why shouldn't i drink to much alcohol do drugs .it doesn't help you with the problem why your cutting your self .it just a band aid

I believe a another question could help. When effective treatment is available why should you have to suffer from a pain so bad it masks the physical pain of cutting yourself? You deserve to have the pain alleviated in a way that doesn't physically scar you. There is also the obvious answer that there is a real risk of infection. In effect it is not unlike performing surgery on yourself. Most people would agree that surgery should be performed by surgeons. Therapy and meds along with other resources can be like having surgery. The healing is just in a different way. My hope is that you get the healing you are looking for, with as few scars as is possible. Many gentle hugs to you.

>>Why is cutting bad?

Because it is harmful.

This is a very complicated subject.

First of all, like WV said, it can be harmful. No matter how clean you think your device is, it is not a sterile environment, and you can end up with a nasty infection. If you cut too deep, it could be a life threatening infection.

Secondly, it can leave scars that will be with you forever.

From what I know (from other cutters who have explained it to me) this is part of a very complex behavior-feedback loop. You start out with one set of reasons for doing it, but as with addictions (like DaveMalinak is talking about) you can end up addicted to cutting.

There is a group here for self injury, perhaps they can help you answer your question:

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Self-Injury/forum

Gentle hugs

I sometimes feel the same,like whats the problem if I only hurt myself myself, right? But in the last month my mum & a friend have been in tears when they saw my wounds.

hi there,

i self harm as well and have been since i was 7. it took me a long time to realize why cutting was bad, too because i was SO used to hurting myself. it is like breathing to me.

like davemalinak mentioned, i would say its not so much that cutting itself is bad, but the fact that you are using a behavior that is in effect not allowing you to truly experience your emotions but rather avoid them. this can be said of any nonconstructive behavior -- binge drinking, drug use, eating disorders, etc. i would consider all of these as forms of self harm as much as i would cutting.

Hi lovemusic,

Any time we intentionally open wounds on our fragile bodies, we are asking for trouble.
You could give yourself "Sepsis".........A life threatening illness.
I know quite a bit about "cutting". I understand the appeal and I understand the damage it does.
I briefly used this form of self-abuse when I was at my worst.
One day, I slashed my arm in anger.................
The result was terrifying.........................

Much Healing to you............

It's bad in the same way that drinking, smoking or eating too much are bad ways to cope. I personally don't think it's any worse than that (if the cuts are shallow superficial ones), it's just not as socially acceptable i.e. not a group activity whereas the other things can be.

my pdoc said it's a coping mechanism. Just like anyone who does other stuff to cope.

So, here's an answer from someone who's struggled with this for way too long.
First: I've done self injury for 36 years. I've had a couple blood infections that could have been deadly even though I cleaned my "tools" well prior to using them.
Second: It only gives a temp fix for the long term pain.
Third: It leaves nasty scars that are really hard to get rid of or hide.
Fourth: It doesn't take care of the problem... it only treats the symptoms and not for long at that. It always seems not to work and then the self injury only gets more invasive / worse.
Fifth: It's a pain in the butt to quit! I've done this so long that I don't even feel it and if I did, I could quit so much easier. It's almost like I'm numb to it all.
Last: (not everyone believes but anyway) There is someone who suffered so much more than we could ever suffer for something he didn't even do and he takes on our pain every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every month of every year and so on. All we have to do is turn it over to him and he will take it away.
(Now, this is one of the treads that I replied to and need to follow my own advice which is extremely hard so hopefully I won't eat my own words.)

it's not healthy because it's a way of escaping reality instead of dealing with things.

Thread I posted about the subject ages ago:

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Depression/forum/10939110-sh-very-controversial

Thanks for the link blackweb that was a really interesting discussion! I guess I was always a light self-harmer, so that's why it's hard for me to see the problem with it. I haven't done anything self-harming in a long time, but I've just been going through a bad patch where I'm wanting to again... Hopefully, it passes soon with no lasting harm!

You're welcome, glad it was of interest to you (I'd hate to bump a thread of mine from ages ago and have everyone be like 'Wtf are you doing?' lol).

Yeah. I've been getting urges lately too though I haven't given in for quite some time. Fingers crossed that we stay strong! :)

i'm a recovering cutter......it';s bad becasue you can really hrut yourself and it's a total addction....it's a short time help that eventuall wears off.....i know that it helps you hwen you feel down and that you feel liek you NEED to do it, but find some other coping skills that are healthy!!!!!!!!!