Natural endorphine addiction

I would like your opinions on this matter please so help me a little bit. It's a theory a friend of mind came up with and I need to somehow authenticate it.

I have a badly damaged knee (an accident which happened 5 years ago) because of which I have recurring episodes of moderate-severe pain and then days without pain. It was damaged in an accident and multiple doctors have tried and failed to fix the problems through both medication and surgery.

I'm definitely not addicted to pain killers because I go through days bearing moderate-severe pain in my knee. The problem with me occurs when I don't have pain. During those days, I become edgy, frustrated and irritable and look for ways to be hurt either physically or mentally. My mind draws up vivid images of pain, trauma, accidents. In this emotional state, I become confrontational and start looking for excuses to have fights. Sometimes I create fights where I take out my anger by punching walls, or doors or anything else. There was one time when I stabbed myself in the chest (not too deep) and felt relaxed immediately afterwards.

I told my friend this yesterday (and she's a bio-genetic engineering graduate) and she theorised that perhaps my body has become addicted to its own naturally produced endorphines and that when there is no real pain, then your mind tries to create situations where it is able to compensate for the missing endorphines in the body.

Can she be right? Is an addiction of this nature possible? I can't seem to find help anywhere on this subject. Any advice, links to information anything will be helpful.

Please help.

[No name22]

You are an addict, youo sound like a friend of mine oh I twisted my ankle I need a oxy, haha she's been saying that for 2 yrs. literally. When you want pills you'll make up any excuse to take them and not even know it....Not only that, but it sounds like when you're not in pain and don't take the pills, like you're having w/d symptoms...

[notmenow!]

You might find more helpfull information in the many other Forums her at MedHelp.Check it out just click on Forums.

[Savas]

Ummm... I think it doesn't work that way. My understanding of the flight/fight system which pumps you full of endorphins is if you overextend yourself for a long period of time in the state over and over, you can do damage that will cause an excess of endorphin production. That's not an addiction...I'd call it more a psychologically based neurochemical problem. The effects are disturbingly similar to withdrawal, but not quite the same, mind you. It is a different thing.

I don't know how many pain killer's your taking daily, so I can't even comment on that part...otherwise,you can get an endorphin rush without violence, by the way. So whatever's causing you to do this, would come from an emotional/psych issue.