The Complicated Life Of Kurt Cobain

He Took Heroin To Numb His Chronic Stomach Pain

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Cobain suffered from an undiagnosed chronic stomach condition, which might have been Crohn’s disease and/or IBS. He self-medicated with various drugs to get rid of the pain, including heroin. While he initially used the drug casually, by 1990 he was addicted. He wrote in a letter: “So after protein drinks, becoming a vegetarian, exercise, stopping smoking, and doctor after doctor I decided to relieve my pain with small doses of heroine[sic} for a walloping three whole weeks. It served as a band-aid for a while, but then the pain came back, so I quit.” Yet, the drug had a powerful hold on him.