Self Suffocation/Strangulation.

Suffocation/Strangulation are very common most parents don't even know when their child has even experimented with it.

The "choking game" is defined as self-strangulation or strangulation by another person with the hands or a noose to achieve a brief euphoric state caused by cerebral hypoxia. Participants in this activity typically are youths (1). Serious neurologic injury or death can result if strangulation is prolonged. In recent years, news media reports have described numerous deaths among youths attributed to the choking game. Because no traditional public health dataset collects mortality data on this practice, CDC used news media reports to estimate the incidence of deaths from the choking game. This report describes the results of that analysis, which identified 82 probable choking-game deaths among youths aged 6--19 years, during 1995--2007. Seventy-one (86.6%) of the decedents were male, and the mean age was 13.3 years. Parents, educators, and health-care providers should become familiar with warning signs that youths are playing the choking game (2).
Death certificates lack the detail necessary to distinguish choking-game deaths from other unintentional strangulation deaths. Therefore, CDC identified probable choking-game deaths from 1) a LexisNexis* search in November 2007 of newspaper reports since the 1970s and 2) reports on two choking-game--awareness websites,^† which were created in 2005 and 2006. Deaths of children listed on the two websites but not matched by LexisNexis newspaper reports were included in the assessment only if subsequent Internet searches located news media reports (e.g., from television stations) of the incidents confirming that the deaths met the case definition. For consistency, case characteristics were obtained only from news media reports.
A case was defined as a death, described in a news report, resulting from self-strangulation or strangulation by another person as part of an activity with elements of the choking game (also known as the "blackout game," "pass-out game," "scarf game," "space monkey," and by other names). Deaths were excluded if reports included any mention of autoerotic asphyxiation, a practice of choking oneself during sexual stimulation that is usually engaged in by teen-aged or adult males (1). Deaths also were excluded if reports noted that the medical examiner ruled the death was a suicide or of undetermined intent coupled with no mention of elements of the choking game, or if the age of the decedent was missing from news reports. Cases were restricted to youths aged <20 years who were residents of the United States. Following are two examples of cases of choking-game deaths.
Case 1. In February 2006, an adolescent boy aged 13 years came home from school in a good mood and had dinner with his family. He then went to his bedroom to do his homework. Approximately 1 hour later, his mother went to check on him and discovered him slumped in a corner with a belt around his neck. His face was blue. The mother began cardiopulmonary resuscitation while one of the other children called an ambulance. The boy died at a local hospital 1 hour later. No suicide note was found. The county medical examiner ruled that the death resulted from accidental asphyxiation by hanging. In the weeks following his death, multiple teens told the director of a local counseling agency that the choking game had been played at local parties.
Case 2. In April 2005, an adolescent girl aged 13 years was found dead, hanging from a belt and shoelace made into a noose on the door of her bedroom closet, after her brother went to her room to see why she had not come down for breakfast. No suicide note was found. The medical examiner determined that the teen had died at 9:30 p.m. the previous night. After the teen's death, the family learned that the girl had confided in a cousin that she recently had played the choking game in the locker room at school and that a group of girls at her school had been suspended for playing the choking game.
The LexisNexis search and follow-up Internet searches for confirmatory news reports on deaths from the two choking-game websites produced 106 deaths that referred to the choking game. A total of 24 of the deaths were excluded: 20 because news reports either provided no evidence of the choking game or because the medical examiner ruled the death was of undetermined intent, three because the death circumstances had autoerotic elements, and one because no age of the decedent was reported. Among the remaining 82 deaths, 49 (59.8%) were identified via LexisNexis, and 72 (87.8%) were collected from the choking-game websites. LexisNexis was the sole source for 10 (12.2%) of the deaths, and the websites were the sole initial source for 33 (40.2%) of the deaths; 39 (47.6%) deaths were identified by both sources. The median period between the date of death and the news media report was 33.5 days (range: 2 days--6 years).
The earliest choking-game death was identified as occurring in 1995. Three or fewer deaths occurred annually during 1995--2004; however, 22 deaths occurred in 2005, 35 in 2006, and nine in 2007. Seventy-one (86.6%) of the 82 decedents were male, and the age range of decedents was 6--19 years, with a mean age of 13.3 years (standard deviation = 2.1) and a median age of 13 years. Age distribution of the 82 choking-game decedents during 1995--2007 differed from that of the 5,101 youths aged 6--19 years whose deaths were attributed to suicide by hanging/suffocation during 1999--2005.
Among the 70 deaths for which sufficient detail was reported, 67 (95.7%) occurred while the decedent was alone. Among the 42 deaths for which sufficient detail was reported, 39 (92.9%) parents of decedents said they were not aware of the choking game until the death of their child.
Choking-game deaths occurred in 31 states; no geographic clustering was evident. Deaths did not vary significantly by season or by day of the week. No information regarding decedent drug use, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status was available.

