1. The answer to "How long have you been biting your nails?" is "forever".
2. The thing is, you don't even know you're doing it.
3. While this might be what it looks like to observers...
4. ...this is what it FEELS like to you.
5. It's deeply satisfying. Almost indescribably so.
And no, you DON'T just do it when you're nervous.
6. You know the sight – and taste – of this bad boy all too well.
7. It goes from tasting disgusting...
8. ...to actually becoming tolerable.
9. When you have a hangnail or a jagged edge you HAVE to bite it off.
10. Yes, everyone knows it means you can get infections.
11. And yes, sometimes they do bleed. But no, it doesn't really hurt that much – or at least, you get used to it.
12. Nail-biters know their fingers can look pretty horrid at times.
13. THIS is the same hand 24 weeks later – but it seems like it would be years away to the average biter.
14. You have no idea how people grow their nails long enough to do this kind of thing.
15. You have to think of inventive ways to scratch yourself, because, of course, you have no fingernails.
16. YOU CAN'T PHYSICALLY DO THIS. Without the help of a key or something, that is.
17. You have to actively try hard not to do it during important business meetings, so you don't look like a crazy person.
18. You may not ever admit it, but you secretly leave tiny bits of nail EVERYWHERE you go.
The grossest thing a person can find on the carpet are nail clippings. GROSS!
19. Oh, just give up? Well, it's not that easy.
20. All the solutions just seem kind of pointless.
21. And even if you do manage to stop, you're left with another problem:
got rid of my nail biting habit but can't seem to stop peeling the dry skin around ;A;
22. You could deal with it by getting hypnotised. But that sounds all kinds of weird. And what if it doesn't work?
23. At least it doesn't hurt anyone.
