[anony mouse.]

I struggle with this question a lot myself. It's one of the cornerstones of why I'm having the hardest time recovering.

Why? Who does it hurt? Certainly not me--I can't even feel it anymore. It's easy to say that it's harmful and that you're putting yourself at risk for infection and whatnot. As much as I hate to sound like a petulant child (or, worse, biased), if you're using sterile implements and keeping your wounds clean...who's to tell you you can't do this to yourself?

Then again, I guess you could apply this same question to drug abuse, eating disorders, etc etc etc. If we're going merely by the logic that we aren't hurting anyone but ourselves, then we can do just about anything.

I think there's a whole different mindset that you gain when you recover--that is, recover as much as one can from a crippling disease of the mind. You see things differently, in a more positive light, and you see why self-harm is bad. Maybe once you get to that place, it's easier to stop.

I don't know. I'm not there yet.