The Way Out Recovery SCV is sharing true stories of those in recovery from right here in Santa Clarita, and recently partnered with a young woman who said she used alcohol to hide the fact that she was shy around people.

Now sober for four years, Angie looked back on the days when those around her — including her family — thought she was “the life of the party,” but she was really struggling with alcoholism.

“I thought they knew, because I usually got there (and) I was already drunk,” Angie recalled. “But now I know that they just thought it was my personality to be the life of the party, when in reality I’m actually very shy and the anxiety comes up… I think that’s why I hid behind alcohol.”  

Related: The Way Out Recovery SCV Officials Encourage Community Members To Talk About Addiction

Bob Sharits, program director at The Way Out Recovery SCV, noted that many people dealing with an alcohol addiction are actually self-medicating to mask a deeper issue.

“With somebody who is an alcoholic, alcohol is the solution,” Sharits explained. “My problem is not necessarily the alcohol, my problem is the life that I’m living, and I think that’s very common.”

While Angie reached a point where she knew she had a problem, she said she didn’t know what to do about it. She decided to stop by an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, but thought she was still going to be able to drink again someday.

After 10 months of sobriety, Angie relapsed. She blacked out, later finding herself in the passenger side of her car, not knowing how she had even gotten there.

“My family members shared with me that they thought I was going to die that night… they said it was disgusting to watch my behavior, and to get that feedback after having a good chunk of time (sober), 10 months, I knew that I belonged in this (12-step) program.”

It took going through the experience of relapsing for Angie to realize that she would never have the ability to control her drinking, and that she needed to commit to becoming completely sober and staying that way.

“I think some people have to have the experience that you had in order to understand the difference between somebody who can drink without consequences and somebody who has no control over it,” Sharits said, referring to what he calls a “successful relapse.”

It was this realization that Angie said allowed her to fully surrender herself to the recovery process.

“Surrender was my moment of clarity, because all those years I was fighting it,” she recalled. “I wanted recovery, because for me, I was facing not wanting to live, and that was very scary and it’s very true. I think about the (last) four years, I see how much I’ve come to love life now and how much the program has given me in sobriety, and I’m grateful.”

The Way Out Recovery SCV

28118 Bouquet Canyon Road

Santa Clarita, CA 91350

(661) 296-4444

The Way Out Recovery SCV – Santa Clarita

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Alcohol and Drug Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab, Drug Treatment, Outpatient Treatment, Santa Clarita Drug Issues, Santa Clarita Drug Treatment, Santa Clarita Rehab, Teen Drug Rehab, The Way Out Recovery SCV