WITHOUT these things, you can expect "hard withdrawal" (a near-depressive state) to last 2-4 weeks, and TOTAL withdrawal to last 3-12 months, depending on the depth of their emotional attachment.
Well, I was going to say a lot longer than 2 weeks. My STBXW moved out and filed for Divorce over a month ago, and she sent me two long emails obsessing on OM yesterday. Shaking my head.
It's pitiful.
When I say "2-4 weeks," I'm referring to hard withdrawal. Depression, not wanting to get out of bed, laying on the couch not communicating with the family, not eating, calling in sick to work, etc. And it's not "binary" -- it doesn't just suddenly end, and then you're neatly into "soft withdrawal." The symptoms will disappear over time, and there will still be horrible days, only less of them.
