I think if you feel like you need it, then it reflects your need. So-you truly DO need it.

Of course we can survive without it. We can also survive without food for say, 30 days. Sleep without 4 days. Water for 3 days, etc. That doesn't mean we don't need it. And what in the world could the ER do for this kind of need? Nothing. This isn't to say that every need one has should be fulfilled. We aren't entitled in that sense. But it's perfectly ok to have them and express them and ask for things.

Having needs was unacceptable to me based on how my mother reacted to them. It got ingrained into my superego that needs were bad; unacceptable. Met with scorn and rejection. And back then, it was a survival instinct, later experienced in therapy as the memories surface. That sort of thing stays with a person.