Triggering (SI) - does this even count as "being free"??

[I-Feel-Infinite]

I hear people all the time going "ah i've gone a week without cutting - i'm a week free etc"
see i thought like that for a while too...
but what i came to realize is that I'm not ACTUALLY free..
i just don't NEED to cut as often as others... but when i do need it the urge is so intense that I do it....
so yeah, i can go for WEEKS without doing anything.. so would that even count as "i'm WEEKS free from SI?"... as technically i may not be "free" i just need it less often that others...
eg. you may be able to last a day without cutting - would you consider that "1 day free?"

did that sound confusing?! it sure confused me! i hope someone understands what i'm trying to say!!

[Amaryllis]

Sorry, I had an awesome (and long!) reply but then the computer ate it.

Basically, to sum up what I had written: I agree with your thinking.

I don't think it's just the amount of time that factors into being free, I think it's also being free from the necessity of doing it. Since I view it as a coping mechanism what needs to happen in order for you to really be free is for you to not need it anymore, to have other coping skills.

It'll take a little longer for you (comparatively) to be free (in my definition, which may or may not be the right definition) because you're not having to fight the urges so often.

Perhaps next time you have an urge, you could not act on it right away, you could put it off for a little bit. It would help start the process of not needing it anymore.