There is one key nugget we slowly learn in recovery: Feelings pass. Good emotions -- laughter, excitement, anticipation -- slip slowly. The hard ones slam us to the matt and are so pressing they seem they will never ease.
But. They. Do.
For me, some days are so hard that I have to slip back to a single purpose: I will not drink or smoke today, no matter what.
And when that hard day is over, if I don't drink or drug, the perspective of a new day casts softer light on every situation.
Pack the box, help carry it to the car, cry, give him a hug. Then close the door and scream and kick and throw things. Or just sit and stew remembering no matter how hard this sucks or hurts or seems unbearable, it will pass.