[Mike_J]

So does anyone ever really stop?

I know about two dozen people personally who are "cutters" (I really hate that word) but I don’t know anyone of them who has stopped. The closest any of us have come to stopping is a 7 years "on the wagon" but after that the cutting came back with a vengance.

So has anyone ever stopped, I mean I know the bad way to stop looking for a good way.

Hello Mike_J,

I am not sure. Personally, I think it's setting myself up for failure if I think about stopping FOREVER...it's way too much pressure! I think that 7 years without cutting is fantastic. I also think that 7 days of not cutting is fantastic. It's all about perspective.

Myself, I take things one day at a time. And each of those days has led to about 8 months now that I haven't self-harmed. Do I know if I can keep this up the rest of my life? Definitely not! But will I do my very best to get through this day without cutting? Absolutely. And even if I fall off the wagon in the future, what matters isn't the relapse: what matters is that I dust myself off and try again.

[splitimage]

Hi Mike_J,

I'm very much with Mellissa on this one. I've had long periods where I haven't cut. I've have also had bad periods where I've cut almost daily. I don't remember the last time I cut, because I don't count time, but it's been over 3 years. Will I never cut again - I hope not, but i can't know for sure. I still get urges, but I choose not to cut today because I don't want to go back there. And every time I get an urge I make that decision. I don't like to think about forever - it's too big for me to grasp, but I can think about today and tomorrow, and I know I won't cut on either of those 2 days and for me that's enough.

splitimage

[forever_unbroken]

I haven't cut for about 5-6 months. There are times where I have the urge to do it, but I try and control the urge and stop myself. It does end.. you just have to make the changes and control it.