I think you're getting a lot of good advice here. The idea that the most of the rest of the world is more dangerous than the US is factually inaccurate.
I have basically the same degrees as you. After getting my BA in English, I spent 5 years teaching in Taiwan. Then I got an MA in ESL, and spent 1 year teaching in China. I now work at a US university. Taiwan and China were both WAY safer than America. I also had some folks (mostly relatives who had never left the country) tell me how much people in China would hate Americans, but that was absolutely untrue. The vast majority of people I met in China have very pro-America feelings (based largely on Hollywood mythology, granted) and are very welcoming and curious.
Taiwan is a great "first" place to go (in my opinion). Finding a job there is easy, people are really nice, and the standard of living is very modern. From 1999-2004, I had a nice 2 bedroom apartment w/ AC, high-speed internet, etc., for ~$275 per month. I made ~$20 an hour, working ~25 hours a week. Taiwan is also a great place from which to travel -- close to China, Japan, SE Asia, etc.
And I'm not familiar with Asbergers, but I have experience with addiction, depression and anxiety. Getting a handle on that sort of stuff is absolutely the first step.
I used to think that the road to happiness was getting outside circumstances to line up the way that I wanted. Now I believe that happiness is an inside job.