[Toruk]

So yeaah, I'm addicted to causing pain to myself.

The rush/ thrill/ stimulating feeling it causes makes me high...
My parents and friends are starting to ask me about the welts/ bruises on my body and I'm running out of excuses, soo is there anything I can do to curb this habit?

I know it isn't good for me, but I can't stop =/

[ickydog2006]

Squeezing ice helps some but the pain doesn't last long. The problem is nothing can really replace the relief we feel from the pain, and the pain needed will escalate as with any addiction.

[Sam2]

Originally Posted by Toruk

So yeaah, I'm addicted to causing pain to myself.

The rush/ thrill/ stimulating feeling it causes makes me high...
My parents and friends are starting to ask me about the welts/ bruises on my body and I'm running out of excuses, soo is there anything I can do to curb this habit?

I know it isn't good for me, but I can't stop =/

Its not the pain you are addicted to. Its the endorphins. When you injure yourself, either on accident or on purpose, your body releases endorphins, which are the bodies natural pain killers. They can produce a temporary euphoria. Runners have the same endorphin release when they push beyond their limits. That is why they start with a mile and keep adding more and more miles on. Eventually, your body builds a tolerance to the endorphins and it takes more to get the same effect.

If things were cut and dry, I'd say start exercising to get the same feeling you get when you self injure, but they aren't. There is an underlying problem that makes you attack yourself. Until you can identify that and bring it under control, the behavior will continue. Your best bet is therapy. There are decent medications to help control bipolar disorder that will make it easier.

Sam2

[Sannah]

Figure out why your mood is low (this is why you need the high).