Is it normal to grieve for a pet this much?
A few months ago my dog died, and I immediately fell into this darkness. At first, my whole family was going through the same thing, and we grieved together. Now, however, my family seems to have gotten over it, and are ready to accept his death. I feel like I have too, but sometimes in the middle of the night pangs will come at me again and it's as if it had only just happened.
I feel as though I'm stuck somewhere, not quite sure how to get out of this hole that I've fallen into. I'm permanently shifting between horrible sadness, insecurity, and numbness. I've started drinking too much every time I go out, and frequently feel like giving everything up and running away. Sometimes I stare at myself in the mirror and I wonder when I got so sad.
Recently, I met someone who I thought I might like, but this sadness took me over and made me feel so insecure that I hid my feelings completely. I'm terrified of being vulnerable to someone else, open to potential pain when I'm already feeling so much.
I feel as though it will never end, and I don't know if I believe that it ever will. I feel as though I've lost myself completely. I just find myself thinking about death.
I got my dog when I was young, grew up with him as my best friend, and he died just after I left home for college. I loved him so much, but is it normal to grieve this much for a pet, or is something else going on?