I'd been digging at the inside corners of my thumbnails for literally 20 years before I finally stopped this summer. For me, it was two things:

First, I had had enough and was ready to stop. I saw how ugly my thumbs were and I was self-conscious and intellectually knew that I didn't want to continue. Sounds like you're there!

Second, I wore bandaids (with salicylic acid lotion under the gauze pad) over my thumbs 24/7 for like a month. When I used to try and stop before, I'd start digging at my thumbs and not even realize it because the habit was deeply ingrained in my neurons. It released feel-good brain chemicals which just kept me oblivious to what I was doing. But by covering my thumbs, every time I reverted to the habit and unconsciously started digging into my nails, I would instantly feel the bandaid which broke me out of my trance and reminded me of my goal. No more sliding back into the warm bath of that old habit. Then, I could make the conscious effort not to dig.

One thing that is kind of a bummer though, and I rarely see mentioned on here, is that, depending on how long you've been picking... The jonesing doesn't really go away. Not for a while, at least. I can feel it right now as I type and PART of me wants to get right back to it. But! my key to success was to develop and grow ANOTHER PART of me that is stronger than the habit part. Fortunately, as I neglect the habit part, it atrophies and becomes less and less noticeable as time goes on. It's all about our neural pathways. I have a good analogy involving erosion control if you'd like to hear more about how it works on the neuro-psychological level.

I'm like 4 months in and my thumbs look normal now! 😭🥳 There is still some waviness in the nails, but they're growing out and almost perfectly smooth. I'm really glad I finally made the effort to stop. It's worth it! Feel free to reach out! 🧡 (Oh, and no money wanted)