 
Suicide is driven or motivated by psychological pain, but it takes a brand of tortured pain for self strangulation to occur. Not only is the method crude and painful, it leaves disturbing and painful images on those left behind whether or not they knew the victim personally. Most suicide victims are in a large amount of pain, but because of the nature of society no one notices anything. Some people may realize that something is not right but they rarely pay more than passing attention and only understand the depth of what they saw when the victim is discovered.
In self strangulation, since the victim is rarely aware of what method of hanging they are using, many things can occur that make it more painful than it would be other wise. Judicial hanging, where the prisoner is hanged and dies due to strangulation, is carefully calculated to ensure minimum pain for the person being hanged. In most cases, the prisoner looses consciousness within a few seconds and death follows shortly after. But when one stages their own hanging, there are no assistants to ensure that everything goes as planned and the person can remain aware for up to 20 minutes before they pass out, all this while they are struggling against the pain, and it is more like drowning.
Suicide by self hanging is a common despite the fact that one may fail while trying or may suffer more intense pain just before they die, than the pain that led them there in the first place. What makes it popular is that unlike poison and firearms, materials required to carry it out are more readily available. All one needs is some piece of anything remotely resembling a rope and leverage. However, there are reports that claim it is very difficult to carry out this form of suicide by oneself without assistance.
The Pain
The pain resulting from self strangulation or any other kind of suicide is not really felt much by the victim as they are now dead but rather the ones that are left behind. Unless of course the victim survives, then their pain is likely to double as they now have to add failure to their list of disappointments. The good thing is that many who survive the first attempt usually seek help and are better after a period of time.
The family and friends of the suicide victim are left behind feeling guilty for not having seen this, or done anything to stop it and some will go ahead themselves for what happened. It is difficult to deal with the loss, and in some societies, the family of the victim also has to endure slander from the rest of the community and the shame plus rejection and shunning. The Catholic faith considers suicide a cardinal sin and the person is not entitled to a proper Catholic burial. If those left behind are staunch Catholic, then the pain of knowing that their own will spend eternity in hell can be quite unbearable, especially for the parents of the victim.
Dealing with the pain
It is especially important that those left behind process their pain effectively or they run a risk of ending up like the victim. If the victim survives the attempt, psychological help should be sought immediately to ensure that this is not repeated. While one can feel that the pain they are enduring is unbearable and they need to get rid of it, knowing that others have been through this and have come out stronger and closer together as a family. Avoid focusing on what went wrong and try to remember that person in the good light that they were. Be comfortable in the knowledge that if you had had a chance to help them you would have and not realizing that something was terribly wrong does not make you a bad person.
Finally
Life is full of ups and downs and there is nothing that is permanent. All things change and what you feel now will pale in comparison to something else. For those who are contemplating suicide, try talking to someone about your pain, because the people who care about you go through a great deal of pain if you decide to end your life. And if you should still decide to go ahead and end your life, please stay away from self strangulation as it is painful and leaves a bad taste for who ever eventually finds you.

