Why is self harming so addictive?

Self-harming can be addictive for various reasons. This depends on the motivation for harming in the first place. I know for my personal experience people often say that self harm makes the 'feel better'. This can be due to the pain causing a rush of endorphins being released into the body in response to the pain. Endorphins are a hormone associated with elevated mood and feelings of relaxation. One reason self harm can become addictive is that we crave that endorphin rush again and again.

Makes you think the pain goes away bc a chemical in your brain is released when you hurt physically.

Physical pain can relieve psychological pain, so when you know there is a way to suffer a little less, you tend to do whatever it takes to feel better, at the risk of becoming addicted to self harm because you'll always need more self harming to relieve new pain, over and over again.

Our attention diverts to the physical pain over the mental, and we find that it's easier to face physical pain. We find out hurting ourselves makes us feel better mentally, so we keep resorting back to that when we are sad because at low points we will do anything to feel alright.

Self harm is addictive because it temporarily stops you from focusing on the pain in your head. Instead you focus on the pain you're actually feeling. Causing some to feel relief so they want to do it more, but it won't do anything than cause more pain.

Self harm is so addictive because it's like drugs. When you do drugs, it's usaslly for a reason or an escape. This is the same reason people self harm. For an escape even if it only last for a few minutes. It's addictive because after that escape, you feel down again and the only way you know how to get an escape is to self harm.

There are a lot of factors, I believe. There's definitely the feeling you get from it, that release of endorphins. For some people, it could also be the look of the scars, seeing themselves bleed, etc. It really varies from person to person.

Self harm is so addictive because people try too hard to hide what they have inside and, in the moment they need to "kill that mosters" the only way they find is self harm, because for them it's really difficult to talk to someone about how they feel.

Because it can take over your entire being, every thought, every action. You can become entirely consumed with harming yourself. Some people harm to do it as a punishment to themselves, they need to be punished, they need to hurt, others do it because they need the control in their lives.

Personally for me I found self harm addictive because I found it more of a punishment and that I deserved to be hurting.