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How much time does it take to fully break the addiction of self-harm?

14 Answers
Last Updated: 03/24/2020 at 3:46pm
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United States
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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
February 7th, 2015 4:33pm
It is still haunting me. But I don't do. But you will still get thoughts about it. Like when something bad happens it haunts me. I think you have to have a good positive chunk of time to overcome it.
pandybear
March 27th, 2015 11:44am
This varies from person to person, and there's no right or wrong amount of time. Sometimes, people can be clean for years and years and they still relapse (as was the case with my friend). I found the urges were less strong after two months.
bepeaceful27
April 5th, 2015 1:24am
There's not a date set up for that, you have to wait and be peacefull...................................................................................................
ghostPastry
April 10th, 2015 7:44am
That varies based on the person. Typically, years. It's an addiction, and addictions are hard to break. The addiction becomes more manageable once the root cause is addressed, but the temptation lingers.
1997Turtle
May 2nd, 2015 8:41am
it depends on the person. i tried on and off for 2 yrs, and then made it, others longer, others shorter.
Sami99
February 2nd, 2016 3:56pm
Speaking from personal experience addiction of anything never fully goes away. The only difference is how you handle it, as you learn to control the need it becomes so much easier just to say no to yourself. Remember if you relapse it's not the most horrible thing that could've happened just think of how long it had been before and strive to make it longer the next time, but don't beat yourself up over it.
psglistens
February 8th, 2016 3:58am
It depends on you. It's not going to be easy but I think that it's going to be faster if you really want to break the addiction. I believe that one should not focus on the amount of time to fully break from it. You should focus a whole lot more on becoming better. :)
zealousPerspective38
February 29th, 2016 2:50pm
It can take a lifetime unfortunately. You can be clear for 4 years and then suddenly have an urge. Self harm is as addictive as alcohol and drugs and it is important to constantly stay on top of it.
peacefulMusic8
May 30th, 2016 2:05am
In my opinion, it is like any other addiction, whether alcohol or drug. You never break te addiction, you just learn new ways to cope and new ways to help yourself.
Anonymous
October 11th, 2016 11:58am
You can never really break the addiction. It's all about recovery and mindset. Mindset is a huge thing in terms of hurting yourself.
Anonymous
May 15th, 2017 7:14am
It is different for each person. In some people, it might take years while for other people, it could take only a few months. It depends on the person's history and personal experiences to know how long they will break the addiction. Counseling is one way to break the addiction and the support of family and friends.
MomFriend7
November 21st, 2017 10:00pm
There is not a specific time. It could be months, it could be years. It takes time and dedication- along with the mindset of knowing you don’t need to self harm to continue on with life, and the urge doesn’t rule you. Once you conquer the urge fully, is when you’ve broken the addiction.
sunshineBreeze69
April 17th, 2018 2:55am
It really depends on the person. It usually takes until you've found a positive outlet to release the numb feeling.
ThatScottishLassie
March 24th, 2020 3:46pm
On average it takes 21 days to break any type of addiction, however, that doesn't necessarily mean that after the 21 days you won't still be in the mindset of addiction. Its all about how willing you are and the strength you have as a person. The physical addiction is only one part of it and then you have to tackle the mental aspect. You can still be addicted without carrying out said addiction, to fully overcome addiction depends on the person, some people it takes 6 months and others it may take years. It's not a straight forward process.