Warning signs:

• Discussion of the game or its aliases
• Bloodshot eyes
• Marks on the neck
• Wearing high-necked shirts, even in warm weather
• Frequent, severe headaches
• Disorientation after spending time alone
• Increased and uncharacteristic irritability or hostility
• Ropes, scarves, and belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor
• The unexplained presence of dog leashes, choke collars, bungee cords, etc.
• Petechiae (pinpoint bleeding spots) under the skin of the face, especially the eyelids, or the conjunctiva (the lining of the eyelids and eyes)

TALK TO SOMEONE IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO DO SOMETHING STUPID!

Thank you for reading,
Toxxic Lullaby

Scarification.

Scarification is fascinating to me because each scar has it's own story or meaning behind it.
Scarification is not a precise practice; variables, such as skin type, cut depth, and how the wound is treated while healing, make the outcome unpredictable. A method that works on one person may not work on another. The scars tend to spread as they heal, so outcome design is usually simple, the details being lost during healing.

Reasons for scarification:

 There are many reasons why people may turn to scarification. Aesthetically, scarifications are usually more visible on darker skinned people than tattoos. Also, unlike tattoos, scarifications are a product of one's own body. Endorphins are released in the process of obtaining the scars that can put a person into a high or euphoria.

There are also religious and social reasons for scarification. According to some tribal belief in Africa, producing scars on newborn children helps preventing vision related illness. There may also be religious expressions used in the scarification process.

Here are the types of scarification.

Branding

Human branding is one type of scarification. It is similar in nature to livestock branding.

Strike branding

Similar to the process used to brand livestock, a piece of metal is heated and pressed onto the skin for the brand. Historically it was used to claim ownership of slaves or to punish criminals, but as a form of body art, strike branding is less preferable to other types because it is not precise and tends to spread greatly on healing, and is not advisable for curved areas of the body. More successful is the multi-strike brand, done piece by piece rather than all at once. For example, to get a V-shaped brand, two lines would be burned separately by a straight piece of metal, rather than by a V-shaped piece of metal.

Cautery branding

This is a less common form of branding that uses a thermal cautery tool with a heated wire tip to cause the burns.

Laser branding

"Laser" branding is a marketing term coined by Steve Haworth, who pioneered its use in body modification. The technical term is "electrosurgical branding". Though it is technically possible to use a medical laser for scarification, this term refers not an actual laser, but rather an electrosurgical unit which uses electricity to cut and cauterize the skin, similar to the way an arc welder works. Electric sparks jump from the hand-held pen of the device to the skin, vaporizing it. This is a more precise form of scarification, because it is possible to greatly regulate the depth and nature of the damage being done to the skin. Whereas with traditional direct branding, heat is transferred to the tissues surrounding the brand, burning and damaging them, electrosurgery branding vaporizes the skin so precisely and so quickly that little to no heat or damage to the surrounding skin is caused. This means that pain and healing time after the scarification is complete is greatly lessened.

Cold branding

This rare method of branding is the same thing as strike branding, except that the metal branding tool is subjected to extreme cold (such as liquid nitrogen) rather than extreme heat. This method will cause the hair on the brand to grow back white and will not cause keloiding. This process is also used in livestock and called freeze branding in that context.

Cutting

Cutting of the skin for cosmetic purposes is not to be confused with self-harm, which is also referred to by the euphemism "cutting." There may be cases of self-mutilation and self-scarification for non-cosmetic reasons. Lines are cut with surgical blades. Techniques include:

Ink rubbing

tattoo ink (or another sterile coloring agent) is rubbed into a fresh cut. Most of the ink remains in the skin as the cut heals, and will have the same basic effect as a tattoo. As with tattoos, it is important not to pick the scabs as this will pull out the ink. The general public often interprets ink-rubbings as poorly done tattoos.

Skin removal/skinning

Cutting in single lines produces relatively thin scars, and skin removal is a way to get a larger area of scar tissue. The outlines of the area of skin to be removed will be cut, and then the skin to be removed will be peeled away. Scars from this method often have an inconsistent texture.

