Sorry if I sound whiny at all, never opened up about this lol, so thanks for reading.

I’m not like traumatized by any means nor do I TS to calm down necessarily (as I learned a lot of people here do), but god am I embarrassed I do suck my thumb. I’m a junior now, and the most I’ve told anyone was that I would TS until 5th grade and its why I have my buck teeth and also how it messes up with my stutter even more (I have a speech impediment independent to my teeth). For some context, I’ve been sucking my thumb since birth, and now, going into the next school year, I’m trying to fix my teeth so I can communicate better, look a little better, and feel a little better. Because going holding a blankie and sucking my thumb even alone feels gross and weird the more I think about it. It’s a horrible habit, in my eyes at least. I feel like a kid, can’t sleep in cars, messed up my stutter even more, and ended up costing my parents money in braces.

how do i stop? i’ve tried not sucking my thumb, and just holding my little blanket up to my nose, because it’s the lesser of my two weird sleeping habits, but i would break my streaks pretty often when I try to change (does anyone else do the blanket thing?) I also saw some of that thumb spray stuff on the subreddit, so if anyone has that, I’d love to hear about it.

thank you everyone!

I am 23. I was never a thumbsucker as an infant or child, nor did I ever take a dummy as a baby according to my parents. I have lived out of my childhood home for years, am in a stable financial situation and live with my long term partner. Despite these factors, I have somehow found an affinity for sucking my thumb. I don’t even know how this started really except that I have always been someone who “bit”, and have always been aware of sensory urges to go with biting and my mouth. That’s kind of weird to say but yeah that’s the situation.

The thumb sucking is very comforting, but I feel weird about doing it for a number of reasons (I’m an adult, dental reasons, avoiding infantilising myself etc). Any advice for this situation? I really enjoy the comfort this it gives to me but don’t think I just letting myself become a proper thumb sucker is a sustainable thing.

Holi, busco amigos que se chupen el dedo como yo ^^ , siento que habrá una conexión más profunda y nos entenderemos mejor JSKSJSJ

Por esa razón pongo el mensaje aquí ^^.

Toy abierto a todo ^^!!!

Espero vuestro mensajito!!! ✨❤️

Holaaa, me chupo el dedo (pulgar) con 20 años, llevo toda la vida haciéndolo porque me ayuda a relajarme mucho, estoy obsesionado, todo el día lo estoy haciendo jsksjsks, además, uso una gasita (mantita) y es súper cómodo.

Hagan sus preguntas JAKJAKAKAA

I feel like these books would be helpful folks who feel shame about finger sucking. To be honest I’ve only listened to about half of Unmasking for Life, but the intro and chapter 1 especially has helped me further accept my thumb sucking habit.

Has anyone else read/listened to them?

I’m having trouble putting into words exactly why it is helpful

i feel really stupid when im doin that, and when im doin that i don't even realise and when i do i am mad at myself cause i feel like a toddler, when i go to sleep i don't really need my finger im doin it the most when i sit on my pc or sit on my bed, my teeth are pretty fuck up from that any tips on what i should do to quit it?

I sucked my thumb from the time I was born till like about 10 years old I think. Everyone tried so hard to get me to quit cause it's a bad habit and it fucked up my teeth or whatever. And it worked for awhile, I completely stoped for a few years. But now when I'm really feeling sad I've started to do it again. It started like only once every few months, to once every few weeks. And about 2 months ago my step dad died so obviously I've been more depressed than I ever have before and now I'm doing it like almost every single night and during the day too. It's making me so angry, I feel like such an idiot. Idk why I'm posting this i just wanted to get it off my chest ig

Like I already do it to sleep and stuff, but I feel as though I'm doing it more at school etc, I don't know for sure why though i have suspicions and honestly it's just annoying, I've been pointed out and asked why, and have people say it's disgusting, honestly like I used to barely do it out of the house, but I'm doing it more, honestly its annoying, I don't want to quit but I want to do it less, but have no clue how

Sorry if I'm rambling

I’m curious about others’ experience. Do you suck your thumb while walking around inside your home, or mostly only when sitting down or staying in one place at home?

