The Tools of Recovery

  • Make attendance at meetings your first priority
  • Disclose what you do to mutilate and identify it as an addiction
  • Study 12 Step Literature (SMA’s and other programs’) to remind yourself of your powerlessness
  • Exercise regularly to relieve stress
  • Be aware of your triggers
  • Talk to another self-mutilator to short-circuit the behavior
  • Draw or write down your feelings: don’t take them out on yourself
  • Break out of your routine
  • Find a constructive outlet for your anger
  • Find a creative use for your free time
  • Use these tools to abstain from secondary mutilation behaviors, too