I'm so glad that it's normal.
I did have emotional break-downs like this when I was drinking but I didn't have the happy, really really "up" times or the happy, light and free feeling times. So at least I have the joyful ups along with the crazy downs.
Another thing that is different from when I was drinking is that the emotional break-down before would always come as a result of something stupid I had done, either because of alcohol or not helped at all by my using alcohol or coping with alcohol while I was doing it. I don't think I'm making sense so let me give a hypothetical example. Say I had a big project at work and instead of preparing for it I left work early for happy hour and then stayed out all night drinking. (Okay so this is not a hypothetical after all now that I think about it, it's a true example that has happened a lot.) Then the next day I was all hungover and couldn't concentrate on the project and even though it almost ALWAYS happened that I did just fine on the project and people who knew I was drinking the night before or even co-workers who were drinking with me would joke or maybe seriously say that it's good that I drank the night before because it took away my nerves and helped me relax etc. Which is probably true. But I would know deep down that I could do better than I did, and that at least with the big project looming I had done some preparation in advance and tried my best at the moment of the project, but overall I never focused at work and was too busy being hungover or drunk, so, I would start to get down on myself and worry about my career and think of leaving my career for something more fulfilling that I could focus on etc... and I would get all emotional and have mini-break-downs where I would have to close my door at work and cry and call my sister and cry etc.
Well there was obviously some reason for those, I knew what it was but I didn't really know how to fix it. So now I feel kind of the opposite... there is no reason for this emotional state or outburst, except maybe that I am fixing the problem, which feels really daunting and over-whelming and scary at times. The work project example from above was just one aspect of things I would do to cause my life to spin out of control and to become emotional about-- it also happened in my relationships, friendships, physical health, everything. I think I am realizing that alcohol is the common denominator here. I was doing work to fix everything else but it was only when I looked at the alcohol issue that I was like, wow, this is the big problem that is so hard to fix.
I am not sure if I need meds to help me through this or not. I hope and I kind of feel in my gut that like Anna says my anxiety and depression will go away or decrease once I've had more time sober. Here's the strange thing: I feel a lot less (almost no) depression, but a lot more anxiety. I think because I am realizing this is out of my control and that is very hard for me to deal with. I hope as I accept it and deal with it the anxiety lessons. If not I am not opposed to meds or anything that will help me get happy. I just want to be happy. :-) Most of the time I feel like I'm on my way there, but boy today has been a rollercoaster.