(((Ttal))) - I went to meetings when I was abusing opiates. I later developed my crack addiction (has nothing to do with the meetings..I just wasn't ready to deal with life) which brought me to my knees.
I don't go to meetings, now, but I use what I learned there. I do have a strong faith in HP (mine is God, yours can be whatever you choose). For me, I have to believe there is someone I can hand things over to, that cares about me enough to let me struggle, learn my lessons, and move forward.
I use SR as my main support, and have made many friends here who I am constantly in touch with. As my recovery has progressed, I made my own "recovery path". It may not work for anyone else on this earth, but it works for me. I don't believe there is any ONE way to recover for everyone. Some people use a little bit of this, a little bit of that (AA, SMART, counseling, etc.)
I agree with ((FT)) that you may want to see a dr. A lot of us "self-medicated" for mental/medical issues and when we're no longer using, it all comes back, along with whatever feelings we have about having been using.
I didn't have withdrawals, PAWS, because crack is purely a mental addiction. I can say, however, it was quite a while before I felt "normal" and even then, "normal" changed. I'd been abusing something or other and in codependent relationships for decades...I didn't even know what normal WAS. It took time to learn who I was again.
Hugs and prayers,
Amy