Inspired to Stop

I'm a 21-year old college student, and I've been picking as long as I can remember (I think it may have began when I got the chicken pox in 1st grade). I hate that I destroy my body like this- I was fortunate enough to be acne free, and yet I still manage to damage my skin. It was always a habit that embarrassed me. I swam competitively, so my skin was almost always visible and my habit subject to embarrassing questions from friends. This still didn't stop me. When my parents began to notice what I was doing, I would be punished if they caught me picking at scabs. My mom once got so angry she hit me and then broke down and cried because I was "ruining myself" and she couldn't stop me. I recently became more motivated to quit- this is just not a behavior I feel I can justify as a working adult, which I will soon be. Finding this website has inspired me- I've never met anyone that I could tell had the same problem as me. It makes me feel less alone and more empowered to know that others have suffered like I do and more importantly, recovered. My next semester begins Jan. 20, and I will be going abroad. I am going to try to limit and eliminate my picking habit before I leave. I'll try to keep tabs of my progress for you all. I hope this inspires you too.