Packing

This method is uncommon in the West, but has traditionally been used in Africa. A cut is made diagonally and an inert material such as clay or ash is packed into the wound; massive hypertrophic scars are formed during healing as the wound pushes out the substance that had been inserted into the wound. Cigar ash is used in the United States for more raised and purple scars; people may also use ashes of deceased persons

Hatching

similar in appearance to flesh removal this method of scarification relies on using a sterile surgical scalpel to cut into the skin. Where a larger area is required to be scarred you cut with a hatching technique similar to the sketching technique. This method is easier to perform than flesh removal and can be done with one hand which could be beneficial in some situations. While this technique can take longer for larger pieces it is useful for smaller, more detailed designs and enables shading to be used.

Abrasion 

Scars can be formed by removing layers of skin through abrasion. This can be achieved using an inkless tattooing device, or any object that can remove skin through friction (such as sandpaper).

Chemical scarification uses corrosive chemicals to remove skin and induce scarring. The effects of this method are typically similar to other, simpler forms of scarification; as a result there has been little research undertaken on this method.

 Dangers to scarification.

Scarification produces harm and trauma to the skin; thus it is considered by many to be not safe. Infection is a concern. Not only does this hurt, the materials for inducing the wounds need to be sanitary, but the wound needs to be kept clean, using antibacterial solutions or soaps often, and having good hygiene in general. It is not uncommon, especially if the wound is being irritated, for a local infection to develop around the wound. The scarification worker needs to have detailed knowledge of the anatomy of human skin, in order to prevent tools cutting too deep, burning too hot, or burning for too long. Scarification is not nearly as popular as tattooing, so it is harder to find workers experienced in scarification. Precautions are made for brandings, such as wearing masks, because it is possible for diseases to be passed from the skin into the air when the skin is burning, that can lead to death from the tool they use.

Scarification is not by any means a reason to start carving a design into your skin every time you feel the urge to cut, brand, or burn. So think before you ever try to do this at all.
Talk about things rather than going for the closest thing to you and just going to town on your skin.


Thank you for reading
Toxxic Lullaby

Drug Overdose.

Recent statistics show that prescription drug abuse killed more than 37,000 people across the country in 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I know most have either tried to do this at one point or another to end the pain. Or some are still planning on how to accomplish the overdose
Here are the three types of drug categories and what drugs they contain:

• Prescription Drugs - These types of drugs are licensed medicines that cannot be obtained without a prescription from a doctor; a type-written label is characteristic of a prescription drug and will indicate that a pharmacists has dispensed the medication. Some examples of prescription medications can include Benzodiazepines, Morphine, and Amphetamines. The largest percentage of prescription drug overdoses is reported to be associated with narcotic painkillers, such as OxyContin or Vicodin.
• Non-Prescription Drugs - These types of drugs may be purchased over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription. Non-prescription OTC drugs can include headache tablets, liquid cough medicines, sinus tablets, or diet pills; these medications are readily available at any retail outlet. Common examples of some of the over-the-counter medications are Vicks Cough Syrup, Sudafed, Robitussin DM, and Sominex Sleep Tablets, just to name a select few.
• Illicit Drugs - The types of drugs are generally imported, grown or illegally manufactured, and the sale of these substances is prohibited by law. The greatest percentage of drug overdoses throughout the United States is related to the misuse of illicit drugs; this is not surprising, as these types of drugs are purchased on the black market and there is no way to determine exactly what ingredients that they contain. Some of the most common examples of illicit drugs are; heroin, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and meth.

Most of the people I know did either Prescription Drugs or Illicit Drugs. I think I had maybe one or two friends that did all three. The drugs are very nasty things to mess with.

The causes of Dug Overdosing:

• Young children may swallow drugs by accident because of their curiosity about medications they may find. Children younger than 5 years (especially 6 months to 3 years) tend to place everything they find into their mouths. Drug overdoses in this age group are generally caused when someone accidentally leaves a medication within the child's reach. Toddlers, when they find medications, often share them with other children. Therefore, if you suspect an overdose in one child while other children are around, those other children may have taken the medication too.
  
