Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    Most drug stores carry this. We used it for our daughter several
    years ago when she wanted to stop sucking her thumb.
    
    Bonnie

    I seem to remember some foul-tasting stuff called "Thum" [sic].
    And, yes, it came from the drug store.
    
    Dale

    I chewed/destroyed by nails until I was 28.  The way I got over
    it was looking at my diet, correcting the flaws and I haven't
    chewed them for the last 9 years.  I increased my protein and
    added vitamins.  It helped for other problems like allergies
    and my hypoglycemia.
    
    	sherry

    I chewed my nails for as long as I can remember. Suddenly,
    last month I stopped. The only thing I can connect to this
    occurrence is that I'ce been doing some personal-growth work
    connected with energetc healing.
    
    I have no idea whether I'll start again or not...maybe it's
    something I just don't need any more.
    
    signed,
    
    Puzzled in Paducah
    (Dawn)

    I stopped when I started graduate school.
    
    I connected it mostly to being too busy even for nervous habits,
    and also to the increased self-confidence of actually having
    chosen what I thought was right for myself even if it wasn't
    the sensible thing to do.
    
    --bonnie 

    A nail biter ? No, not me...ha ha ha....
    I have tried every cure in the book. I remember when I was a child
    my mother bought some of that bad tasting stuff and told me it was
    *POISON* I would probably *DIE* if I continued to bite my nails.
    I tried it, I didn't die, and it took about 2 days to get used to
    the taste. Now  that I'm older, my fiance is trying to get me to
    stop by slapping my hand everytime I try to bite my fingernails.
    
    By the way, the name of that bad tasting stuff is "Sally Hanson's
    Nail Biter" (or something like that. It's available everywhere,
    but I doubt that I'm the only person who can get used to the taste:-)
    
    Good luck !
    
    Dee (with no nails...)                                            
    

    re .6
    I think that the name same is "Sally Hanson's Stop 'N Grow." I know
    because I use to poor my money down that hole called Stop 'N Grow.
    All to no avail, may I add.
    
    I too got use to the bitter taste. After a day or two of using the
    bitter stuff it became a piece of cake. And as for that nasty habit
    some people have developed, slapping my hands as I bite, nothing
    irritates me more. My fiance won't be my fiance for long if he slaps
    my hands as I bite... Arrgh!
   

    Get braces -- you can't bite down that way.  I used to be a perpetual
    nail biter, but physically can't do it anymore.  *sigh*  'Twas such
    a good outlet for frustration.

    re .8
    Really???? And I'm in the process of deciding whether I want to
    wear braces at this point of my life! Are you really saying that
    braces will be a two-for-one deal?
    
    Hmmm...
    
    But if I get rid of this outlet for frustration then what will I
    do? Oh I think that translates to severe behavior modification.
    

    I had my braces taken off in Jan.  You really can't bite your nails
    without mucking with the wires and the wires don't let you get close
    to where you are used to biting your nails.  honest. you will break
    the habit.  I did after 30 + years of biting my nails.  
    now that the braces are off, nail biting just isn't the same. :-)
    
    vivian

      And its one of the worst things about braces!  Nail biting was my
    best (!) nervous habit.  No wonder I've been so cranky lately...
    
    (-.1 is right.  The wires don't let you close your mouth correctly
    to get at your nails -- unless you have very long nails, in which
    case this is probably a moot point).
    
    Jim ;^#

    Braces will do it everytime, I have them now and no longer do it,
    but I am constantly trimming them now, there is always a nail clipper
    in my reach.  Oh well !!

    and in the infamous words (paraphrased) of Robin Tyler...
    
    'Don't stop biting your nails!  It's the only habit I know of that's
    not controlled by the mafia, taxed by the government, and you can
    grow your own without getting busted!'
    

    I still bite mine.  One day I looked down and saw -- ohmy! -- nails.
    I had been doing a lot of writing, so my hands were tied up with
    the keyboard.  I managed to get through the rest of the day, then
    ran home and dug out an old bottle of nail polish.  For me, it provides
    two advantages.  First, it does have a taste, so you'll notice when
    you start biting.  Second, I think it makes them stronger; I tend
    to play with them and they tear, so a little reinforcement can't
    hurt.
    
    Well, they grew and grew and in the end lasted about a month.  Then
    a few weeks later, I found I had nails again.  They do grow back.
    I've just gone through the cycle of trashing them all again, but
    now I know that they'll grow back and it's no big deal.  One advantage
    is that they've got me taking calcium daily, since it's good for
    nails.  (It's also good for bones, but that's a little too abstract
    right now to be really motivating.)
    
    One thing to try if you're breaking the nail-biting habit:  concentrate
    on your cuticles instead.  Keep pushing them back so you can see
    the paler half-moons on your nails.  This will help the nails grow.
    It also keeps your hands busy.

    I *would*, except I have finally found the solution, and for
    just $19.95....
    
    No, seriously, keep a nail file close by the TV, and *file*
    them suckers too short to bite. Neat, and keeps you from
    snacking during the show :-)
    
    Dana

    I'm a seasonal nail-biter!
    
    Since I've been in school I've been biting.  But the past few summers,
    I've noticed that when school ends for the summer, so does the biting!
    I think it has to do with the stress level.  Because I can go months
    without a nibble, then, as soon as the first round of tests
    starts...gone go the nails!
    
    Note:  I have 3 1/2 weeks growth now, summer is grand!
    

    Braces never stopped me...now that they are off, I still contently
    bit my nails.  (I can't STAND them over the tips, anyways!) 
    
    ..S..