Originally Posted by
SparkleKitty 
Learning to live without one's go-to coping mechanism for the first time is devastating. Do not underestimate this. It may be a long time before he figure out who he really is without it. And if he is truly committed to recovering, it's going to take all of his energy and focus to succeed.
I can only imagine how devastating it is and how he will be learning how to communicate with everyone in a new way again.