Birth control – the addiction no one talks about

Authors note from sexyariesfairy: This post was edited and updated on March 21st, 2023.

I didn’t know what birth control was until about seventeen when I saw my best friend pop her little pink pill at lunch one day. I stared in confusion until my best friend informed me that it was her birth control pill, how she just started taking it, and how she was so excited about the benefits. She started listing the pros and the cons but focused heavily on the pros the pill would provide. Now as someone who had painful and heavy periods, I was heavily intrigued by what a little pink pill could do for me too. I remember going home that day and having that awkward and somewhat intrusive conversation with my mom. I made it clear to her that I purely wanted it for my period and the ‘million’ other benefits – not because I was having sex (you know how parents are sometimes).  

She helped me schedule the appointment and two weeks later, I was the proud taker of Hailey 24 Fe. I heard a lot of stories from other people who take the pill daily along with online articles – their acne got worse, they gained weight, their breasts grew three cup sizes, they developed allergies, their sleep schedule became messed up, and so much more. However, I feel personally lucky to say, I got lucky. My acne actually subsided, I didn’t develop any new allergies or life habits and didn’t gain any weight or breasts (even though it would’ve been nice). I started birth control in May of 2021 and by May of 2022, I was emotionally over it. However, I read my research and read many articles about what may happen to you when you stop taking and why you shouldn’t stop taking birth control… and it scared the shit out of me. I found that a simple, small pill that was supposed to help lighten period symptoms, can also easily be seen as a “safe sex whenever” pill. These articles made it seem like a drug you can’t escape from (for several different reasons).

I figured because my effects on birth control weren’t bad, my effects off birth control wouldn’t be bad either, but I’m scared. If I haven’t taken a pill in a couple days, I feel like I need to soon. I feel like I can’t fully break free from birth control. I stare at my pack on my nightstand every day and even though I “quit”, sometimes I still take a pill because I’m truly scared of what will happen if I fully quit or throw the pack away. I think partially it’s so hard to break away from because they are hormones, so they mess with your body and mind. However, I also think it’s due in part to society. Society tells young girls these days that they need to participate in some sort of birth control. No longer are condoms suitable birth control for women, almost every female friend I know these days either take the pill, has an IUD, or an arm implant. Along with most of my female friends utilizing some sort of birth control, most are utilizing it for safe sex over period regulation. Why is it up to women for safe sex? I asked my friends their thoughts and they said it’s because they can’t trust the men to be safe. Why does society place pressure for safe sex on women? And if eventually, women get pregnant or have an STD, it’s on them for not checking with their partners or taking the precautionary steps. Birth control is a drug that women are addicted to because society tells them if they go cold turkey, they will get pregnant or have an ugly body or ugly skin. Society places so much pressure on women to pick a form of birth control and stick to it; no matter how much it negatively affects them.