im sorry, i dont really have any advice, I just started today...my whole arm is cut up i have never done this before, and feel im addicted...i dont know who to turn to....because i have no one...im sorry that i dont have any advice for you, but im here if you would like to talk

I am fortunately not a victim of this issue, but I wanted to learn about it as I have a niece who has started to cut herself and I feel it is a cry for help,but I am clueless as to what would be considered help. This is just some advice from someone who has never walked in your shoes so plz if it is not helpful, at least know that I hopefully did not offend you or sound foolish to you, but if I did I am sorry as that is not my intent. I would say Buy a bag of oranges or lemons and when you feel the need to cut yourself, just take your knife and sort of picture your arm or hand and think about it as you carve into that orange and see the juices and let them run down your hand and arm as if it were your own blood being shed and maybe even squeeze a hunk you cut off and feel your blood running all over your and and maybe up your arm. It may be a strange sounding thing but you can hold and feel the whole uninjured orange and cut it and feel the injured orange as if it were your arm. Hope that may be abled to work as I hate to think something that bothers you would be abled to have the power over you to make you hurt yourself. At worst it just won't work for whatever reason but at least for the time being you would save yourself one cut which would be a good thing. I hope you at least give a try. Try to take care of you....concerned and wishing I could help...Charley

I dont necessarily have advice. I personal experience with si (32 years) I also have 8 years solid now without si. Recovery for me was a process. It was about learning how to live differently. My si was all about what i felt, didnt matter if it was good or bad, whatever i felt things seemed to overwhelm me and I would si. What ive learned is that si was a tool I used to cope emotionally. I had to develop other tools to replace this one. Its hard to do. Si was always a quick fix. Faster and better than anything else except for the obvious detriment...It was physically and emotionally damaging to me and everyone around me that loved me. Si was an escape for me. I had many others, gambling suicidal fantasy drugs ect. Today I have a multitude of methods to cope. I work hard at being honest about my feelings and who i am to myself and with others. (dishonesty was also a huge problem for me) I try to be openminded to views different from my own. I try to be willing to try new ways of coping and healing and sharing my feelings. What I have today isnt a quick fix. But I have joy and peace in abundance. There is hope. There is a way through. I hope this might be of xome help to you.

well distractions might help... why do you cut? blood? pain? what emotions? anger? sadness? anything? habitual?

i dont know