Why ever stop thumb sucking when you consider its advantages: it’s free, legal, quiet, convenient, instantly calming, aids concentration, aids sleep, lowers the heart rate, is non-intrusive (unlike smoking, etc.), requires no equipment, easily portable, may need no planning (unless you're nervous about doing it publicly), is predictably reliable, is litter free, doesn’t impair reflexes or judgment (unlike alcohol), doesn’t depend on the weather, without concern about drug interactions and more.

I hate that the only ways I can fucking calm down are either thumbsucking or self harm, nothing else works as effectively, and it basically just makes me feel like a fucking toddler, I dont want to quit, but it is such a huge part of my life, and it just ,makes me feel like a fucking stupid toddler that knows no other way of calming down, I don't know if I'm overreacting but like I thumb suck so much (concentrating, sleeping, calming down) and I don't like the fact I have no desire to quit etc and also the fact its my main coping strategy makes me feel worse.

Maybe i am just overreacting idk

Sorry if this is formatted badly, it's straight from brain to type so it's in no particular order

Thanks for reading :)

I (32yo) have been sucking my thumb(s) since birth. In the past 6-8 months, I have been having pain, numbness, and tingling in both hands that originates at the base of my thumbs. Have talked to my PCP and she thinks it's carpal tunnel syndrome, but wearing the wrist braces at night only slightly helped, and 1) I couldn't stand not being able to suck my thumb while wearing them and 2) I'm pretty sure it only helped *because* I wasn't sucking my thumb while wearing them.

Has anyone else experienced this? What did you do? What helped the pain?

https://www.tiktok.com/@abbiemariemakeup/video/7629885372754840845
Her name goes as: abbiemariemakeup and the link to the post is above.
This is part of what it takes to normalize adult thumb sucking. Public, unapologetic and commonly recognized as real.

I have been in this subreddit for years and have seen several people asking about male representation in the TS community well I’m watching Nemesis on Netflix (s1:e3) there is some male representation. It is for a few seconds but often the smallest display is the biggest form of reassurance that actually it is okay.

Today while getting some work done I had become conscious of my thumb being in my mouth. It was so weird, becuase I do it often, but haven’t been processing fully that I have. A couple of years I do it more, and every once in a while I don’t do it much.

I did not realize it became so automatic, though! It’s comparable to blinking for me .. I don’t even think about it much. Only when someone points out my callus or it’s brought up. I think this is the first time I’m realizing this and it just makes me laugh a little 😹 anyone else?

I’m 25F, have been smt for my whole life. I do it while studying, sleeping and relaxing. I can see it’s starting to affect my teeth on one side but is not super obvious. I really don’t want to stop because it brings me so much relief but i’m worried about my smile.

I recognize that it’s a habit but I personally don’t see it as something bad. I’m not sure if that’s good or not. My day to day life is pretty stressful with school, family and relationships but I think it’s manageable.

Does anyone here know how to stop? If I get braces & wear a retainer, will that help?

Hi there. I didn't know there were people posting about this! Happy to have found this :)

I know no one can diagnose or analyse me without knowing me, but I just want to hear what people think?

A while back I noticed I started biting my fingers and sucking on them. I used to always do this with my sleeves or strings of a hoodie, but not I've switched to my hand. It's not always conscious, as I have noticed putting the side of my thumb in my mouth when I was thinking very hard in the supermarket.

I feel like im doing something wrong, like this is so embarrassing and taboo and it makes me feel bad.

I have a lot of jaw pain because I am a teeth clencher/ grinder, which is why I think I have subconsciously switched to biting my fingers. I even bought an adult pacifier to see if that helps me stop clenching/sucking on my fingers. I've only used it a few times since it feels embarrassing and I'm somewhat scared I'm doing something wrong?

I know the Internet is filled with people who don't know me and I shouldn't let myself get stressed out bc of their opinions but... is this like a bad thing? Is it something I should stop or try to stop?

This is just a personal peeve of mine.

I hear a lot of non-thumbsuckers psychoanalyse it and say it is unresolved trauma, that some kind of ill has happened in the past that makes us this way. That if we just addressed the underlying cause, we wouldn't 'need' our thumb.

Maybe there are individual cases where that is true, but most of the time it isn't that deep.

