Man I used to nail bite/skin pick so badly. I started when I was five and just couldn't stop. I tried everything, but it was almost like a comforting habit and I couldn't shake it. :E Then earlier this year, after wearing fake nails to my brother's call to the bar in May, I decided I liked the way the nails looked and was going to stop. So I did.
I still have no idea how it happened? I literally just decided I didn't want to bite my nails anymore after almost two decades. I struggled so hard, tried every trick, and rolled my eyes at all the people who said they 'just stopped one day,' yet that's what happened to me. Now I have gorgeous, strong fingernails that I take great care of and no longer have to tend to bleeding finger tips, sores and avoiding hand sanitizer like the plague. I wish I had more info to give you! I guess vanity and determination won out for me in the end. One thing that did help me while in the process of breaking the habit, however, was to give my hands and mouth something else to do, and also allow myself one nail on each hand to bite if necessary. For me, those were my thumbs. I couldn't touch any of the other ones. I don't know if you have any rings, but I found fiddling with one of them helped to keep my hands busy!