does the desire to cut ever go away?

[tombstone]

this is really a question for someone who has managed to stop self harming for a long period of time.

I can't remember if there has been a day where i havn't wanted to hurt myself. They might not of been strong urges, but its just frustrating always wanting to hurt yourself :/

[Holding On*]

Yes it can.
I have not cut in over 6 months now. Not a biggie tbh but pretty good.
Over the summer I barely thought about it. Even if I did, it was just that, a though, not a desire.
Now this auturmn I am in a relapse of ED and have had urges, but my point is during the summer I did get 'over it' as such...
For some people though it may not...

[1_21Guns]

They do fade, never completely, but last time i stopped, i went through months where i just... didn't feel like it anymore. i'd still get the odd one here and there, but nothing major, and when they were really bad, i'd fight them as much as possible, because i knew full well that i'd have a few months peace.

[Zephyr]

Cutting is an addiction, and like all addictions, it has it's ups and downs. It fades, but usually doesn't ever go away completely. I've stopped and started many times. Once I have a 2 or 3 year gap, then it picked back up. It depends person to person. For myself, I do better when I have a better support system. When I don't have a support system, that's when I slip back into old habits.

[DarkHorses]

Urges can go away, but you need to give it time. They won't go away instantly. You have to work towards overcoming them in order for them to completely go away. I think the most important thing you can do is learn to deal with your urges in a more healthy and helpful way. Why not make a list of things to do instead of cutting when you get an urge? As a suggestion, you can go for a walk, read a book, even talk to someone about how you are feeling. Don't let urges serve as a reason for you not to recover from self harm. They may hold you back, but try not to let them. You're stronger than any of the urges you deal with.

[Brighter.Tomorrow]

It gets easier with time. Over time you're still tempted, but it'll be easier to ignore. Cutting is never the way out, it hurts yourself and others. If you ever feel the need to cut and it becomes over power try something less harmful, like snapping a rubberband on your skin, or putting ducttape on you leg or arm and ripping it off.

[Elphie]

As long as your life has ups and downs, the desire will always be buried in your brain. I've had periods when I thought "never again". I went a year without cutting, and then cut so bad I could've died from bloodloss. Then I had a six month good period, and now I'm back at the bottom.
I hope it goes away, I really do, but I think it'll always be there, if only in your subconciousness.

[laurita_21]

Sometimes urges come back, it gets easier over time but they never fully go away. But it does feel good living without having urges every day, it's hard but it's so woth it :)

[Mike321]

I dont think they ever fully go away, but they do fade, but its very easy for them to come back
It does get easier over time, if you try not to think about it, this can be really hard sometimes.

[Nobody]

Well, now it's been a year that I'm "clean". And as everyone says, it gets easier with time, to resist. I still have thoughts and the craving sometimes, but I just keep telling myself that I won't throw away a year for one moment. And when it still keeps on crapping inside my head I go and find something to distract myself - hanging out with friends, watching movies, reading... whatever... I even used to do household jobs just to occupy myself somehow. And it actually works pretty well, I mean, I'm still clean, right. And the longer I am, the less often I get these thoughts and the easier it is to push them away. If I compared my first days without cutting and now - uh, that's SUCH a difference! I don't believe it will ever be completely gone though. I don't think it can. We experienced it. It's part of our lives, whether it's our presence or past, you can't erase either. It's like an old friend that you're not in touch with anymore. You remember it, something can remind you of it sometimes, but that's it, nothing more, you're not so close anymore, don't care for it like you used to. Just my point of view (:

[XxMurderedKissesxX]

Personally, They dont ever just "Vanish" Its always there but it fades after time. Certain things may bring a urge on, but its normally mild and easy to get past.

[dstnyisurs]

I can stop, it's all a question of motivation. This time, it's for my boyfriend who is my love and my best friend and I can't bear to hurt him by cutting myself.

The urge can go away, it depends what your approach is to quitting. Sometimes I just don't feel like it, and sometimes I have a reason not to. The real factor in quelling the urges is having a motivating factor that stops you.

I still feel urges, and sometimes I wish I could cut away my pain, but in order to not hurt my boyfriend, I need to deal with my pain in more healthy ways. So, no the urges don't really go away. They just become more normal, or easier to manage, whichever comes first.

[tombstone]

I can stop, it's all a question of motivation. This time, it's for my boyfriend who is my love and my best friend and I can't bear to hurt him by cutting myself.

The urge can go away, it depends what your approach is to quitting. Sometimes I just don't feel like it, and sometimes I have a reason not to. The real factor in quelling the urges is having a motivating factor that stops you.

I still feel urges, and sometimes I wish I could cut away my pain, but in order to not hurt my boyfriend, I need to deal with my pain in more healthy ways. So, no the urges don't really go away. They just become more normal, or easier to manage, whichever comes first.

thanks, this really helped :)

Don't really have a motivation for stopping though.. :/ It will be three weeks on sunday since i last harmed myself though so.. :)

[dstnyisurs]

Good job. (: That's really great. Try to set a record. Be in competition with yourself, only there's no losers. Be your own motivation. Or, give yourself rewards. Set aside money and be like," I'm going to buy this totally awesome.. parachute but ONLY if I don't cut for a period of time." It gives you incentive, kind of like trying to break a habit.

[georgiamay]

that's really great, well done :hug:

I once made it nearly 2 years self harm free, and the urges had gone, leaving the desire to cut as merely a thought. It was a pretty insignificant thought aswell. I had a bad night and slipped up, and I've been on and off ever since. I think if I hadn't given in, the urges would be next to nothing, I'd easily be self harm free now.

I think they do fade, and they don't feel like "urges" anymore, but I don't think the thought in the back of your head that says, "hurting myself would help right now" ever really goes away completely, you just get used to it, and soon you learn to completely block it out and ignore it. It is hard to get to that point I think, but it seems worth it. Once you get past the stage of actually conciously wanting to self harm, it gets easier. But I doubt it ever completely goes away.

But I've never actually completely stopped for good. I've slipped back every time, so I could be wrong, but that's just what it seems like to me.

[iMukuro]

I have to say, I've had to urge for more than 3 years now. I can stop at times bt for some reason it's always there.
Think of it like an alcoholic. They'd love a beer but they can't have it or they'll get into the routine again.
You just have to refrain from doing anything to yourself.

[UnknownError]

May 28th, 2010 was the Last time I cut, I though it was longer tbh...

And yes the desire goes away, quickly for some, slowly for others. Mine went quite fast really, faster than I thought. It gets easier and the more I did it, the more I regretted it.
Stay strong and fight the urge, it will fade!

EDIT: Oh, this was my 250th post! :D