how did you stop cutting?

[Asylum]

hey guys can you post how you guys out there who stopped cutting, stopped? I really want to stop, and hearing other success stories will definately help. thanx :)

[XxHaViiK]

Well, when I had my serious cutting problem, it wasn't my only issue. I was extremely suicidal, abusing over the counter drugs, and of course, cutting. But I finally felt I could put an end to my issues when my abusive dad moved out of the house. I waited for him and my mom to go to a big place called Lake Powell. When they were gone, I detoxed. Once I got detoxed and no longer addicted to the drugs, I worked on the cutting. I dumped anything that I could cut with: Thumb tacks, razors, knives. Then I made sure I was around other people, and made sure my friends were around so I could vent and talk so I could calm myself down.

Friends to talk to, and friends that you can seriously trust are usually a must in trying to quit cutting, as I have seen. You can vent, talk, and just hang out. And you can tell them to do anything to keep you from harming yourself. A method I highly recommend is wearing a strong rubber band as a bracelet. Whenever you find the need to cut, snap it on your wrist. But don't always give into the need, try to fight it every once in a while. Make sure you're always near someone you can't cut around. And try to never stay alone.

[munchausen]

I think of what Meghan and would say to me if she had ever saw me acting like this and most of the time I just can't bring myself to cut, so I suppose I think of the one person who would have cared enough to sit and talk when I really needed it.

Well besides one other person.

[Amyxoxo]

Well although i havnt stoped completly actually quite the opposite now when i did stop cutting i just felt like i didnt want/need to do it anymore. The urges went and everything seemed to calm down. :) xxx

[Project Delta]

I did exercise like mad, and got really muscly from it. Good way to get rid of the urges becfafuse you exercise til you cant anymore, so your really tired but the pain from exercising lots is good because you get muscle from it and lose calories :)

[Asylum]

thanx guys for sharing :)

[2D]

Willpower.

I thought about it and got to the realization that I'm better than a fucking blade, so I stopped.

[Kelsie]

yeah for now I've stopped. I'm not sure how but i think the whole reason i was cutting again in the first place was becauese of my gilt and i just wanted to hurt myself. Ever since i forgave myself, I haven't felt the urge. But now, i have really bad anxiety. my body hurt's its self on its own. it really sucks. : /

[Sapphire]

When I was a lot younger, I was deep in depression. I had no sense of self worth after years of bullying, among other things. I was addicted to self harm and would do it about four times a day.

The fright of being told that every adult around me was seriously considering hospitalising me because none of them felt they could keep me safe made me see that I couldn't carry on as I had been.
That is how I developed the willpower to stop self harming. I went from doing it four to five times a day to none. My method? To carry out a certain natural behaviour and obtain the release that way instead of through self harm.

But my battle wasn't over then. I ended up simply replacing one addiction with another. But this second addiction left me feeling worse afterward and I had no other way to deal with these emotions. I would then return to self harm to negate the after effects.

A lot happened between that and my stopping completely so I won't bore you with that :P

Ultimately, however, it was my determination to stop along with my improved ways of dealing with my emotions that got me to stop self harm.

[-Silence]

I was cutting since I was 13, the last time I cut was Septemer 21st, 2008, when I was 20.

I got tired of it, I got tired of feeling worse afterwards and one day I threw every razor I had out, I threw notebooks out that I used to write in before or after I had cut. Basically I threw everything that had anything to do with cutting away. That was the hardest for me because those were my security blankets, those are what made me feel safe.

Then after all that every time an urge came, and believe me, they came, if I was angry I jumped in my car, went on the highway and just drove, that gave me the sense of control that I needed. If I was down I took a burning hot shower until the urge was gone. If I just wanted the feeling I made sure I was with people or I would write. I used to put together alot of puzzles, that helped for a long time, it distracted my mind. There were other times where I just sat there and cried because the urges were so strong.

I guess the whole motivation behind it is I just wanted to be a better person. Thats a long time to be cutting yourself to shreds. Another reason I ended up stopping is that I've brought myself into an inpatient hospital three times and the last time didn't give me that feeling of safe like all the others did.

Now I don't cut because I have a child on the way and I guess its just time for me to grow up. I have enough scars to explain when he/she gets older, I don't want to make them worse. I dont want to start up and accidently go too deep and end up killing me and my baby.

The urges still come and go, you just gotta learn how to fight them, and realize thats all they are; urges.

[Aspiringanonymous]

I stopped because, quite simply, I didn't need it anymore.

A lot had happened over the past year or so, and at one point in time, I was able to maintain a positive state of being for long enough to matter. The series of issues that followed that, which were much more intellectual than emotional struggles, led me to adopt a completely different approach to life and its difficulties.

So, really, it just happened. I never made a vow of determination not to do it, or any other self-damaging act, for that matter - I choose to keep my options open - for whatever reason, I just didn't, and that's fine too.