Because we have lives other than picking....

[iridescence]

I've enjoyed this thread too. It's nice to hear about everyone else's lives so that we're not all just reduced to people with "issues."
I am 26 and live in Utah with my two kitties. I've been married for 3 1/2 years to the sweetest man alive. My husband has been in the middle east doing the GI Joe thing for a year now. I graduated from college in Humanities/English about 3 1/2 years ago and am currently unemployed. I love to read and go to shows (my husband is a 'rock star' in real life) and watch movies and hang out with my sweetie.

[Healing]

I'm Amy, a new girl here too, but I feel so close to you all already reading your posts... I see myself in almost all of them!

I am a 29 year old stay at home mom of 2 wonderful girls in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. My girls are 3 and 8 months old. They are my life and soul. I am married (5 years this coming June) to Mark, a computer programmer, who also works from home, so we are all home together all the time, which is wonderful! He ignores my picking or at least pretends not to notice, which I love him for....

I have a younger sister who also picks her face a little, (not near what I do) but her main compulsion is cleaning. She even has a hairbrush especially for combing the fringe on her floor rugs so that they all lay nice and even and straight! God love her! I also have an older brother who seems to have escaped the really bad compulsions, though I do see him picking his hangnails and his upper lip on occasion... but not ever to the point of bleeding. We come from a family that may break records for dysfunction. I always like to joke that Jerry Springer would even turn us down for a show! ;-)

After joining this board this morning, I went upstairs and cut off all my fingernails as short as i've ever trimmed them... I want to quit this for my daughters. I already caught my 3 year old picking absently lately and I don't want them to grow up doing this to themselves like I did.

[thumbelina]

I live in England. I got married last year I am 25 years old and have two babies of the ginger furry variety. I love going out I'm a bit of a ladette like drinking with the girls. I love travelling and wd love to win the lottery. The best place I have ever been is Thailand although I'm going to america for the first time this year for one long party in las Vegas. I am a nurse. I have a really happy life and am spoilt and loved by my husband (can you tell I am a newly wed) ;D

[workinprogress]

Hey everyone,
I am writing to survive so sorry for being wordy. Healing...I can totally relate to the daughter thing. I am partially quitting for her.

Anyway I will back up. I am 38, live in California, and married for 4 years although I was engage 3 times before (runaway bride trip). Anyway, my daughter is 21 months and I am completing a doctorate in psychology.
I did medical research for OCD 10 years ago and that is the first time i realized that I had what our patients had. Non of them were pickers but i found out it fell into the criteria. I can remeber picking since the 3rd grade when I asked to pick my friends scabs-quite the popular one.

I have a dog who is part-suicidal, she is 10 pounds and fights big dogs and garbage trucks. She likes to pick on seeing eye dogs also. i DO alot of picking because of the stress she causes me.

Other things...I hate myself and think my core is defective. I enjoy me degree and feel that I am only fulfilled when I am helping others.

[andieraeon]

I thought I'd contribute here.. My name's Andrea, I'm 23. Im not married and have no bf or children, although I do have a lot of great friends. I live in Colorado and I love it here. Im a student at the University of Denver, majoring in History and Theology. I am a pretty busy person. I belong to a lot of clubs and organizations, plus I like to sing, dance and act, so I spend a lot of my time doing that, or reading.

[jax]

I love this thread. i'm thrilled to have found it for so many reasons- not the least of which is because i often worry about the amount of energy everyone puts into obsessing about the picking- it's probably because i am in denial and just do it in a sortof trance- but anyway i digress- theo ther main reason i love this thread is because it is absolutely astonishing to me how successful we all are. you would think that this affliction which is surely a symptom of deeper ills would stop us from being so accoomplished- but alas- that is not the case- i wonder why it is that everypne is so successful- perhaps the connection is a need for perfection and hence an outward display that we are NOT perfect- everything is NOT okay and no matter how perfect we may seem- we have deeper darker issues that haunt us.
I am a quality manager- mostly project management for behavioral health initiaitives in a non-profit HMO. I have a masters degree in counseling psych and ache to go back to school. i have been married for a little over a year to a wonderful man- have two glorious cats and a big old house that we are slowly rehabbing. my family is very far away- my sis in florida (older) and younger brother in Cali- everyone is in the sun but me- as i am a northeast kinda girl- Boston via NYC and NJ. the tangled webs we weave. well sisters- hang in there- recognze your beauty and your accomplishments- and keep being the wonderful folks you obviously are. i am humbled to have found this site and to have learned about you all- thanks so much for sharing.
jax

[poticlaire]

hello!
I'm Claire, 27 and I live in rainy old Manchester, England.
I'm a student and I've got 2 cats(Milo and Spencer)- well actually I could potentially have about 10 because a pregnant stray has moved in and I'm too soft to kick her out
She's pure black so I'm convinced it's a good omen!
Aren't black cats unlucky in America?

