Recovered: Interviews with Alcoholics: Savannah AskinRecovered: Interviews with Alcoholics: Savannah Askin
The Magdalen House Podcast
Savannah Askin shares how early drinking, repeated relapses, and near-death experiences led her to The Magdalen House, where she learned about alcoholism as a disease and embraced the 12 Steps. She talks about finding freedom through education, amends, and ongoing service to other women in recovery.
40:59•3 Jun 2026
From Flatlining to Freedom: Savannah Askin’s Journey with Alcoholism and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Alcoholism is described as both a physical allergy and a mental obsession, helping separate shame from the disease itself.
- Education about what it really means to be an alcoholic gave Savannah clarity and a starting point for genuine recovery.
- Working the 12 Steps thoroughly, including making amends, played a central role in lifting her mental obsession to drink.
- Community, sponsorship, and ongoing service are presented as crucial for staying "out of self" and maintaining recovery.
- The Magdalen House model of alcoholics helping alcoholics offers long-term support beyond an initial residential stay.
“I'm not a bad person. I am just sick.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation with Savannah Askin offers one that’s raw, honest, and strangely comforting for anyone who feels stuck in the cycle of drinking, stopping, and starting again. Savannah shares how her first drink at 13 quickly turned into years of chaos: blackouts, jail, dropping out of school, and even flatlining twice.
She describes thinking she was just a "bad person" who couldn’t get it together, especially when even probation, rehab, and Al-Anon couldn’t keep her sober. Her turning point came when she reached The Magdalen House, still planning to "come out and hide it better," only to be stopped in her tracks by something she’d never had before: clear education on alcoholism. Hearing about the physical "allergy" and the mental obsession of alcoholism, Savannah says, "I'm not a bad person.
I am just sick." That shift – from shame to understanding – gave her the hope to dive into the 12 Steps, find a sponsor, and build a spiritual foundation. She talks about working the steps "like my butt was on fire," the terror and freedom of making amends, and the day she realised, while driving, "I haven't thought about alcohol today...
I think this is working." The episode also highlights the peer-led structure at The Magdalen House and the power of community. Savannah explains how sponsoring other women and volunteering keeps her "out of self" and how service has become "the number one thing" that keeps her recovered. It’s a candid, down-to-earth conversation aimed at alcoholic women, their families, and anyone curious about what real 12-Step-based recovery can look like.
If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s a way out of that hopeless loop, this story might get you asking what recovery could look like for you too.
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