  
• Adolescents and adults are more likely to overdose on one or more drugs in order to harm themselves. Attempting to harm oneself may represent a suicide attempt. People who purposefully overdose on medications frequently suffer from underlying mental health conditions. These conditions may or may not have been diagnosed before.

 The symptoms:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Seizures (fitting)
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Breathing difficulties
• Internal bleeding
• Hallucination
• Visual disturbances
• Coma

Reason for overdose:

• Accidental – a person takes the wrong drug or combination of drugs, in the wrong amount or at the wrong time without knowing that it could cause them harm.
• Intentional misuse – a person takes an overdose to get ‘high’ or to inflict self-harm. The latter may be a cry for help or a suicide attempt.

Myths about overdosing:

• It won't happen to me: If you use it can happen to you. In fact, experienced long-term users are more likely to experience fatal or non-fatal overdoses than novice users.
• Let them sleep it off : If someone is really stoned, you may be leaving them to a slow drift into death.
• Put them in the shower or the bath: This can rapidly change their core body temperature, which could put them in shock - extremes of temperature tend to shut your body down. It can also result in drowning.
• Don't call for an ambulance because the cops will turn up: Statistics show the police attend less than 15% of overdoses - the ambos won't call the police unless they feel threatened at the scene. Even if police do attend, their interest is in helping the ambos to save lives, not to bust people for drug-related offences. If you really want to avoid grief with the law, make sure no-one dies: call an ambulance!
• If they don't respond, walk them around: If they aren't responding they need urgent help - trying to walk them around will just waste time.
• If you've had Narcan you're fine and can use again / Narcan will protect you so that you can have a whack immediately after: The Narcan will wear off in an hour or two and it's easy to drop again, even if you don't have more.
• If I'm on buprenorphine I can't OD: You can still OD even when you're on buprenorphine.
• Most ODs happen because the purity changes: Purity change can lead to OD, but most ODs are a result of polydrug use: alcohol/pills + smack = OD.
• Usually new users overdose: Some new users OD, but most people who OD have been using for years. This sometimes happens to users who are trying to stop using or who have been in prison or rehab. This is because tolerance levels change over very short periods of time - even in a couple of days. One of the most common OD scenarios is when people use even small amounts of heroin when they have been taking pills and booze.
• Suicide is the most common reason for ODs: Most ODs are accidental.
• Give them stimulants (caffeine/speed): The only drug that will help is Narcan.
• If they are snoring or gurgling they are OK: These sounds mean they are having trouble breathing - not OK.
• Once they are breathing again they'll be OK: Most people who OD lapse in and out of unconsciousness for some time.
• Stick ice cubes up their arse: Will give them a cold arse. If nothing more useful is done, soon their whole body will be cold.
• If I'm with friends I'll be okay: Your friends may be too out of it to help, or may not know what to do. Make sure they do know what to do!
• ODs happen quickly - you keel over 'Trainspotting' style: Some ODs happen quickly, but most people who fatally OD take a while to die - their breathing gradually slows and then stops.
• We've (partners) both got Hep C so there is no further risk to us: There are at least six genotypes, or strains, of hepatitis C, which means that you could still infect your partner with a different strain.
•  Cigarette filters are harmless to use as a filter: Safe filtering has to take account of the way in which filters are used, as well as their properties and materials. The Australian Drug Foundation (the ADF) and VIVAIDS have produced a useful guide to filtering for illicit drug use, which is available from the ADF website at http://druginfo.adf.org.au

Stereotypical user myths:

• People who inject drugs do so because of troubled childhood or family problems.
• All drug users resort to crime to feed their habit.
• All drug users are scumbags, deadshits, losers, irresponsible, bludgers etc.

Stereotypical user fact: 

 Most drug users are people who live in our community. They are our friends, brothers, sisters, children and parents. They are friendly, sad, happy people who shop and work alongside us. Most people who are not drug users treat people who are users in a discriminating and judgmental fashion because they fear the stereotype. Drug users who fit the above stereotypes account for less than 10% of the total - and even people who fit the stereotype respond very well to a bit of respect.

