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

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

The story behind the show is just as meaningful. Read on to learn who it's about and what elements of the show are true.

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 realized it was about a girl getting sober," Finch said during 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 rewrite the draft and finished it after getting sober.

Many elements of Single Drunk Female are also 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 noted that she, like Samantha, romanticized 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 said. "Then, you get into it, and it's actually a coping mechanism for all these other things. It's not romantic at all."

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

The show's goal is 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," 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 more than seven years sober, Finch is thrilled she gets to showcase something she struggled with — in a humorous 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 told Nerds That Geek. When asked what she wants viewers to take away 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.