Emotional Readjustment

Although chemical in nature, a long and intense relationship is ending. For many of us it was the most dependable relationship we’d ever known. If our fix was bummed or borrowed, we may not have liked the flavors accompanying it, the time needed to produce the desired effect or the degree of control over the precise amount that arrived in our brain.

But never once did nicotine let us down. Once inside our bloodstream, within seconds we experienced replenishment: arrival of nicotine’s high and a stimulated dopamine “aaah.” But now that’s all behind us. It’s over, finished, done. And as with ending any long-term relationship we must navigate the sense of loss emotions flowing from it. Denial, anger, bargaining and depression, each emotion overcome brings us closer to acceptance, the finish line marking completion of emotional recovery.