SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Self injury is a plague that is currently spreading.

It has been said that at least 1-10 teens have tried self-injury.

Most people begin self-injurious behavior as a way of coping.  Honestly, it does work in the beginning, much like how any drug just gets you high in the beginning.  After a while  though, the injuries become worse and worse in an effort to hide whatever pain led to the initial self-injuious behavior.  

When one injures themselves endorphines are released into the bloodstream to better help the body deal with the physical pain.  These endorphines can create a high that has been compared to an opium high, and this reaction is addicting.

I personally self-injured for 8 years and know what toll it takes.  It causes social tension as some people will not associate with someone who cuts.  It causes an addiction.  It also changes daily life.

Most people hide that they cut, unless they are asking for help.  (or if they have gotten so far into it that they no longer care)  I know that when I started injuring myself I would hide everything for fear of being ostracized.  When I got into 11th grade, I no longer cared who saw my injuries.  I had accepted my behavior as a part of me, and no longer saw it as something negative with any negative consequences.  However, self injury can be negative in more ways than just leaving scars:  it can lead to infection, cause social problems, lead to accidental death.

Cutting became such a part of my life by the time I was 15 that I had integrated it into my routine.  I began to realize again that cutting was a problem when I saw that my day revolved around my cutting.  If I missed a chance to cut due to unforseen circumstances, I would panic and find some way to cut.  I felt like a junkie.

To make this shorter, I stopped cutting almost 2 years ago.  I was lucky enough to scare myself out of my bad habits.  

Long story short:  Relying on anything to "erase the pain" only makes new pain.