Understanding Self-Harm: A Complex Relationship with Our Bodies

In Girl in Pieces, Kathleen Glasgow captures a painful reality: "I just want to feel better. My own body is my deepest enemy. It wants, it wants, it wants and when it does not get, it cries and cries and I punish it. How can you live in fear of your own body?" This sentiment reflects the experience of many people who develop a difficult relationship with what should be our closest ally — our own body. Self-harm affects people worldwide, but what exactly is it, and how does it relate to addiction and alcohol?

What Is Self-Harm?

Self-harm involves intentionally causing physical pain to oneself as a way to cope with overwhelming emotional distress. While it might seem counterintuitive, the act is typically an attempt to find relief from intense feelings. Common methods include:

• Cutting or piercing the skin with sharp objects
• Punching hard surfaces like walls or furniture
• Burning oneself with matches, cigarettes, or candles
• Breaking bones or causing severe physical damage

It's crucial to distinguish self-harm from suicidal behavior: the intent is not to end life but to manage emotional pain.

Self-Harm Facts and Statistics

Research reveals several patterns in self-harm behavior:

• Young people are at higher risk: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is most common among adolescents and young adults, with onset typically around age 13-14. Studies indicate 7.6% of third-graders, 4% of sixth-graders, and 12.7% of ninth-graders have engaged in NSSI.
• Similar rates across genders: While cultural assumptions suggest women self-harm more, studies show equal susceptibility. Women report cutting more often, while men tend toward hitting or burning and are less likely to disclose it.
• Link to mental health challenges: Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders increase vulnerability, especially among those prone to self-criticism.
• A global issue: Self-harm occurs worldwide with similar demographic patterns across different regions.

Is Self-Harm an Addiction?

While not clinically classified as an addiction, self-harm shares key features with addictive behaviors:

• It's driven by strong urges and compulsions
• It provides temporary relief or even euphoria
• It creates a vicious cycle where the behavior escalates
• Dopamine release reinforces the pattern, making it difficult to stop

Why Is Self-Harm Addictive?

Self-harm often becomes a "quick-fix" solution for intense emotions like fear, anger, or self-doubt. Research identifies common triggers:

• Overwhelming negative emotions preceding the act
• Self-punishment for perceived flaws or inadequacies
• Attempts to elicit responses from others (often a cry for help)

As Caroline Kettlewell notes in Skin Game, once the line is crossed, "almost any reason was a good enough reason."

Self-Harm and Alcohol

Alcohol and self-harm frequently co-occur for several reasons:

• Shared triggers: Similar underlying issues like depression, anxiety, or trauma can drive both behaviors
• Alcohol's disinhibiting effects: By slowing the prefrontal cortex, alcohol reduces self-control and increases impulsive behavior
• Alcohol as a depressant: Initial dopamine rush followed by emotional lows can intensify self-harm urges
• Common neurological pathways: Both alcohol and self-harm trigger dopamine release, reinforcing each other through the brain's reward system

Studies show alcohol is involved in 21% of self-harm cases, making it a significant risk factor.

Self-Harm Recovery

Recovery involves addressing both the behavior and its underlying causes:

• Therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) help change thought patterns and develop healthy coping mechanisms
• Support from family, friends, and support groups is crucial
• Medications may help treat co-occurring mental health conditions

Quitemate offers a supportive community where people share experiences and encouragement for those on this journey.

Summing Up

Recovery from self-harm is challenging but achievable. As Cheryl Rainfield writes in Scars: "My scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will to survive. They're part of my history that'll always be there." Many face seemingly impossible difficulties, but there is always a path forward. You have the strength to heal.