YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Any other adult thumb suckers out there?
I've met 3 others over the past ten years, but wondering if anyone else out there is a thumb sucker, too.

My therapists over the years haven't pressured me to stop, and I really enjoy doing it and don't see much of a reason to stop.

I'm not a thumb sucker, but I think we all have ways to cope with life. I'm assuming you do this because it makes you calm and feel secure...? When I am feeling depressed/anxious, I turn to food, watch bad reality TV, pray, come to this forum, etc. I feel like if it's not damaging your body, then it's ok to suck thumbs or do whatever you need to do in order to cope.

This might be stupid to say, but I think its entirely possible I am one as well. Instead of a thumb, I found cigarettes. It does not need to be a real cigarette. Those fake ones satisfy the same urge.

I wonder if this is related?

I sucked my thumb until I was 12. Then I took up smoking. At 21 took up drinking and daily pot smoking. I have since quit pot but still smoke and drink daily. I also find comfort binge watching Netflix, binge listening to podcasts and paying Words with Friends. It's all the same, right?

Thumb sucking is a behavior found in humans, chimpanzees, captive ring-tailed lemurs, and other primates. It usually involves placing the thumb into the mouth and rhythmically repeating sucking contact for a prolonged duration. It can also be accomplished with any piece of skin within reach (such as the big toe) and is considered to be soothing and therapeutic for the person. As a child develops the habit, it will usually develop a "favorite" finger to suck on.

At birth, a baby will reflexively suck any object placed in its mouth; this is the sucking reflex responsible for breastfeeding. From the very first time they engage in nutritive feeding, infants learn that the habit can not only provide valuable nourishment, but also a great deal of pleasure, comfort, and warmth. Whether from a mother, bottle, or pacifier, this behavior, over time, begins to become associated with a very strong, self-soothing, and pleasurable oral sensation. As the child grows older, and is eventually weaned off the nutritional sucking, they can either develop alternative means for receiving those same feelings of physical and emotional fulfillment, or they can continue experiencing those pleasantly soothing experiences by beginning to suck their thumbs or fingers. This reflex disappears at about 4 months of age; thumb sucking is not purely an instinctive behavior and therefore can last much longer.Moreover, ultrasound scans have revealed that thumb sucking can start before birth, as early as 15 weeks from conception; whether this behavior is voluntary or due to random movements of the fetus in the womb is not conclusively known.

Thumb sucking generally stops by the age of 5 years. Some older children will retain the habit, which can cause severe dental problems. While most dentists would recommend breaking the habit as early as possible, it has been shown that as long as the habit is broken before the onset of permanent teeth, at around 5 years old, the damage is reversible. Thumb sucking is sometimes retained into adulthood and may be due to stereotypic movement disorder, another psychiatric disorder, or simply habit continuation.

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I just registered for the forum today and was browsing when I saw this. Just this morning my 7 year old son caught me. I don't do it all the time but when l do it's totally unconscious. I'm a binge eater too so I must have a serious oral thing going on!

I used to well into my teenage years. Funny thing is that after I had stopped for a while, my thumb actually started tasting pretty gross. I guess the world's a pretty gross tasting place, for the most part.

(And +1 for me on smoking. Definitely an oral fixation thing with me.)

My 7 year old sister also have this habit. We took her to a doctor and he prescribed some medicines. And now she is fine.

I don't have the habit thumb sucking but I have the nail-biting issue. I used to do that while I am anxious or tensed.

Interesting that others here transferred it to other rhythmic/soothing habits like smoking cigarettes and nail biting. I associate it with feelings of insecurity and being an unwanted child.

I 99.9% gave it up when starting CPAP treatment for sleep apnea. I feel the rhythm of my own breathing and find that very therapeutic, have a sense of not being alone.

I should have taken up pot back in the '60s. . Now that it's legal in my state, I'm looking forward to a pleasant old age.