To end this subject. If you know someone who is attempting a drug overdose or has already tried, talk to them, see if you can talk them out of trying. Maybe that is what it will take. Just be there for them.

If your the one attempting an overdose or already tried, find someone to talk to and support you and help you change your mind about dying.

Or seek out medical or therapy treatment or even check yourself into a drug rehab.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Toxxic Lullaby

Cutting.

I know this is going to sound like I'm preaching. And even though I'm not a cutter. I want to get on the soap box about what i have seen about cutting and the very very negative effects it has. Though I have done research on this and do remember most of what I have read. Do not pass judgement on me just because 'I don't know what it's like to want to do it' or 'I don't know what your going through'. Truth is I probably have been through what you are going through. And that is why I want to help. I have quite a few people that I know that either are cutters or were cutters. I know it eases the pain for a short time. But in the end you can seriously hurt yourself by cutting and those that love you as well. I know most of you wont take the time to read all of this but I hope you will. And will take into consideration what is said in this blog. Some of the people that choose to cut to ease the pain are those of the LBGT [lesbian,bi,gay,transgender] community. I know it can be hard coming out to family and friends. God knows it was hard for me. But what helps instead of actually cutting is writing. I chose to write instead of doing anything that i would regret. That is when I became a published poet. It helped me tremendously. But anyways starting to stray from the topic. Most find it a way to cope with their aggression, depression, frustration, and the pain they feel. But it's not the healthiest way to cope. I know it may be hard to change your mindset. I want to point out the facts/myths in this post. As well as the symptoms to look for when you think someone is cutting but aren't sure of it. But instead of cutting find something positive to do in place of something negative.
Here are some myths/facts I found when researching to keep my facts straight:
Myth: People who cut and self-injure are trying to get attention.
Fact: The painful truth is that people who self-harm generally do so in secret. They aren’t trying to manipulate others or draw attention to themselves. In fact, shame and fear can make it very difficult to come forward and ask for help.
Myth: People who self-injure are crazy and/or dangerous.
Fact: It is true that many people who self-harm suffer from anxiety, depression, or a previous trauma—just like millions of others in the general population. Self-injury is how they cope. Slapping them with a “crazy” or “dangerous” label isn’t accurate or helpful.
Myth: People who self-injure want to die.
Fact: Self-injurers usually do not want to die. When they self-harm, they are not trying to kill themselves—they are trying to cope with their pain. In fact, self-injury may be a way of helping themselves go on living. However, in the long-term, people who self-injure have a much higher risk of suicide, which is why it’s so important to seek help.
Myth: If the wounds aren’t bad, it’s not that serious.
Fact: The severity of a person’s wounds has very little to do with how much he or she may be suffering. Don’t assume that because the wounds or injuries are minor, there’s nothing to worry about.
Some of the signs you can look for:
1. seeing them scratch at themselves till they bleed
2. covering up their arms or area they choose to cut
3. unexplained appearances of wounds or scars usually on the wrists,arms,thighs, or chest
4. blood stains on bedding, clothes, or towels.
5. sharp objects or instruments: such as razors, knives, needles, bottle caps, glass shards
6. frequent clumsy episodes
7. needing to be alone for long periods of time in the bedroom or bathroom
8. they isolate themselves and get angry easily
Here is some things you cutters may tell yourself:

• “It expresses emotional pain or feelings that I’m unable to put into words. It puts a punctuation mark on what I’m feeling on the inside!”
• “It’s a way to have control over my body because I can’t control anything else in my life.”
• “I usually feel like I have a black hole in the pit of my stomach, at least if I feel pain it’s better than feeling nothing.”
• “I feel relieved and less anxious after I cut. The emotional pain slowly slips away into the physical pain.” 

 I know most of what cutters claim it does isn't true. Most of the people I know that are cutters have told me it isn't worth it. I ask them why they still do it and those 3 quotes above are always what i get in response. Not always in the same words but pretty damn close.

