relating compulsive nail biting only when consuming alcohol

john over a year ago

can anybody help me understand why it is that i only bite my nails when they reach a certain length i am at my most vulnerable when relaxing with drinking alcohol certain wines also affect me more than others and i dont know why or what wines are the worst.

when the urge comes to bite them no matter how hard i try i am totally powerless to do anything to stop myself biting them then regret it afterwards.

how can i break this chain that has blighted me now for all my life i am 63 years old.

thanks in anticipation john.

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Violet_Ivy212904 over a year ago

Hi John,

If you only bite them when they get to a certain length, how about keeping them short & cutting them before they get to that particular length?

It sounds as if your nail biting is anxiety related & despite alcohol being a depressant (so in theory, should relax the autonomous nervous system), it can cause anxiety-related behaviour, especially if the person is not a regular drinker. You write that it seems worse with certain types of wine- could there be a relationship between the alcohol volume and/or content of the wines & your nail-biting?

Different reactions to different wines is not uncommon. Personally, I can't drink red wine; it gives me heart palpitations, makes me blush and gives me a headache.

Ensuring your nails don't get to the length that bothers you and perhaps, keeping to low alcohol drinks may help.

Good luck

V

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Guest over a year ago

I do too!

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Guest over a year ago

Ohhh not a "length" thing. I do it also and I believe it's an anxiety, maybe anger thing. I wear gel (fake) nails and a certain drunkenness brings a suppressed anger to bite them off. I don't even quite understand it but I do it. "Cut your nails and watch your alcholol consumption" isn't the solution. It's a soul thing......a suppressed thing.

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Guest over a year ago

I'm nearly 50 and FINALLY glad to hear I am not the only one that deals with this issue. Carbohydrate consumption (especially alcohol!) has always been a catalyst. Nail biting for me has been a struggle since I was a small child, of which anxiety is but a small portion. The biggest problem I've had to overcome is the uncomfortable way a nail tip (of any length) "feels" pressing against the tips of my fingers. The sensation overpowers my will to the point that I MUST bite them off. I've gotten so I can go pretty long without taking them completely down to the nub, but I have to keep them regularly trimmed and have a REALLY GOOD reason to force myself from chewing (Social event, job interview...). But yep, put a beer in me and all bets are off.

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Guest over a year ago

Me too. Is there a scientific reason or are all of these reasons suspect?

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Guest over a year ago

Me too. Is there a scientific reason or are all of these reasons suspect?

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Guest over a year ago

Me too! I am 43, don’t drink often these days, and halfway through 1 beer and find myself biting my nails.

I have been biting my nails my whole life, but go through periods of not biting at all and back to biting. Why beer triggers biting is fascinating to me albeit not desirable.

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Guest over a year ago

One more nail bitter here.

I know that I bite my nails because of my anxiety, that's my stress coping mechanism.
Tried almost anything that is coming to your mind to help get rid of this nasty habit. I tried putting pepper on fingers, wearing gloves and trimming my nails every day, but nothing helped.

Lately, I started noticing that drinking beer is another nail-biting trigger for me. I didn't experience that earlier. It is a bit unusual, but until I found this thread haven't thought much about it. I'm now very much interested to find what in alcohol is triggering my anxiety related habit.

I mean, I drink to relax and reduce stress and now I'm further developing my nail biting. That's so messed up!

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Guest over a year ago

I'm 20, The minute mines get long I can't resist and I ether pick it bite them off. I've been trying to keep them longer but I have the same problem the minute I loose my inhibitions(Due to drink or drugs) I'll rip them right to the skin. Same with my teeth(I'll grind and bite down) I've broken a few teeth because of it. To be fair I would rather that it was just this another bad habit is self harm for me the minute I'm drunk I have to be careful I've lost control before and done it far too deep you just loose all your control once you are drunk I guess. I'm sure there is stuff you can get that taste horrible to help you stop chomping but I know I would still be satisfied ripping them off.

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Guest over a year ago

Me too! Thought this was weird but now I see not so uncommon..

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Guest over a year ago

Hello, I have been biting my nails since I was a child. I don't remember beyond 10 years old.
I thought it was nervous habit. I am really bad when I drink alcohol too. My mom drank her entire pregnancy with me and I thought maybe her alcoholism caused my nail biting. Sometimes I wonder

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Guest over a year ago

I’m not a big drinker anymore. 2 gins I pick lightly or put hand moisturizer on. Tonight I had a whole bottle of wine, now I remember why I don’t drink wine!! I’ve chomped down on all my nails with an over whelming compulsion I cannot resist. I’ve just given up smoking, the patches work fine even after a few. The nail biting is just too much. I love wine, but it’s just not my friend or my nails. It’s like a wired chemical thing, but I’m relieved it’s just not me !!

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Guest over a year ago

I'm so glad I found this thread. Nice to know I'm not the only one.

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next politics over a year ago

not a single touch to the nails on daylight but when I begin to consume alcohol I tear them all. and live with the shame, hide the fingers from everyone at the daylight again.

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