No. I no longer engage in any practices or behaviours that are harmful to my physical body for one reason only: I no longer need to.
Like many young women, I used to cut myself as an alternative to doing something worse, as an emotional release, to exersize autonomy, and to prove to myself that I was alive. I no longer do this, have not done it for years, and have successfully replaced the blade with the pen. Writing gives me the power, expression, and life-affirmation that I was sadly lacking in my past. If you cut yourself, know that you can stop just as I did. If you know someone who cuts her or himself, please encourage them not to be ashamed, and assist them in identifying why they feel the need to mark themselves and how they can channel those very valid needs into another outlet.
As the book discloses on the very first page, I did indeed attempt to take my own life, more than once. I am not in danger now, and I hope that my story will be used not as an example of a person who tried to commit suicide, but rather as an example of a suicidal person who survived.
I regret neither my journeys nor my battles as they have enabled me to both understand and assist others who are still fighting.
Emilie Autumn, FAQ