Loyola psychiatrist offers tips to cope with football withdrawal symptoms

When the football seasons with the final play of Sunday's Super Bowl, some fans may begin to feel withdrawal symptoms.

It's similar to quitting smoking, explained Loyola University Medical Center psychiatrist Angelos Halaris, MD, PhD: When a person engages in a pleasurable activity, such as watching a football game, a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) called dopamine is released in a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. When the pleasurable activity ends, the person is left with a feeling of depravation.

"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," Dr. Halaris said.

For hardcore fans, the feeling can be similar to post-holiday blues, Dr. Halaris said.

Dr. Halaris offers these tips for fans who suddenly have to face months without football:

-- 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," Dr. Halaris said.