Occational: Where people do it now and again and it doesn't cause them too much of a problem. Eg, If someone goes through spells of injurying every few years, or only injures say once every 6 months or so.
and
Adiction: Where people are dependant on it and injure regularily. Wether its every day or once a week or whatever, if there is a consistant pattern of regular use then i would class it as an addiction.
I think occational SI can lead to addiction. Personally, I started off occational, became addicted, and now it's very occational, however the the thoughts I had while I was addicted still happen now and again, and I still struggle with it. It's rare now, but I think once someone has been through a self-injury 'addiction', as described above, they are vaunerable too it forever, as you would be with any other addiction say drugs or crime.
I believe that it is an addiction. To me, an addiction is something you find it difficult or impossible to surrender. Self-harm to many is this. Even once you consider yourself 'Self-Harm Free' it is/will always be on your mind. When you find yourself in a situation similar to that that you used to self-harm over you'll consider it again. Whether you do it or not isn't relevant.
The need to do it is there for ages and depending on the level of addiction you may need professional help to escape it - much like an 'official' addiction like alcohol or drugs.
According to someone I've spoken to, in his professional opinion Self-Harm would be an addiction because you get the same rush and the same high from self-harm as you can from elicit drugs.
But yeah; thats just my experience and my opinion. I think mainly it depends on how much you rely on self-harm and what for as to whether you can call it an addiction which is what makes it a separate catagory from elicit drugs or alcohol.
i've always just thought that SI is an addiction, because thats what sources tell you it is. But as someone said before, it does seem to be an addiction of the mind, i seem to be able to convince myself i should/shouldn't do it for certain reasons and if i can rationalise it, then i wont crave it at that time any more.
lily
xxx
i don't think it's an addiction, at all.
i think calling it an addiction is just an easy way out.
i disagree. i think once someone realizes that s/he has an addiction that person has a responsibility to do something about it. labeling someting as an addiction, in my opinion, only means that it is not a moral problem. and there are people that think si is a moral problem.
come and join me. then world domination.
mmmwuhahahahahahaha.
i like to commit raoh's (random acts of hugging)
HazardxToxMyselfx3 = sister
hahaugotpunked87 = fairy-god half step sister
Katiebean = pet moose
morbida = third cousin once removed
i disagree. i think once someone realizes that s/he has an addiction that person has a responsibility to do something about it. labeling someting as an addiction, in my opinion, only means that it is not a moral problem. and there are people that think si is a moral problem.
but do people do anything about it?
it's all "i can't stop BECAUSE i'm addicted." &then i think nearly every single person i know who has eventually stopped looked back &was like "no way was it an addiction."
there was a time i thought it was an addiction too - when i was doing it. because i wanted to give myself a reason, an excuse for slipping up, because i was "addicted." because it was "out of my control."
i can see now that i was wrong.
" my precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trials and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you" you were carried out of are lifes into the next and when its my time to leave this life I know i will be carried into the next life with you.
I wish i had my world complete again.
'Can we protend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, i could really use a wish right now' BoB
i agree that there are people use the label of "addiction" to continue their behavior. i know people like that. but it has been my experience that once a person thinks that they are addicted to anything they will are closer to doing something about it. (smoking is maybe the largest exception to this.)
my opinion is based on the fact that i am addicted to alcohol and every time i have cut or felt like cutting it is exactly the same as when i would drink. and i am such a picker that i rarely even know i do it. and if i try to stop it is painful and i obsess over it. and i agree that for some people it is probably not an addiction.
and on a side note i expected this thread to have died a while ago. i have never started a thread that has lasted so long. *does happy dance*
come and join me. then world domination.
mmmwuhahahahahahaha.
i like to commit raoh's (random acts of hugging)
HazardxToxMyselfx3 = sister
hahaugotpunked87 = fairy-god half step sister
Katiebean = pet moose
morbida = third cousin once removed
