Here's the True Story Behind Freeform's "Single Drunk Female"

Released to Hulu on Jan. 20, Single Drunk Female is a Freeform dramedy filled with emotion, humour, and relatability. Based on a true story, it follows the character Samantha Fink (Sofia Black-D'Elia), a 28-year-old recovering alcoholic who works to stay sober while living with her judgmental mother and seeing her ex-best friend date her ex.

The story behind the show is just as emotional and meaningful. Here's who it's about and what elements are true.

Who is Single Drunk Female About?

Single Drunk Female is based on the life of Simone Finch, the show's creator and executive producer. She wrote the script about a decade ago while in the throes of alcohol abuse after her father's passing. "I started writing this in 2012 before I got sober, and I got sober, and I realised it was about a girl getting sober," Finch said in the show's Television Critics Association (TCA) panel. "I called it a living script as it sort of evolved as I got more sober."

Her writing mentor, who also struggled with alcohol abuse, read the draft and said it had potential. "He helped me a lot getting the draft into manageable shape where we could start taking it out. And we did," Finch told Entertainment Weekly. "For about two years, we tried doing a lot of things, and it didn't work. But I think I wasn't in acceptance of my alcoholism, and my writing reflected that." She said she continued to re-write the draft, then finished it after getting sober.

The True Story Behind Single Drunk Female

Many elements of Single Drunk Female are also a part of Finch's experience. "I started drinking at 15… There's certain aspects of [the show] — especially with the mom character, talking about the father — all that comes from a real place," she told The Huffington Post. Finch also noticed both she and her character Samantha romanticize alcohol even though she's seen how far from romantic it really is. "The last couple years of it were really not glamorous or fun. I think that, for a while, I thought drinking was this romantic thing. And I think Sam has that too," she added. "Then, you get into it, and it's actually a coping mechanism for all these other things. It's not romantic at all."

Finch went on to explain the show's adaptation wasn't sanitized in any way, which she's thankful for. "I'll just say, [episode eight of season one] is a really tough episode to watch," she said in that same interview. "We did it and I'm really grateful for that."

The creators' goal for the show was to portray how alcoholism can happen at any age. "I think that we don't often see stories of recovery told from a younger female perspective. And I think that it can affect anybody at any age at any time," the show's star Black-D'Elia said in an interview with E! News. "This is very specific to Simone, our creator's real life, and this is the age she was when she got sober."

Now that she's over seven years sober, Finch is thrilled she got to showcase a serious issue she struggled with, all in a humourous way. "I'm just excited that we got to make something about something that I really care about, which is addiction, but also making it really funny and really authentic," she said told Nerds That Geek. When asked what message she wants viewers to take from the show, Finch said, "No one is beyond help."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, you can go to aa.org or call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for support.