rubber band, bottle lid, pencils, or other item in my mouth. I have seriously cut back the habbit and consiously have to make efforts not to do it. \n\nHere are some suggestions. First of all peppers contain volitale oils that can chemically burn skin so avoid those. Purchase some alum powder and mix the powder with a few drops of water (Enough to make a slightly runny paste.) and soak your fingers in it. Alum is very, unpleasantly bitter and will immediately make your mouth pucker. Some people like lemon juice or tobasco so using those items usually doesn't work because the taste isn't very strong. \n\nNext put up sticky notes at the places you are most like to do this. Repeating to yourself that this is bad trains your mind to avoid doing it subconsciously. If you are like me you also put your hand on your face (or chin in hand, whatever). You can curb this action as well by improving your posture. Freeze yourself the next time you catch yourself doing this (or finger chewing) and analyze how you are sitting. Usually slumped with your elbow on the table or with your elbow semi supported by your stomach or chest. If you start improving your posture then you will become less inclined to hold your arm up unsupported for very long. I am using an exercise ball for a computer chair right now to retrain my posture. My doctor recomended it and I highly agree, I've already noticed a difference.\n\nCheer up though. Some studies say that finger chewing, nail biting, and other oral fixations are all signs of higher intelligence. It is believed that the brain in these cases works so fast that it actually gets bored or is somehow unstimulated. By controlling physical movement while mental processes such as reading or talking occur your brain is exercising itself and making you smarter and faster by training itself to multitask.\n\nOh and a side note. Many people often notice that they chew nails/fingers in response to nervousness. The sucking/chewing motion is deeply ingrained in our most primitive side as being calming. When we are babies and we recieve food (suckle) subconciously we are aware of being protected by our mothers. The sucking/chewing motion along with full belly releases seratonin in the child inducing pleasure and happiness. In response to certain stresses adults will ocassionally do the same thing for the chemical calm it can induce, without even thinking about it. I tend to do this in the store especially when I can't find something. I feel lost and confused and tend to stick the tip of one or more finger in my mouth while looking.
1135470
...its an addiction, so you may find 'replacing' it, or substitution will work better as a 1st step.\n\nI did it with chocolate. Didn't think i could stop eating it - then just made the decision that if I felt like a bar, id have a bit of fruit instead...\n\nIt is now a running joke amongst all my family and friends that I eat soo much fruit. Lets just say I get my 5 a day. :)\n\nIts healthier and I am slowly weening off having so much of the fruit too.\n\nSooo... if you want, try the fruit (grapes are best cause they are bite-size. Get a pang, eat a grape. lol\n\nOr  there is chewing gum... you choose.
227149
Find a substance that tastes bad ,but not dangerous, apply it to your nails so you will relize when you are chewing them...
354110
dip your finger in either hot sauce or nail polish remover so that everytime you suck your thumb, it will leave a bad taste
260857
im not sure... i have never heard of anyone biting their fingers before. me personally, i have the badhabit of biting my fingernails. everyone has little corcky things like this they do, its just something you pick up and its hard to stop.
226942
haha good question. i hav one for each mood. when im stressed like nervous or angry i break my nails off which is annooying cause it takes me ages to get them nice. when im impatient i shake my foot, every1 knowas this which is quite funny, they go "ohoh shes shakin the foot!" haha. a couple of gross habits 4 ya: i eat the krusty bits off the top of ketchup and toothpaste, i love the feelin of it in my mouth! hhhmmm wot else?? ill get back 2 ya if i can think of more! lol
491182
Habit.  NOthing else.  You can change it if you try.
11790
I was told that a habit takes 14 days to break!  My sister used to do it, she bought this awful tasting stuff that you put on like nail polish and it worked, I'm not sure where to get it though!  You could try just applying a very strong hand cream all the time it will tasted bad and after 2 weeks of concentrating on not biting maybe it will be broken!  I hope this helps!  Also it may be a nervous thing!  Are you Stressed?  That could be it!
758995
omg I'm scared...\nhow about u dip your thumb in something that tastes nasty..so like that you can keep your thumb out of your mouth.
899990
if you wanna stop all you have to do is use self control. it will be hard if your that "addicted" but if you put your mind to it, i think you can stop.
1030979
The real trick is to eat a food that burns more calories in the chewing and digesting, that it returns back to you.\n\nMaybe celery??
946374
Bad habits? lol\nTry increasing the amount of carbs you eat at the meal and see if that makes a difference.  If not then just exercise some self control...;
972478
Yeah, I do it too and I need to stop.\n\nCracking Fingers = Crack Cocaine\n\nPun Intended.
399186
I had the same problem.  One thing I found that works is to buy some chapstick and make sure you put it on constantly.  I know it looks retarded to always be applying it to your lips, but trust me--if you apply more as soon as you feel it wearing off, it helps a lot.\n\nAlso, consciously pay attention to the chewing and biting.  As soon as you feel yourself doing it, force yourself to stop.  After awhile, hopefully the habit will go away.
118344
You can erase a bad habit, no doubt about it... but to escape from something bad that you were involved in... i don't think so! But maybe through this bad incident... it may make you 'erase' your bad habit totally... ;) think about it
480002
no it's not...try chewing gum or sunflower seeds to break this disturbing habit.
129514
Wear a rubber band around your wrist, when you catch yourself fiddling with the retainer, snap the rubber band HARD! You have to do this every time you realize your playing with the retainer, eventually you'll train yourself to leave the retainer alone by associating it with getting your wrist snapped, it may take a few days, but it really does work. People have quit smoking using the same method.