Surviving Football Withdrawal
Is the end of football season a danger to the health of millions of fans? Well, maybe not a danger that will drive you to your doctor, but it might just cause some very real symptoms like sadness and anxiety.
Post-Super Bowl blues are similar to the post-holiday blues. It can be compared to feelings of what a smoker goes through when quitting cold turkey.
When the football season is over and there’s no other game on the schedule for months, you’re stuck, so you go through withdrawal.
When you derive pleasure from an activity such as watching football, celebrating the holidays or smoking cigarettes, dopamine is released in your brain. When the activity is suddenly cut off, you feel deprived.
Here are some tips for hardcore fans who suddenly have to face months without the NFL:
- Don’t go cold turkey. Watch football on YouTube, or on recordings, in gradually diminishing amounts.
- Share your feelings of withdrawal and letdown with a friend or spouse.
- While it can be unpleasant, football withdrawal is not serious enough to require antidepressants or other medications. And do not self medicate with drugs or alcohol.
- Most important, buck up. You’re just going to have to basically tough it out until football starts up again.
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