[watermelonrind]

Hello,

Does anyone else here struggle with overdosing as a form of self-harm? The past few months I have struggled with overdosing on Benadryl and do so as a way to self-harm, not as a suicide attempt. I’ve never met anyone else that self-harms like I do and would like to find support from others who can relate. It’s been 28 days since I last overdosed and the longest I’ve went was 30 days so I’m struggling with approaching that month mark again.

[Skeezyks]

Hello watermelonrind: I'm sorry you are struggling with this. I cannot say I have had the experience you've had. I have overdosed twice. But in those cases, bringing my existence to a close was what I had in mind. What I can say though is that, over the years, I have found quite a few different ways to abuse myself. So, based on that, what I do know is there are plenty of ways to go about it if one feels the need to self-abuse.

I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit. May I suggest you introduce yourself over on PC's New Member Introductions forum? Here's a link:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/new-...introductions/

There's a lot of support that can be available here on PC. The more you post, & reply to other members' posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are the chat rooms where you'll be able to interact with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) So please keep posting!

I think I know what you mean. Correct me if I'm off base. The idea is just to stop the pain for awhile....not permanently. Needing a respite. Perhaps by sleeping. Hadn't really thought of it as SI. But you have a point.

[watermelonrind]

Originally Posted by cavaliers

I think I know what you mean. Correct me if I'm off base. The idea is just to stop the pain for awhile....not permanently. Needing a respite. Perhaps by sleeping. Hadn't really thought of it as SI. But you have a point.

Yes, it lets me check out of life for several hours. When I first take it, I feel miserable from the amount I take and then later on, I get a calming effect with the sedation. I think that’s why I like it. It hurts me but then calms me.

[splitimage]

What you're doing is actually pretty common. I know I've done it in the past. It lets me check out from reality for a while, and then I usually feel sick afterward, so I'll have a couple of days where feeling sick distracts me from the emotional pain.

Try not to stress about the upcoming anniversary, although I get how that can be triggering. Just think about it as one more day that you're not going to SI.

splitimage

[whisperingskye]

I used to do this a lot, not necessrily to check out for a bit, although that was probably partly it. My main motivation for it though was knowing that I could be doing long term damage to my organs and ultimately could die.

I don’t tend to do it much now, although if I’m stressed and can’t SI by cutting which is what I do more, then I tend to reach for the pills instead. Not to kill myself, just to calm things a bit. I don’t know how it helps but somehow it seems to.

[watermelonrind]

I’ve hit the 30 day mark and doing well! Here’s to hoping the upcoming days are good as well

[splitimage]

watermelonrind, Congratulations. 30 days is awesome. Keep up the good work, one day at a time.

splitimage

I used to do this in my younger years, it's definitely not uncommon. It would put me to sleep and let me avoid feeling the pain of depression. However, it also did harm to me, such as causing seizures. Haven't done it in years but sometimes the urge is there.

Congratulations on hitting the 30 day mark!