For me it is an addiction. There have been others here to disagree with this, but I believe that the endorphin rush and the act itself produces and effect similar to that of heroin, and for me it is EXTREMELY addictive. I also tend to harm myself more when I am trying to cut out other addictions, like trading one for the other. It is very common to trade one addiction for another.

Alice

I always say it is imo that it's like smoking... bad for you but addictive... I started to cut at 15 and went cold turkey till 2007 and when a traumatic event happened I picked it back up.... it always seemed to relieve me when i was nervous or stressed.. perhaps its habit forming as well as addiction? who knows :)

i think it becomes an addiction yes. For some people more then others..

for me it was a very very very stupid thing to start because i have one of the most addictive personalities ever, I become addicted to everything...

for someone else it may not have been so addictive right away??

I'm just rambling lol

but yes its an addiction, i think.

Definetly an addiction. It becomes so controlling and literally runs your life if you aren't careful. but you like it so much well like it and hate that's it's next to impossible to quit.

heck yeah, rayofhope! right there with you. i don't drink or do drugs or anything because i know id get completely addicted, because that's just how i am. SI started out as something i only did when i was desperately upset, but now it's a total addiction. i mean, i still want to do it when im upset, but at other times, too. like last night. i was totally fine, and then a razor commercial came on and i got triggered.

yeah...SI is an addiction. at least for me, it is. i have urges like every second. and have even found that fun, enjoyable events trigger me to cut. so it doesn't matter what i'm doing, i'm still addicted to it.

yeah, halfwolven, i've never done drugs for that reason too, I do drink occasionally, but i think i'm going to have to stop that, i'm afraid it too is going to soon become a problem.....

yeah, i definitely concur with lillylaso, i like your answer, so doctor like, about the endorphins and everything, it makes sense, and after all your answers it makes want to jump in the air and say I KNEW IT i realized i traded my addiction to cigarettes for the knife which is no good, and is harder to quit isn't it? sometimes i'm in a really stressful situation and staring at the thing and i'm literally having a battle in my head, of course one of them ends up losing and i end up with one more scar and i know i shouldn't say this but i'm going to because i need to get it off my chest, afterwards it feels soooooo good, i can't believe the effect it has on my mood even

on one level or another its addicting for me.

its ahrd to stop once i start.

and sometimes it gets harder over time to not cut.

I believe it's an addiction, u feel like after a while u can't survive and function "normally" in life and society, I cut at first when I was 16 coz I wanted attention, I wanted people to see I was struggling, with school, with the bullying I was getting, for my mum's love, but when that didn't work, I didn't get the attention I desparatly craved I was taken down the path of the addiction. I wholeheartedly belive it's an addiction and habit, and I'm going to stick to that. We all have a choice though, quite simply to cut or not to cut

Chrissie

definately is, unfortunately

is scientifically proven that is an addiction then?

Technically, ANYTHING can become an addiction.

Its definately an addiction. When I see my pocket knife, I get such a strong urge to cut. When I don't have the knife with me, I feel panicked and weak. When I have the knife in my hand I feel power. When I come on here, I feel withdrawl & confused. When I leave the boards each time, I feel peace. But it all starts again, that's the addiction to it all.