h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just *hate* finding bits of people's nails. Don't you dare leave any lying around here!

To cure my son's onychophagia (chronic nail biting), we made a thin, watery paste out of Cayenne pepper and painted it on his nails and fingertips. Needless to say he quickly learned to stop biting them. There are also commercial products available that do the same thing:
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Hope this helps.
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Welcome to the knot at the end of this thread.

If you lose any of your front teeth, it becomes impossible, False teeth don't have the grip.
I'd go with the gloves if I were you. Pretend you have some nasty skin disease for a couple of weeks.

Is this thread dead now? ;-) http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F57153?thread=123304 - writing workshop thread on nail polish/varnish - author looking for hints and tips - Joanna - perhaps you'd like to share your story with him there? :) Actually, I went for the nail painting to stop the nail biting too. Made me actually care about my nails, rather than seeing them as a source of ingrowing pain, which really changed my whole view of them. Shame that scratching off nail polish is almost as bad for them as biting them, though... :-(

looks like its coming back to life...

I shall visit that thread soon

Ahh, the fun of buffing the nails which have had the varnish scraped off...

Mentally, this is a tough call. Nail biting is a virtually subconcious action. I would go for a more physical solution. The way I see it, your main problem is in the elbow area ....paralyse the elbow angular displacement and you keep the hand to mouth proximity to a maximum. Try using splints / chair legs / broken car aerials (extended) to keep your arms straight. You'll still be able to do those important tasks like typing, driving and going to the toilet ( 50% with difficulty). Eating and drinking may become difficult, but you might lose a bit of weight at the same time.

Alternatively, concentrate on making your toenails more appelaing in the culinary sense e.g. dip them in maple syrup or pot noodle juice. That way, your hand nails will stay untouched and immaculate, leaving your toenails as your own little secret delicacy.

I stopped biting my nails when I lost my virginity. The very same moment, in fact.