Terrible Mistake

[Faolan]

Two nights ago I cut for the first time. I really don't know what was going through my head, but I did it again tonight.
I'm really scared and don't know what to do; I don't want this to be become an addiction.
Please help me, I don't want this!

[Katiya]

Well. Don't think of it as an adiction. I use to say that and I kept at it and said "oh I'm aaddicted" but one day I thought to my self, maybe I'm not... And it turns out I wasn't. I quit cold turkey. I only now get the feeling in certain problems with my family. But I can keep from doing it now because I give myself no excuse.

You CAN! Not do it. Its not an addiction if you don't believe it so. You can make your self stop, just do it. Now preferably or it can get harder.

Whip your self with a cord if you must but I believe you can stop :)

[Desuetude]

Give yourself other things to do just incase you get the urge to self harm. Make sure you have some distraction at hand at all times. Music, writing (poetry, letters, a journal), cook, draw, exercise is seen as being a big help because you're getting the release cutting would have given you in a non-harmful way and you end up feeling tired - also you'd feel good about yourself for being productive and keeping fit. Find what works for you and stick with it. Talking to a friend or surrounding yourself with people can also be a good idea, you can't do anything to yourself if there are people all around you.

[Baby_James94]

I cut for years and was convinced that I couldn't stop. Truth is you can. It'll be hard, especially if you do it for so long. Even now I have my moments where I want to do it. You have to find alternatives. Harming yourself doesn't solve the problem, at most it'll temporarily distract you from that said problem.

When I talked to my counselor about what I was doing, she gave me a few suggestions.
1) CHOCOLATE! It releases almost identical chemicals. Whenever you feel the urge to cut, eat a piece of chocolate.
2) Rubber bands. This should only be temporary and for those who have a very hard time cutting. When I was quitting I had to keep a rubber band on my wrist to snap whenever I got the urge to cut. This however can create another habit on top of cutting. Don't use this unless you seriously can't stop cutting.
3) The Butterfly. This one may sound ridiculous but it worked for me and I've seen it work for others. You simply draw a butterfly (or any other bug/animal you enjoy) on your wrist and then you name it. This creature is now your friend, and you wouldn't ever harm your friends, would you? It's a basic concept that does work as long as you allow it to.
Ultimately, if you truly feel this is becoming a much bigger problem, seek professional help immediately. Self harm brings out a very dark side of us. People in the Psychology field want to help you, so take that help.

[Faolan]

Thanks for all of your advice. I will try a bit of everything before it gets worse.

[nearwales]

i cut for the first time in the summer, but i have been cutting regularly for the past 2 weeks and i am scared and dont undersatnd it either. i could have posted exactly what you did. i just want to thank everyone else for their advice too.