Smoking instead of SI?
 

I realise that smoking is extremely unhealthy and dangerous, but does anyone use smoking as an alternative to SI?

Just wondering, cause I think I have started to do so, and I don't think it's recovery so much... cause I'm doing something else unhealthy instead.

I do smoke and self injure. Which are both really unhealthy habits. I started to smoke when I was 16 (before my SI started), but it increased as I became more stressed, as did my SI. When I try to stop SI, I also try to stop smoking. I think it's another habit that can keep you distracted from hurting yourself... but like you said, it is still hurting yourself.

sorry if this really didn't help. ahah

I do sometimes.
It keeps my hands busy and usually stops me if I want to not do it.

It's not good for you, but to be honest, I don't really mind that since I only really use this every so often, so it's not like I'm on 20 a day or above.

I smoke and SI..

Luckily, I'm not old enough to buy my own so i have to rely on others and that option isnt always there so that sorta helps me. I'm not sure why i smoke acctually? It just feels like a huge release and gives me 5 or so minutes to myself to calm down and re-face the world.

<3

Yea i do smoke to replace si,
only works for so long though, but it does work.

I don't know if I use smoking as an alternative - but I do smoke and SI.

I'm a very on-off smoker. I quit in september last year, and didn't start again until december, and since then, I haven't been a proper smoker, as such.

However, I have noticed that when I'm smoking more, I'm SIing less, and if I'm smoking less, I'm SIing more. I don't know if that's because I'm damaging myself in another way, or if I'm calming myself down with cigarettes...

Well i smoke and SH. And although i am a regular smoker(10 a day or so) i've just realized that after i SH i don't smoke so much. And days after i do it badly, i don't smoke as much. I wouldn't say i use it as an alternative though as i started smoking before i even knew what SH was (Although my first SH experience happened when i was smoking) Really good question though.. it's made me think, thanks.

I've only smoked one or twice, but I don't think I could replace cutting with it... prehaps try distractions?

I don't replace it, I tend to smoke to lessen the urges and maybe prevent myself from cutting but I don't smoke as a replacement to cutting

I did for a while replace sh with smoking, it did work and i felt it was more acceptable to smoke rather then sh. But things happened and i stopped smoking and went back to sh :(

i smoke and SH but i find if i dont SH i smoke more. x

I didn't SI in the usually understood ways but I did smoke and considers them both coping mechanisms, crutches etc. I used to struggle to quit smoking and it would get worse. As I got older and learned to not overreact to things (something my mother taught me) the need to smoke lessened and one day I just stopped with no withdrawals.

Now you mention it I realise I have started smoking more since I stopped SIing :/

When i started smoking when i was 12/13 it did, but then after a while smoking just became another addiction. Mind it does still work as a distractions technique with it occuping your hands, and i always used to go for walks when i smoked so getting out of the house was good. Also the relief is similar if you realy need a cigarette and you havent had one for ages :) Id still think of it as recovery though, i mean one thing at a time and all. XD

I'm a non-smoker so I may be a few degrees out of the loop here, but I don't think that replacing SI with smoking should be considered recovery. At most, it would be improvement, but even that seems questionable. Reason being that rather than learning to cope with whatever issues you have at hand- which is a big part of recovery, you're replacing your old coping method with another unhealthy compulsive behavior. Also, I think (think, I may be completely wrong here so look it might be worth looking up), smoking causes a release of endorphins, which is exactly what self-injury does. I feel like the only real differences are that smoking is more socially acceptable.

It was good hearing all your views on it. I think I do smoke instead of SI... even today I found myself pulling over in the car on my way home, having a cigarette and feeling... not better... but less drastic. I don't want to get into this habit cause I don't consider myself a smoker at all. And like Forever_1994 said, I also have to rely on others to buy me them... so it's not a way forward at all. I just wanted to see what you all thought on the matter.
Thanks :)

I think I smoke instead of self harm quite a lot... I actually started smoking as an alternative in a way.
But at night times I find myself smoking a hell of a lot when before hand I would have self harmed.

Although I know smoking is technically harmful it is more of a distraction for me... although orginally I was hoping I would die a terrible death as a result of smoking, but now, just a distraction. Urm yeah, sorry I don't really know what else to say. Hope you're doing okay. =]

i smoke and im 17 i started at 14 and am alwats able to get fags
i dont think smoking would replace si becuse u cant have 1 fag after the other all the time and it ould cost to much smoking is ubhealthy i know
if you dont actually smoke i wouldnt advise it as it's distraction wont last forever u will be hoocked nd si still
plus i si nd smoke
hugsz

For me it worked, it started as a distraction. To smoke instead of SH.
It calmed me. And led some negative thinking away.
After all this years I still smoke, more than I should but at least I have no new scars.
But I have my salary and can pay myself this addiction, it can be very expensive. (For me around 40€/Week).

It may still be harmful, but it's socially accepted whereas self harm isn't, so I guess that's a positive..