is there ever a time

[silent_scars]

when you can say i no longer cut? three weeks three months three years? how do you know when you wont do it again??? does the urges ever go away ? does it ever stop filling what seems like your every waking moment ... even when you dont feel like you need to cut .. you think about it .... does it ever go away?

 

[texannurse]

when you can say i no longer cut? three weeks three months three years? how do you know when you wont do it again??? does the urges ever go away ? does it ever stop filling what seems like your every waking moment ... even when you dont feel like you need to cut .. you think about it .... does it ever go away?

I know how you feel - I struggle with the same thing. I find that the more I deal with my issues, the weaker the urges get. Yes they still come, yes there are days where I think about it constantly and yes, I still cut - 2 days ago in fact. BUT, I have the feeling that the temptations might take a really long time to go away, but that we somehow find the strength to resist more and more. It is really hard and hurts really bad to not give in, but somewhere deep inside I know that the cuts damage far more than my skin. Let's pray for one another on this road!

 

[Im-revived]

I want to try and be encouraging, but at the same time honest with you, so I'm going of my own personal experiences. Your question is an extremely good one and I hope many others will post in to see what they think about the question.

Its now 15 - 17 yrs since I cut, as a teenager I went through cognitive Psycotherapy, and yes it helped with the reasons why I cut. But even now I go through times when I want to cut, if I feel bad about myself, or feel rejected, or hurt. I did find the therapy I had 20yrs ago did teach me to find other ways of putting the thoughts off. So myself personally I could never say I will never do it again, but saying that the longer you go not harming yourself and using useful techniques the easier it gets. It doesn't mean go around and think I'm still a self harmer, it means more like I can handle it better.

Im-revived

when you can say i no longer cut? three weeks three months three years? how do you know when you wont do it again??? does the urges ever go away ? does it ever stop filling what seems like your every waking moment ... even when you dont feel like you need to cut .. you think about it .... does it ever go away?

 

[little_lily613]

Honestly, today I can say "I no longer cut". Do I know if I will be able to say that tomorrow, the next day or 10 years from now? Nope, but I CAN say it today, and I try and hold on to that. As for the thoughts that intrude your mind on a daily basis, for me, when I was still doing it and when I stopped, they were always there. It becomes a bad habit, and everything triggered the desire to do it again. Eventually though, the thoughts gradually became less and less until one day, without even realizing what had happened, they just weren't there anymore. That's not to say I NEVER get the urge to do it, but it no longer controls my thoughts, and I now have the strength that-when that occasional urge happens to come-I can fight it off without giving into it. Hope is always there, sometimes it just doesn't feel as though it is within reach. Stay strong, and know that in time, it DOES become easier! G~d bless you!
~Lily~

 

[silent_scars]

thanks so much for sharing that !! it helps to know that it is possible that one day that i wont think about it all the time .... i think its more of a bad habit now thats hard to break than anything else ... a way of life ... that i'm not sure i need but at the same time i'm not sure i 'm ready to let go of just yet either ...

 

[Broken_Wings]

when you can say i no longer cut? three weeks three months three years? how do you know when you wont do it again??? does the urges ever go away ? does it ever stop filling what seems like your every waking moment ... even when you dont feel like you need to cut .. you think about it .... does it ever go away?

i have wondered these things myself. especially since my 'relapse' after being SI free for a lil over a year. its like the coping skills i had been using for that time period suddenly just vanished from my mind! even with the coping skills tho...i was still having urges. i was just able to keep myself from *doing* it BECAUSE of the coping skills.
now...im having to just take it one day at a time. one min at a time...sometimes just one SECOND at a time! so honestly...i dont know the answer to any of these questions. *sigh* just please know you are NOT ALONE in this struggle!

Many Blessings!
~Chelle

 

[trying2survive09]

when you can say i no longer cut? three weeks three months three years? how do you know when you wont do it again??? does the urges ever go away ? does it ever stop filling what seems like your every waking moment ... even when you dont feel like you need to cut .. you think about it .... does it ever go away?

Wow, that question is something that I was thinking about earlier today. I want to be able to say that I no longer cut, but it's also a scary thing too. It's been awhile since I last cut myself, but I'm too afraid to say that I no longer do it for fear of messing up and people thinking I'm a liar. Weird huh? Anyway, back to your questions. For me, the urges haven't compeltely gone away, but I don't get the urge nearly as much. I believe that there is hope though...that someday if you want, the urge can be taken away. God is good that way. He can help you to make a full recovery if you are willing to let Him. I'll be praying for you.

 

[WoundedImmortal]

The last time I self injured...I knew it was my last. It didn't accomplish what I wanted it too-I didn't feel better, not even a little bit. There wasn't that relief. All I felt was guilty. And what's more, I made a friend feel badly (like he caused it) and another person mad at me...

been well over two years now, and over 6 months without an urge. I think I can say-I am recovered.

 

[HolyOne87]

when you can say i no longer cut? three weeks three months three years? how do you know when you wont do it again??? does the urges ever go away ? does it ever stop filling what seems like your every waking moment ... even when you dont feel like you need to cut .. you think about it .... does it ever go away?

I think about it every time a bad situation arises. It's hard not to think of at times, especially in those times where EVERYTHING seems overwhelming in ones life.
I have faith that I wont..just like other people in my life(well only one..b/c he is the only person that knows), that i won't do it again. For some reason, I would never feel happy if i did..I would be breaking my own promise to my very close best friend(made this promise back in November..after cutting for about 4-5 years). He even told me, "If you break the promise, it is okay. I will be upset however". I really care for this person a lot and cant bare to see him upset, which is the main thought in my mind every time i might have the urge to cut...That thought stops me dead in my tracks and helps me not cut.
But the urges are hard to get rid of..but I try as much as I can to avoid all that can enable me to have these urges.

 

[berry2000]

I think i am almost at the point where I can say I no longer cut. It has been 4 months now. I still have the urges but I am learning to go backwards and say hey, what was I thinking about right before I was thinking of self harm, and then work backwards from there. It's scary to think of leaving it behind for good but I think I'm almost there. That being said, saying you no longer cut is one thing and I think that is totally possible, but saying you never have the urge to cut...that is another thing entirely and I just don't know if that ever happens.