March is Self-Harm Awareness Month, a time to shed light on the emotional pain that often goes unseen. While many people associate self-injury with cutting, the truth is that self-harm can take many forms – and it’s more prevalent than you might think. Even more concerning is the strong link between self-injurious behavior and addiction, as both can serve as coping mechanisms for overwhelming emotional distress.
At Hope by the Sea, we understand that self-harm and substance use often stem from the same sources – emotional pain, trauma and an unmet need for healing.
What Is Self-Injurious Behavior?
Non-suicidal self-injury is the deliberate act of harming your body without the intent to die. People who engage in self-harm often do so to:
- Express emotional pain they can’t verbalize
- Regain a sense of control during chaotic periods
- Distract themselves from numbness or dissociation
- Punish themselves for perceived faults or failures
While cutting and burning are the best-known forms of self-harm, the behavior can go beyond these acts. Less recognized expressions of self-harm include:
- Hitting or punching yourself
- Picking at your skin or scabs to prevent healing
- Pulling out your hair
- Extreme nail biting or scratching
- Engaging in unsafe sex or dangerous behaviors
- Starving or binging/purging as part of disordered eating
- Drinking or using drugs as self-punishment or emotional escape
Because many of these actions take place in private, other people might fail to notice that you have a problem. You must recognize that any intentional harm to yourself – physical, emotional or psychological – can be a form of self-injury.
The Overlap Between Self-Harm and Addiction
Self-harm and substance use disorders often co-occur because they are two unhealthy outlets for unresolved trauma, depression, anxiety or other mental health issues.
Here are some common links between self-injury and addiction.
- Shame and secrecy: People often hide self-injury and addiction out of fear, guilt or embarrassment.
- Loss of control: Like substance use, self-harm can become compulsive, making it hard for you to stop even if you want to.
- Underlying trauma: Many people who struggle with self-harm or addiction have a history of childhood abuse, neglect, bullying or sexual trauma.
The emotional release provided by self-injury or substance use is highly temporary, leaving you stuck in a cycle of pain, secrecy and escalating behavior.
Why Professional Help Is Essential
While self-injury isn’t necessarily a sign of suicidal ideation, it can reflect profound emotional distress. Left untreated, it increases your risk of severe injury, suicidal thoughts and co-occurring mental health disorders like addiction, depression, PTSD or borderline personality disorder. Recovery begins when you address the root cause, not only the behavior.
At Hope by the Sea, we offer a compassionate and individualized treatment approach for people struggling with addiction and other self-injurious behavior. Our team understands the complex emotions behind self-harm and helps our clients develop healthier ways to cope, express themselves and rebuild their self-worth.
Our treatment programs include:
- Dual-diagnosis care for co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions
- Trauma-informed therapy to heal the underlying wounds that drive self-harm
- Evidence-based techniques to teach you emotional regulation and self-acceptance
- Group and individual therapy for shared understanding and personal growth
- Mindfulness, holistic healing and relapse prevention strategies
You Deserve to Heal
If you have become caught in the cycle of self-injury and addiction, there is hope beyond the pain. You don’t need to suffer in silence or face it alone. Healing goes beyond recognizing and ending self-injurious behavior by giving you the tools to live a full, meaningful life.
At Hope by the Sea, we believe everyone deserves compassionate treatment. This Self-Harm Awareness Month, explore lasting recovery by contacting us today.
