Welcome! I find this site to be amazingly helpful -- even more so once you start writing as well as reading.
Your intro post may seem to be more for you than for us, but there's a reason I hang out in the newcomer's area a lot -- all the stories are very helpful to me as well as to the people who are writing them.
There are lots of people here, and your story is certain to resonate with many!
I wish you the best of luck with your recovery!
-Goat