This is most definitely the place to come to when all those feelings surface. Though I abused the heck out of opiates, I never crossed the line into addiction, so was able to just stop..now withdrawals, no cravings, etc. However, I then discovered crack and it brought me to my knees.
I actually didn't join SR until 6 months later, but had been "lurking" for about a year, and just reading other people's stories was a lifesaver. However, once I joined and actually got involved, got to "know" people, I was amazed at how much a difference it made to have people to "talk" to when I was struggling.
I would venture to say, that no matter what you are withdrawing from, there's someone here that is going through it or has been through it and having that support is worth a million bucks. I spent hours and hours reading through old posts and was amazed to see "my story" over and over, even if the drug wasn't the same.
If you've never tried NA or AA, you may want to check them out. NA is for addicts, AA for alcoholics, but when I went, I actually "fit" better with AA, though I don't have a problem with alcohol. It's just an individual thing...I'm older, there were more people with a lot more time in sobriety and no one cared that I was an addict, I just didn't talk about drugs...I just said "thinking about picking up" when I shared, and though I knew I was talking about dope, it wasn't obvious. Most people knew I was an addict, and when new people (especially the young ones) would come in with addiction problems, the old-timers would steer them to me and I would talk to them before/after meetings about drug-specific problems that we couldn't mention in the meetings. AA also had a lot more meetings, a TON of activities - parties, dinners, dances, things like that. Just something to think about.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy