Hanala blacked out driving on the 405 after taking the photo on the left. She has now been sober 37 years and still amazed that she is still alive after waking up behind the steering wheel, in the left hand lane, going 60 MPH.
HUGE @recoveryinc shoutout to Hanala she is a true star of sobriety.
You can take a look at Hanala's Instagram here @
hanalasagal
A few days ago Hanala shared with me about how she got all fucked up one night and was blacked out driving down the 405 through LA. Needles to say I was intrigued, I needed to know more! What I found was an amazing Californian Performer, Screenwriter, Comedy Content Creator, aerobics/yoga instructor, who is putting of celebrity vibes, living her best life!
This Is Her Quick Story
I walked into my first 12-step meeting on December 28th, 1982. It was in West Hollywood, I was 26 years old, hooked on Cocaine, vodka and Quaaludes. Just to put things into perspective The Suicide Prevention Hotline had begun hanging up on me whenever I would call. I had no friends left and my husband, who I lived through, was threatening to leave me.
As an agoraphobic, on her way to her first AA meeting, I wondered if I should maybe drink, you know just to take the edge off and help me merge in traffic. I decided it was inappropriate, especially considering I had just gotten drunk and knocked over a Christmas tree at a Beverly Hills A.A. event. And no, I was not aware that it was an Alcoholic's Anonymous event when I accepted the invitation.
As a codependent, it was a vital that I keep the relationship alive, although I had no belief I could stay sober. Who would scrape me off the ceiling? I was born into this world nervous and growing up, my mother scared me making me even more nervous. I spent my life just trying to calm down.
Much to my surprise, the leader at the meeting said you had to have 24 hours of continuous sobriety in order to share at group level. I really wanted to share and let people know who I was before I wasn't anymore. I stayed sober that night, despite the pain of my fingernails digging into my palms.
By luck or by miracle or by hard work, I never drank again. Instead, I turned myself over to this group of 12-stepping, Big Book thumping, sober maniacs who seemed to run on nicotine, caffeine and honesty. I saw women celebrating years of sobriety when I couldn't even get minutes. My parents survived the Holocaust by finding a group of survivors. I had found my group. And to keep me off the ceiling, I became an aerobics instructor, one crunch at a time.
You can find out more about this amazing woman at her website hanalasagal.com
