Good for you and congratulations.  Did you have physical withdrawal symptoms from your alcohol that made you believe you were going to die?  Did it last 7+ days?  If not, you may have to concede that your alcohol anecdotal experience is not transferable to opiate addiction.  One brain's addiction is not the same for others. One substance addiction may not work on the brain and body the same as another substance.   What worked for you is not necessarily true for others because of physical differences, level of addiction and psychological factors.  You do a more in-depth research of 12 Step abstinence programs utilized as a treatment regimen for severe addiction and you may stumble across the suggestion that they have at best 6% efficacy.  Translated = not that great or no different than placebo.

If you were employed; is it possible that you weren't as addicted as you believe?