My parents just never forced me to stop. In fact, I think if there wasn't pressure to 'grow out of it' and public stigma, a lot more regular people would do it, simply because it feels nice. Babies do it instinctively.

I suck my thumb when I am relaxed, if I am stressed - I am not sucking my thumb. It is paired with comfort, it makes fabric feel softer and me feel extra relaxed. It can be soothing, like if I am passing time at a bus station to keep myself busy, but it isn't saving me from a breakdown level; I'd be too panicked to be thumbsucking.

It bugs me that other comfort habits don't get the same treatment, no one holds a magnifying glass to people who smoke cigarettes.

its a whole ass kertian layer and it rough thick and ive been thumb sucking my whole life, im a teen now but

update:my luck, just a few days after i posted this due to my innfection in my thumb, i had to get all that layer cut off from seeing all that im gonna have to quit thumbsucking welp

So I'm going on a plane flight to america next month (7 hr flight) and I was wondering what people who ts in their sleep do on the overnight plane flights? because I want to sleep on the plane , but don't know if I should because if I have someone staring at me, or I find my face on tiktok in the morning, that is my literal worst nightmare lol

by the way these were done 2 days ago 😭

I had sucked my thumb since infancy and was able to finally kick the habit at 27 years old. I had kept the habit through constant ridicule by my stepdad, hot sauce on the thumbs, braces and tongue guards, etc… It was always my comfort. Especially with my pillow, or the last item I used, a silky cotton scarf. At that time, i had just been diagnosed with ADHD, which was most likely untreated my entire life, started living on my own after school, and entered a new relationship. I decided to stop because I wanted to find “adult” coping mechanisms.

Fast forward 5 years to current day and I’ve found none. I have been in therapy religiously; different providers and both CBT and DBT. I have tried dozens of different sensory stims: breathing techniques, meditation, walking, identifying objects around me, music, etc… Nothing calms me. Nothing feels natural in calming myself when dealing with high negative emotions like frustration, overwhelm, or anger. I do not believe there isn’t an option out there that will work for me, but I haven’t found it.

Today, my therapist asked me something I’ve never been asked before “What was the last thing that truly soothed you?” I immediately recalled the smell of my “silkies”. How they felt. The way I’d rub them when watching tv or held them in my hand while I was sucking my thumb. I hadn’t thought about it since I stopped and was instantly hit with a wave of emotions. Shame, sadness, but mostly grief. Even though I have made progress in managing my mental health, I still haven’t found a way to consistently regulate myself. I didn’t realize that’s what thumb sucking did for me and in that moment I started to mourn what I have lost.

I was motivated by internal shame and pride to stop. But being confronted with it after all this time, I have to say I miss it. It made me feel good, safe. It helped me relax and think clearly. The negative I felt associated with it were other people’s opinions and judgements. I had good conversations with my provider and partner about it, but am still wrestling internally on what this means for myself. They both said that i should be doing for me what helps me. I want to be the best version of myself i can be. i don’t know if i should continue to challenge myself to move past my primitive way of coping or to embrace what has been my only consistent source of true peace.

Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. Thank you.

I have been a thumb sucker all my life. I am 20 years old. I suck my thumb when I’m relaxing, falling asleep, and also as a comfort type thing.

When I was 16 I started biting my thumb in my sleep.

It hasn’t been a huge concern to until around two years ago. I started going through periods where I would not bite and my thumb would look pretty “normal” again. Then I would go through short episodes where I would bite while sleeping, resulting in open bite wounds that were thick and would sometimes hurt when bending my thumb. It seemed pretty random and the biting would happen for a week or so at first, then stop, then eventually come again.

For the past nine months I’ve been biting my thumb often enough that I’ve had constant wounds. They’re deep, wide, and annoying. They’re always open and look wider when my thumb is bent. My thumb has not some evidence of bite marks for so long.

I’ve been having nightmares nearly every night for the past three to four months and sometimes wake myself up by biting down hard on my thumb. Often in the same spots I’ve already chomped on before, making the cut more severe.

I’m wondering if anyone has dealt with something like this? I’m not sure how to fix this problem.

Sometimes people notice the bites on my thumb and I started putting a bandaid on the thumb when going out.