how to break an addiction?

hey i’m not sure the title is accurate but i couldn’t think of anything better

basically i’ve been struggling with skin picking for my entire life

it started small

picking some overhangs and scans around my nails at 6

nothing too serious

as years went by it evolved into pretty severe skin picking, where i wasn’t able to go a day without making a lesion

and recently (like in the past year) the habit developed into full blown dermatilomania

i keep on picking to the point where my lesions can’t heal properly

the worst of it is i started picking skin on my heels to the point where i can’t walk properly anymore and when i do it causes me a lot of pain

it catches up to me in the evening when i’m bored

i’ve been advised to “occupy my hands with something” but what nobody seems to get is that it’s something i do absentmindedly i’m not sure what to do anymore

does anyone have similar experience or am i beyond help at this point ?

have a nice day

dx1,

Recognize your behavioral triggers. Could be anxiety, stress, etc. Try to actively recognize how you’re feeling before you engage in an addictive behavior, and then either do a substitute activity or find ways to (calmly) move your thoughts or feelings to a different place. The key concept is to divert your thinking that produces the addictive behavior.

Just my two cents, not a doctor but have broken an addiction or two.

aslafoo,

thank you for response i’ll try my best to be more “conscious” of my habits hopefully i’ll get myself together and make it

congrats on breaking your addictions! maybe it’s not my place to say it but hell you should be proud of yourself cause this shits hard congrats again and have a great day :)

dave_baksh,

Buy some cotton gloves - anytime you’re in a situation where you know you might pick, wear them. This has worked very well for me (nail biter).

fubo,

This is a medical condition, not just a bad habit. It is very treatable but will probably benefit from psychiatric treatment, not just counseling or friendly advice. As with OCD, this can include cognitive behavioral therapy as well as medication.

LemmySoloHer,
@LemmySoloHer@lemmy.world avatar

@aslafoo, don’t skip on this – this is the answer! I had a very bad experience last year that ended up causing me to develop OCD and it was mind-boggling how I couldn’t stop myself from giving into it, I’ve never experienced anything like it.

Finally brought it to my doctor, got prescribed medication that ultimately fixed the problem. Also was told to look into cognitive behavioral therapy, which I did, and found it extremely helpful as well (though I’m doing so well that I don’t want to risk coming off the meds just because the cognitive behavioral therapy practices were helpful). My doctor also gave me a referral to both a psychiatrist (in case I had side effects from the medication that lasted beyond the adjustment period and needed to explore other options, which I didn’t) and a psychologist (to be guided through cognitive behavioral therapy professionally, which I didn’t end up doing because my insurance no longer had a contract with them and by the time the American healthcare system re-referred me to another office I had no more symptoms). Basically my primary care physician gave me everything I needed to get my life back.

100% it was worth bringing to my doctor and I recommend doing the same. Don’t wait on it. Consider getting some cheap fidget toys to fill your hands in the days leading up to your scheduled appointment but schedule it for as soon as possible.

aslafoo,

hi, thanks for reply that’s what i was afraid of

to be honest i started medical treatment with antidepressants around 3 years ago, 2.5 of which i spent speedrunning the entire pharmacy lmao in June this year i changed doctors and finally got on track (with venlafaxine and mirtazapine)

on top of that i started therapy in September i’ll try to bring up the skin picking again

i talked about this issue with my therapist earlier but despite my efforts i always end up relapsing so yeah thank you for thorough reply have a nice day

Flickerby,

Also if you haven’t heard the medical term for this yet, it’s called dermatillomania, if it helps you to put a name to it.

KittenBiscuits,

Skin picking can show up from other conditions such as OCD mentioned above, anxiety, and also ADHD. Try again to raise the issue with your therapist. If they are dismissive, find a new therapist. Sometimes it takes trying on a few therapists to find one who clicks with you and can be helpful.

DocMcStuffin,
@DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world avatar

I used to bite my nails. All the way down to the quick. Did that for 20 something years. Finally wanted to stop. I did two things. 1. I became very conscience of when I felt like biting them. 2. I painted them which created a disincentive. After about a month or so, I had no desire to bite.

Maybe get some eczema cream or moisturizer to put on those spots you want to pick at? When you catch yourself doing it, substitute another activity? IDK.

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