No More Picking!

Entry 1: Hey all, I'm new to the site and a bit overwhelmed at the amount of people suffering with this awful compulsion :( Just a bit about me, I'm 22 and I've picked since I was 13. It started with ingrown hairs in my armpits from waxing and once I started shaving and stopped, it moved onto my upper arms, boobs and belly button. Whether it's ingrown hairs or insignificant raised hair follicles, I will pick it nonetheless. I was always self-conscious of my picking but it never bothered me too much until I started getting acne. I have taken antibiotics and used benzoyl peroxide in the past and I'm on birth control pills now but even when my skin is at its clearest I still manage to find something to pick. I was posting my progress (or lack of it!) on acne.org but this site is more suitable because I've come to the realisation that my skin isn't the problem, it's picking. I know I picked up the habit from my dad, I remember watching him spend ages in front of the mirror picking his face/ neck/ chest/ arms and obviously somewhere along the way I've picked up the same bad habit. I guess I've never trusted my body's ability to heal itself and being a total perfectionist and a tad OCD hasn't helped matters! I'm fortunate enough to be able to talk to my family and boyfriend about my issues, but even though they are very supportive it's hard for them to truly understand my compulsion. Even my dad can't fully relate - he has never felt ashamed by picking and hasn't let it stop him from living his life, he just sees it as another bad habit like biting his nails and doesn't have the same emotional response to it. I suppose that's why I've joined the site, to feel like there are people who I can relate to and get some advice about things that have actually helped people stopped picking. I feel like I've reached a point in my life where I want to make the change. I've allowed picking to control every aspect of my life socially and professionally but the emotional toll it's taken has become unbearable. I know that I'm very lucky in every other area of life and have people who love me, a good job and a nice house but it's hard for me to enjoy it fully because I'm holding myself back. I am my own worst enemy and it has got to stop. I need to stop making excuses and deal with my issues. I have tried so many times to stop picking, I feel like it's a constant battle that I always eventually lose. Not anymore!...I have decided that cold turkey is definitely not the way to go for me, the fact I still breakout from time-to-time means there will be some spots that are going to require picking, but those aren't my focus. Normal people will pick a pimple that is ripe for the taking, normal people do not then start skimming their hands all over their skin finding other stuff to pick and spend hours looking in the mirror creating a bloody mess. That's what has got to stop, if I have a breakout I'll deal with it as necessary but I'm not going to do pre-medative (perceived) damage control and if I do pick a spot it will end with that particular spot. I will realistically fail a few times a long the way but until I make the conscious decision not to pick, it's not really failing, I'll think of them as just a few speed bumps along the way! So today is the first day of the rest of my life. I've made the decision and I'm working towards my goal. I'm currently using a technique of snapping a rubber band on my wrist every time I want to look in the mirror or touch my face. I'll be updating quite regularly and anyone is welcome to join me! If anyone has any other tips I'd really appreciate it :)