I have dealt with it by not denying it. Talk, meetings, sites like this, yoga, therapy and journaling. You got to work through the emotions. I think loosing a son or daughter to addiction might be harder than loosing a husband, but it is still horrible and painful no matter. Letting go of the hopes and dreams. Accepting the reality. TRYING to find the good in life. It has been 2.5 years since being abandoned by my addict husband. The pain comes in waves. Everytime he has hurt me or my son, I grow a little more and more detached. I am just now coming out of a 2-3 month long depression. He had really hurt my son this time, and I just was so angry and hurt. Currently, I am finding my smile again and feeling a little more like I could careless about him. I don't think about him as often. It is hard. Sometimes I wonder if the pain will ever go away. I feel like because this abandonment was so sudden, this was a death. He was my best friend for 16 years, and one day he was just gone. My son doesn't have a father. It is sad. Hang in there, and don't give up on feeling better once again.