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amgoingtochange , 19 Jul 2011

i am going to stop

hi i am 26 and have been picking at my skin especially my face for over 10 years. i have alot of scars and post traumatic hyper pigmentation scars and cant go anywhere without make up. i only discovered that other people have this problem a year ago and i am determined to stop. i have started using a mixture of jojoba oil, lavender and tea tree oil as my bedtime moisturiser to help heal moisturise and prevent breakouts. i just want to post on this forum as this is going to be day 1 no picking (did a little this morning cos am stressed at the mo). i used to pick alot at night but most of the time now i only use dim lighting wen going to bed and this helps but wen i put on a big light i spend hours in front of mirror. i get so upset! but i am goin to stop right here right now no excuses i can control this! i need to be strong. u have to do somethin for 30 days to make it a habit so if i can replace picking with something else healthier for 30 days den mayb that wud end it. any ideas any1? anyone else ready to stop???
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clwigner
July 30, 2011
Stop13, I find it interesting that you have compared picking to alcoholism. My mother is an alcoholic (as was her mother), so I grew up watching her punish & destory herself. I promised myself that I would never grow up to be like either of them. I kept my promise. I do not drink, smoke or do drugs. However, picking is so similar to alcoholism. It's compulsive and uncontrollable. I've always used the excuse, 'At least I don't drink, smoke or do drugs'. It sounds so ridiculous now. I've been picking at my scalp for at least 12 yrs. now. I thought it was just a bad habit, no harm. Just something I do when I get bored. Apparently, I couldn't have been more wrong. I know that I suffer from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) & BBD (body dysmorphic disorder). One or both, more than likely, being the cause of my picking. I just pray that I can find a way to stop. I've been on 50mg of Zoloft for the past 12 yrs. Perhaps, a change my medication is needed. :-) Best of luck to you & the rest of the group. ~ WE CAN STOP!~
Stop13
August 01, 2011
it was actually reading an article about body dysmorphia that led me to realise I suffer from chronic skin picking. I notice a lot of people on this forum are taking medication which I am sure helps but it alone is obviously not enough to control the disorder and control of environmental factors which facilitate picking are also necessary whether that involves getting acrylic nails, covering the mirror or whatever. Those tips are essential. Who feels like a new commitment to stop as it is 1st August.. New starts and all that??
amgoingtochange
July 22, 2011
u poor thing. just let it heal and then try find the inner strength to stop. learn from ur mistakes though. rememeber next time to come on this site cos surely u dont wanta be pickin at ur chest for the rest of ur life!!! cut ur nails really short and wear a really tight top that will make it hard to get at ur chest. maybe even a polo neck and only take it off in the dark with no lights on. try ur best, you can do it, hope this helps, i dont mean to sound harsh but i dont want any1else to have to put up with this for any longer!
amgoingtochange
July 24, 2011
thats great to hear!!! yeah keeping them short is a really good idea cos u def cant pick now!!! ha:) and if ir comes to it put some kind of oil or somethin on ur chest that will make it impossible to pick.....
kay
July 29, 2011
hey love i just wanted to give you an update on me and a big thanks for your support throughout my intense recovery i havnt been picking at my chest for two weeks now so i havent relapsed yet ive been keeping my nails short so thanks agian and i will definetly keep posting
amgoingtochange
July 29, 2011
yeah def keep postin. i dunno about u but tis much easier to stop wen i know i am not the only one. had a bit of a fallback a couple of nites ago but def didnt pick bad and dey nearly all healed now again thankfully. i tink wen i was pickin i just was so tempted (wen i found a bit of my mirror not covered in toothpaste and i had forgotten to cut my nails) but so weary at the same time that al i left was a few wee red bumps and i didnt dig i just squeezed things that wer ready to come out but all the same i not goin to do it again cos i felt sick the next mornin and ever since just thinkin on it. i really think we are goin to make this thread a success story cos that is somethin i have been tryin to find - a website or thread of pickers that have stopped copletely. mayb wen we hav stopped a wile we can set up another thread on this website to help others how to stop ha:) wat am i like i just so excited thinkin that we are done with this bad dirty disgustin habit!!!! KEEP NAILS SHORT THO!!!!!well done on ur success its great to hear...:) and less of the 'i havent relapsed YET'. you are not goin to!!!! u have to stop for good remember and i am the same. we are done with this!!!
kay
July 20, 2011
hi everyone i believe im the only young one on here umm im 17 i got a reply on my 'picking breasts' forum and it sed that you guys are trying to form a support group on attempting to stop all together lol and its pretty encouaging to know that there is so much support out there from people we dont even knw i would just like to say that im trying really hard to get this thing beat before my 20's thats my futuristic goal
amgoingtochange
July 20, 2011
fair play kay. just try not to waste ur next three years on this thing either. u can do it:) just try doing something else everytime u feel the urge to pick. we have to be strict with ourselves. i cud easily run to mirror rite now so i came on ere instead!!
kay
July 29, 2011
i can...that is the first step to take in recovery keep repeating 'i can stop'.... next step is to tell someone that you truly trust so that he or she can be someone you arelie to call on when you feel the need to pick..something that really helps me is that i keep a journal and everytime i feel the urge to pick and write the first five words that comes to my mind then i write what those five words mean to me you should try ive been picking since i was 8 and i believe at your age you should try your hardest to stop because your only going to make it harder for yourself in the future..hope this helps im on this sit 24/7 so ill be here if you need me kiddo
itchyfingers
July 28, 2011
I just stumbled upon this site and I too have this terribly embarrassing habit. I want to stop. and have been trying to stop for so many years not. my face has so many scars that I think I could have prevented from forming. which is so depressing. but I am going to STOP. let's do it together! =)
amgoingtochange
July 28, 2011
welcome itchy fingers. have a read thru some more threads and post how u are gettin on. it is time to stop this horrible habit and u need to stop sooner rather than later!! take one day at a time and be prepared to stop for good k:)
readyToStop
July 30, 2011
I always knew that I had a problem with picking, but I never realized that I share the same emotions/motivations/feelings of shame and embarrassment as other people who do it. I haven't told any of my friends, and when my parents want to talk to me about it I feel super embarrassed and I want to cry. Now I'm 18 and headed to college in a month (on the other side of the country). I really want to get control over this disease before I'm in a new place, with no friends, and with a lot more stress. Please help me stop!
Romeo0107
July 31, 2011
Picking has always been...a habit. When I was 5 and im 39 now..I was scratched by a cat on face/eye.scalp...I had stiches and remember being in my room in front of the mirror the next day picking all the stiches out. What lovely satisfaction. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. I pick at everything....pimples, my kids ear wax, my cat's fur, dried glue, I love that soft glue-y stuff that attaches paper to plastic. Lately, it will takes weeks or months for a tiny scab to heal....you ask why?....BECAUSE I KEEP PICKING IT! I am an RN and a GERM-A-PHOBE at best.......I have been on so many antidepressants and xanax and klonipin...yada yada. I need help.
clwigner
August 01, 2011
Romeo0107, I'm the same way. I even pick at my 16 yr. old sons face. I told him that I could sit there forever and just pick. The money I could make as a professional picker would be HUGE! Good luck!
clwigner
August 01, 2011
Two whole days without picking. I can't believe it! However, I have been biting my lips. UGH! I bought some yarn yesterday. Thought crocheting would keep my hands busy. lol Good luck all.

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