[sos]

TEXTHi I'm Christine, a new member. I'm 36 yrs. old with 3 kids a 16yr old daughter (Kiah), a 7yr old daughter(Skylar), and a 5 yr old son(Logan). It was'nt until my sister (Carla 35yrs old) who by the way is very beautiful, showed my an article in the SELF magazine, the March 2004 issue, about ("CHRONIC FACE PICKING") that I woke-up and smelled the coffee ... Thank God... I have not picked since I read the article and found this site. Well back to my life...My wonderful husband Tom of 7years has put up with alot of my sickness over the years. He is very smart and has his MBA working on his PHD and is a reservist Officer in the NAVY. He is black and I'm white and are children are beautiful. This is my second marriage, my oldest daughter Kiah is from my first with a man I met in high school a real winner!!! "NOT" he is also black so everyone thinks she is my husband's daughter and I met him and we had 2 more children... but I say No I gave birth to all three Thank You... I have been A Daycare Provider for 5 yrs. now and love it and (hate it only in the winters)It's the hardest job I've had and I've worked for a few companys doing Admin. work.
I get to be home with my kids and make money at the same time...its not forever. My Mom (Sharon) pasted away in 86' from Brain Cancer and she was only my age 36. My Dad (Rudy real name Cyrus) remarried and lives in VA. with my Stepmom (Connie) and my half brother Kyle 13yrs and my half sister Kyra 10yrs) My sister Carla has been married for 3 yrs to a wonderful man Dan, they live on the water, have no children but do have a huge salt water tank with beautiful fish. My family has an Italian Greyhound named "Winsome Smokin' Joe Boxer" we call him Joe.
Bye for now...

[Hecate]

Hi,I'm 26 from Yugoslavia& have moved to New Zealand 5 years ago.I live with my lesbian partner& our cat Ash & we are hoping to get married(legaly) when the civil union bill becomes law,hopefully in december this year.I volunteer at the women's centre & are starting women's studies next year.I'm passionate about human rights issues & ending female opression & I'm into photography esp.with a strong political & lesbian theme.My goal is to live on the country side with my partner ,frut & vegie garden,surrounded with good friends & lots of animals & have plenty of time for my art & activism.

[Marsha]

I have no problem with general chatting.

But, correct me if I am wrong, I thought this site was to do with skin and face picking.

Marsha

[hoppe]

Hi Marsha

I wonder why you sound so critical. Yes, this site is about picking, but do you not think it is nice to see that we all are much more than just skin-pickers?? That although this takes up a large part of our lives, we still manage to have other interests, a family, a nice job.... .That we all are unique and valuable personalities underneath our self-inflicted wounds?
And note that this is the General Discussion part - a place to talk about stuff besides picking - so if you do not want to read about it, then just do not do it.

hoppe

[flakmonkey]

My name is chris. Some of you posted to me, lots of you have never heard of me becuase I am bad about burst-posting/not-posting/burst-posting etc.
And I'm only a few posts old in this forum.
About me... hmm.
I am 19. I live in the ATL, born in Stone Mountain Ga. I attend the Atlanta College of Art and am finishing off my first semester. I have a girlfriend, Melissa, whom I love dearly. I also have a kitty, Griffen, who is a snow shoe siamese (blue point) manx (that means no tail). He talks alot, and he likes to eat. He is the only living thing that I am fully comfortable rubbing my face on. The girlfriend is a DISTANT second in that category. I want to be an animator. I like to build speakers and computers (and daydream about nice fancy shit that I cannot afford). I drive a 1987 Jaguar Xj6 named "Kitty." My dad calls it the shitty kitty, and I politely remind him that it has almost twice the horsepower and torque of his crappy car. Anyway, I am passionate about making art, making love, and making noise. I am addicted to low frequencies, shiny blue LED's (those are tiny lights for those of you not technically inclined), computer games, and master/perfect grade gundam models. I play bass and I built my speaker cabinet ;D 1250w RMS into 8 ohms and 150db's max ;D. I am a face picker, suffer from cystic acne, ADHD, and depression. I am very shy, an atheist, and don't drink or smoke or do drugs.
Chris

[kiraandjarrod]

TEXT

hey there what is up!! I am 14 I am almost 15 and I am the youngest one here. This is very interesting! Well I have two dogs and a cat. I want to go to Ohio State University and become a marine biologist. Well its a 11 clock and i have to go! school!

[cinnamonfern]

I'm 20, gonna be 21 in about a month. I got my GED this past December and am taking driving lesons and should be taking my road test soon. I'm also working with a job coach to get a part time job. Maybe in a year or two I will go to community college, I'm interested in majoring in accounting, bookkeeping, basically anything to do with math. Besides picking, I'm addicted to shopping,lol.
I am obsessed with buying the latest bath and body products, face products, makeup,and perfume. Favorite store? Sephora, they have all of that stuff! I can spend hours in that store. I also have tattoos and piercings. I have 5 tattoos, a fairy on shoulder, a tribal rose on lower back, a butterfly on ankle, and a flower on foot and toe. I have 4 piercings, my eyebrow, nose, labret and tongue. As for piercings I'm done, not getting anymore, but I would love to get one more tattoo on thigh, but just can't think of what to get yet.
I live with my Mom and older brother who is 24, but he'll be moving out soon cause he's getting married, I also have a 29 year old brother who is married and I have a 1 year old neice who I love! My parents are divorced, my dad lives about 15 minutes away, but I see him a lot and have a good relationship with him, I'm very close to my mom, she's always there for me and I can count on her when I'm going through a tough time. Well, that's all for me. Sorry I wrote so much.

[amylou]

hey guys... i am 21 and live in dallas tx..i am in school to be and elem teacher and getting married in may! i have a wonderful and supportive fiance and a cute dog! i have a bro and a new step bro and sis.