Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I was chewing on my lip at the very moment that came across this topic, so I figured I had to vote.

Mine's definitely because of stress, and once I start, it's really hard to stop.

I chew my inner lip constantly. People think I'm scowling at them, which makes me laugh

I chew my inner lip all the time, I don't even know I'm doing it. But I've never had it bleed (my bottom lip is a completely different story though). I also chew my cheek.

Eta:

!!!

I chew mine pretty often, but almost never enough to draw blood. It's mostly when I'm stressed. Your chewing sounds pretty intense/painful. . . maybe you should always have gum with you, to chew instead?

Chew til it bleeds til I die!

I usually only do this when stressed out. I'm also totally grossed out with myself when I draw blood. No self cannibalism!

I go through 1/2 pack of Orbit a day on average...I'm a chewaholic. I always say I want to stop, and will for a couple days maybe, but then I'll start doing it out of nowhere & not even realize I've chewed it all up for 10 minutes. I don't always make it bleed...but it generally makes it painful to eat things like vinegar on salads, citrus etc...

I chew my mouth all the time. Never until it bleeds, though.

I chew my inner jaw. I don't always realize I'm doing it until it bleeds.

i don't chew the inside of my mouth, i chew my lips especially if they are chapped

I tend to chew on whatever I can when I'm stressed and will chew my tongue, lip and cheek til they bleed. I also do this when nervous or really tired, or scared from a movie or something. So almost constantly but I'll go weeks without chewing.

I chew on my cheeks a lot, rarely to the point of bleeding though. Once I had a dream where I was chewing my cheek and bit through- EWWW. Now whenever I do bite enough to draw blood I think about that horrifying possibility.

I voted other, because I don't chew on the inside of my mouth/cheek, but I chew/pick at my lips CONSTANTLY. It's part nervous habit, part stress, and just part compulsive thing I do all the time for no reason. Sometimes I even do it in my sleep and wake up with dried blood on my lips. When they get super raw and chewed up I like to put peroxide on them. It's gross. I am gross.

I usually do it when I am stressed but for some reason while reading this I started. So I guess now it is when I am stressed and someone puts the idea in my head.

didnt know people did this. i did have a mucocele once tho! for a whole year.

I've done this for as long as I can remember! And I have raised scars everywhere my teeth can reach (can't see these from the outside, not as horrific as it sounds). It's compulsive, and I can't stop! I only nibble a little most of the time, but when I'm stressed I bite big chunks of skin from the inside of my mouth. I've been doing this so long that I've lost all nerve endings or something... ok, wow, I didn't realize how gross this was until I described it!

That bit about cell overgrowth and cancer, that scares me. When I was in high school, a random woman who saw me chewing my cheek at the mall came up to me and warned me that I should stop because her sister got mouth cancer that way. I didn't pay attention to crazy ladies at the mall back then, and there was no Internet 16 years ago, but now I'm going to google that.

I never notice that I chew on my cheeks until I remember to put my bite guard in at night and realize it irritates the areas I've been chewing.

And leukoplakia always reminds me of Lucas. RIP, Haimster!

I voted 'other' because I think I've only done it since reading this thread!

I chew the inside of my mouth if someone points out i'm excessively picking at my fingers. Or pulling at my hair.

I'd say I chew my cheek sometimes, when stressed, accidently. I do pick at my cuticles however.

Ugh, I do it all the time. I almost never draw blood, and when I do I'm appalled. It is defiintely anxiety/stress-induced, and I am a ridiculously nervous/anxious person.

I pick apart my lips, too. I became a lip-balm addict not because my lips were chapped, but because wearing lip balm makes me stop attacking the outside of my mouth.

My friend's doctor told her that lip- and cheek-chewing happens mostly when you're a little dehydrated.

And I totally do it.

i chew my cheeks all the time. it's gross. i hate it. also, it makes me make ridiculous faces, so. double whammy.