(NSFW) What's the longest you've ever gone without sex and how did you "cope"?

This isn’t the longest for me, but it certainly does feel like it. It has been 1 year, 2 months, and 17 days (but who’s counting?). Prior to that, it had been over 2 years and I don’t recall feeling the effects this strongly. Granted, I was younger and not as experienced and I was always busy with school and work so I hardly ever had any time to think about sex (or the lack thereof) this much. Now that I’m a bit older and have a little more time in my hands, I think about it a lot. It’s not just the sex itself, but having someone to come home to, talk to, cuddle with, hold on to at night, go out and do things with and, of course, be intimate. During the day, when I’m working and busy, it barely crosses my mind. But when I come home at the end of the night, and on my days off, I find myself daydreaming about being with someone.

I’ve never been into casual dating and I don’t go out to places where I could potentially meet a special someone, and the fact that I’m constantly moving doesn’t help much either.

Since I don’t foresee myself getting any action in the near future, what sorts of coping methods have worked for you during your “drier” periods?

Thanks in advance!