Thumb Sucking as an Adult and Quitting

Thumb sucking in adulthood is not only a social affliction, but an emotional one. Thumb sucking for many adults (including myself in picking up and losing the tendency many times) is a way to relieve stress and deal with insecurities, so it can be difficult to replace the comfort with something else. Thumb sucking as an adult can be conquered though, with a few replacement tactics for replacing stress, and physical deterrents that make the thumb sucking urge less pleasant as well. Here are my own tips for quitting thumb sucking as an adult, and from my sister as well, who has quit sucking her thumb after 25 years.

Hand sanitizer is a great tool for quitting thumb sucking, since it tastes disgusting and is also a tool that most people have in their households already. Whenever the urge to suck your thumb arises, squirt hand sanitizer to your hands and rub it in good for a minute or so. The result is a calming technique in the simple hand massage, which helps with the mental and emotional need to suck your thumb, and a terrible taste that reminds you not to put your thumb in your mouth when you forget.

Since thumb sucking is as much emotional as it is physical, finding another comfort tool is a great way to deter the thumb sucking habit as an adult. When you feel stressed or the need to suck your thumb (for many, it’s a way to relax while they read or watch TV), find another tool to help you relax instead. For me, it’s rubbing my fingers along soft fabrics, like a sheet or a soft blanket, and for my sister, it’s stroking the ends of her hair. Changing your comfort tool to something else helps the urge to suck your thumb ease while still feeling within your comfort zone.

Often, as you quit sucking your thumb, you’ll notice that you automatically begin doing other things instead to find that ease of stress and comfort. You don’t have to look for thumb sucking alternatives, they just sort of pop up. Usually, these things are the things you do in addition to sucking your thumb. I always stroke soft fabrics while sucking my thumb, and my sister always plays with her hair. Most people who suck their thumbs do other things in tandem, so it’s usually easy to just continue doing those things while not needing to suck their thumbs as much.

Realize that you are normal, and that everyone has a little something they do to ease their stress or to find comfort in daily things. Sucking your thumb does not make you a freak, and if you find yourself popping your thumb in your mouth now and then to relax or just out of habit, don’t freak out. Everyone has something they do to ease stress, and just because your thumb sucking is a bit more noticeable, doesn’t make it wrong. But if you want to quit sucking your thumb, there are ways to still fill that gap of comfort without having to suck your thumb to do it.

Source:

me and my sister in adult thumb sucking and quitting (for the most part)