Another thing I found that makes me understand why some choose not to stop cutting but what helps most stop cutting are as followed:

• Although self-harm and cutting can give you temporary relief, it comes at a cost. In the long term, it causes far more problems than it solves.
• The relief is short lived, and is quickly followed by other feelings like shame and guilt. Meanwhile, it keeps you from learning more effective strategies for feeling better.
• Keeping the secret from friends and family members is difficult and lonely.
• You can hurt yourself badly, even if you don’t mean to. It’s easy to misjudge the depth of a cut or end up with an infected wound.
• If you don’t learn other ways to deal with emotional pain, it puts you at risk for bigger problems down the line, including major depression, drug and alcohol addiction, and suicide.
• Self-harm can become addictive. It may start off as an impulse or something you do to feel more in control, but soon it feels like the cutting or self-harming is controlling you. It often turns into a compulsive behavior that seems impossible to stop.
• bottom line is that cutting doesn't help with the issue it just makes you want to hurt yourself in the first place.

Here are some things to do if you do cut and want to quit.!

If you cut to express pain and intense emotions:

• Paint, draw, or scribble on a big piece of paper with red ink or paint
• Express your feelings in a journal
• Compose a poem or song to say what you feel
• Write down any negative feelings and then rip the paper up
• Listen to music that expresses what you’re feeling

If you cut to calm and soothe yourself:

• Take a bath or hot shower
• Pet or cuddle with a dog or cat
• Wrap yourself in a warm blanket
• Massage your neck, hands, and feet
• Listen to calming music

If you cut because you feel disconnected and numb:

• Call a friend (you don’t have to talk about self-harm)
• Take a cold shower
• Hold an ice cube in the crook of your arm or leg
• Chew something with a very strong taste, like chili peppers, peppermint, or a grapefruit peel.
• Go online to a self-help website, chat room, or message board

If you cut to release tension or vent anger:

• Exercise vigorously—run, dance, jump rope, or hit a punching bag
• Punch a cushion or mattress or scream into your pillow
• Squeeze a stress ball or squish Play-Doh or clay
• Rip something up (sheets of paper, a magazine)
• Make some noise (play an instrument, bang on pots and pans)

 Helping a friend or family member who cuts or self-injures: Perhaps you’ve noticed suspicious injuries on someone close to you, or that person has confided to you that he or she is cutting. Whatever the case may be, you may be feeling unsure of yourself. What should you say? How can you help?

• Deal with your own feelings. You may feel shocked, confused, or even disgusted by self-harming behaviors—and guilty about admitting these feelings. Acknowledging your feelings is an important first step toward helping your loved one.
• Learn about the problem. The best way to overcome any discomfort or distaste you feel about self-harm is by learning about it. Understanding why your friend or family member is self-injuring can help you see the world from his or her eyes.
• Don’t judge. Avoid judgmental comments and criticism—they’ll only make things worse. The first two tips will go a long way in helping you with this. Remember, the self-harming person already feels ashamed and alone.
• Offer support, not ultimatums. It’s only natural to want to help, but threats, punishments, and ultimatums are counterproductive. Express your concern and let the person know that you’re available whenever he or she wants to talk or needs support.
• Encourage communication. Encourage your loved one to express whatever he or she is feeling, even if it’s something you might be uncomfortable with. If the person hasn’t told you about the self-harm, bring up the subject in a caring, non-confrontational way: “I’ve noticed injuries on your body, and I want to understand what you’re going through.” 

If your a cutter here are some things you can try to do:

• Tell somebody - a sibling, a friend, a parent or relative, anyone you can talk to. Overcoming your shame and admitting your problem is often the hardest part of getting help. 
• Identify what triggers your cutting behavior. This can be difficult to do on your own. You'll probably need a mental health counselor to help you. 
• Ask for help. Go to your parents, a medical professional, a school counselor, or any adult you trust and tell them you want to stop cutting. If the person you approach downplays your cutting, go ask another adult for help. 
• Stay with it. Breaking your cutting habit will not be easy. But with treatment, teens who cut themselves can and do successfully learn more healthy way to deal with stress ands negative emotions.

Thank you for taking your time to read this.,
Toxxic Lullaby