For as long as I can remember, I have been biting my nails. My fellow biters know the pain that comes from it, especially when we bite our nails down to nothing. We have all pledged to quit biting, and this year, I am finally going to accomplish this goal.

An estimated 30 percent of the United States population bites their nails, and about 45 percent of those are teens probably stressing about tests, boys or college. Though at any age people bite because they are stressed, anxious, scared or just plain bored. All in an attempt to distract from those feelings. While it may help short term as a distraction, it will cause some nasty side effects. Biting leads to damaged skin, higher chance for sickness, damaged teeth and intense hand shame, making all biters wish they could quit this painful addiction.

So how do we fight the bite? There are a few steps to kicking a bad habit to the curb:

Know the cause: They say that admitting the issue is the first step to recovery, but knowing the cause of the issue will be more helpful. Addressing the problem and pinpointing what causes it will help you reduce the effects when a stressful situation does roll around, which it inevitably will.

Replace don’t erase: Quitting cold turkey is difficult, even with that fierce determination to succeed. To set yourself up for success, try replacing the habit instead of erasing it. Instead of chewing on your nails, try chewing on some gum.

Set short term goals: Focusing on the end goal might be great motivation to meet it, but it could also make the task seem daunting. Setting short term goals helps keeps the end goal in mind without obsession, and allows for adjustments when those setbacks come, making it easier to get to the finish line.

Even though it may seem impossible to quit, if we can follow some of this advice we can finally end the fight with the bite.