I conquered a reliance on opioids by using orgasms to control chronic pain

• Since I've been 14 years old I've been chronically ill and in constant pain.
• I was prescribed codeine and tramadol to manage the pain, and I couldn't go a day without them.

Chronic pain has been my daily companion for more than half my life.

It started at age 14, and the pain still thrives 16 years later. Within a few months, I could no longer remember what it felt to not be in pain.

A constant ache lived in my lower back, my joints stung with the slightest movement, and stabbing pains shot through every limb, rib and vertebrae up to 100 times a day. It interfered with everything from sleep and food to studying and socializing. I sleep-walked through daily life, unable to escape chronic pain's grasp.

I also experienced extreme chronic fatigue, chronic insomnia, and my mental health plummeted.

"Outside of the pain itself, the main effects of long-term chronic pain on the body include fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, reduced mobility, depression, and anxiety," added Dr Crystal Wyllie, an online doctor for ASDA and general practitioner.

Clueless about the source, a doctor prescribed codeine, promising it would alleviate the worst of the pain. I could refill the prescription anytime I liked. I developed a reliance on drugs and could not survive a day without dosing myself with codeine or tramadol.

I was taking 15 pills a day

Starting out on two pills a day, I built up a tolerance, popping up to 15 tablets a day at the peak of my addiction. The pills clouded my judgment, but at least I could function somewhat normally. When my tolerance made codeine significantly less effective, a consultant prescribed tramadol instead. Once again, I developed an addiction to it.

One day, aged 21, I ran out of pills, and the crushing impact of the returning pain felt like it would stop my heart. I curled up on my bedroom floor and wept; my crutch had become a toxic lifeline.

I still did not have a diagnosis, and opiates were shielding me from the reality of the situation; my pain was not better. I quit cold turkey that day.

The withdrawal was brutal. My whole body ached with the desire to get high, and I morphed into an irritable mess of a person. But I survived.

Orgasms helped me manage my diagnosis

Two months later, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and joint hypermobility syndrome. After researching coping mechanisms for fibromyalgia, I started using weed to ease the symptoms; however, this was an imperfect system too. I essentially replaced one addiction with another.

I still didn't have a full picture of my chronic health issues, and I used weed to suppress the frustration and numb the sharp edge of pain. A couple of years later, I discovered the real secret to managing chronic pain: orgasms.

After an intense session with an ex, I basked in the afterglow of orgasm and realized that, for the first time in 10 years, my body wasn't in any pain. It didn't last long, but the experience forged an obsession with achieving painlessness again.

"Research suggests that sexual activity and orgasms can provide some temporary pain relief," Wyllie said. "One study from 2013 published in the journal Sage showed that sexual activity could lead to partial or complete relief of headaches in some migraine patients."

Pain relieve orgasms are different than sexual pleasure ones

Since my accidental discovery, I have curated a system that minimizes my daily pain levels — namely, with morning and evening orgasms to reduce overall intensity — and separates sexual pleasure from pain management.

I approach pain relief orgasms completely differently. If I am struggling with a pain flare, I put on soothing music and focus on just the physical sensation by excluding sexual fantasies from "treatment." I adopted this approach when I became unable to enjoy partnered sex because I kept chasing painlessness instead of connection.

While orgasms have been the key to unlocking my reliance on opiates and play a central role in managing my day-to-day pain, it is not my only coping mechanism, nor should it be anyone's only medicine.

"Orgasms or sexual activity shouldn't be considered the sole or primary method for managing chronic pain," Wyllie said. "Chronic pain can have complex causes, and relying solely on orgasms as a pain management tool may not address the underlying issues or provide sustained relief. Pain management is often multifaceted and requires a comprehensive approach."

I use a combination of daily physiotherapy, meditation, and orgasms to manage my pain. It is the perfect coping mechanism cocktail.

As I approach 30, I finally have a full diagnosis of all the conditions inflicting chronic pain on my body, which include endometriosis, fibromyalgia, joint hypermobility syndrome, and irritable bowel disease.

After each diagnosis, consultants offered opiates to manage the pain and my old addiction nearly fell for it each time, but I resisted. Orgasms are the foundation of my approach to dealing with chronic pain and I will never use opioids again.