It sounds silly but becoming a werewolf was not always a curse or a punishment. In ancient Germany it was said that there were people who voluntarily became lycanthropes to possess their powers. They did it in a very curious way. They thought that if they put on a belt made of wolf fur and then went out at night on a full moon, they would become werewolves.
The truth is that many people believed that they became real wolves. It was psychological, but they were so convinced that they even attacked other people or livestock. It was also believed that the best way to take power away from werewolves was to throw a metal object at them. That would nullify the powers of the belt temporarily, causing them to become men again.