I was seconds from death after drinking 10 bottles of wine a day, but no one knew what I was going through

A MILITARY veteran has revealed that behind her shallow social media page, she was a “barely functioning” alcoholic who drank about 10 bottles of wine a day.

Alysia Magen, a United States Air Force veteran, said that although she posted on Instagram to portray an idyllic life, she actually “killed herself” by drinking copious amounts of wine and spirits.

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The 33-year-old explained that she would drink most of the day to deal with the pain of past relationships.

Magen told The US Sun: “The tough girl was gone – I didn’t know who I was at the time.

“I didn’t know I was an alcoholic – I thought it was just something to manage anxiety. I woke up in the morning shaking from rehab,” Magen continued.

She explained that she thought she would initially only use the alcohol to help manage panic attacks, only to later find out that it was meant to help with withdrawal instead.

“I was so mentally ill and I could see that I was in pain and wasn’t there. I felt like a fraud and a fake for living a lie for so long.”

“During that time, I wasn’t the person I am at all. I was even afraid to go outside and meet people. Sometimes I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror,” confessed Magen.

Ultimately, Magen said she realized she was abusing alcohol to block trauma from abusive relationships — and it started a long time ago.

She revealed her drinking began while in the military and only got worse after she was demoted for posting a salacious picture of herself on Instagram next to another of her in a military uniform.

Her charge was what is known as Article 15.

Magen claimed she was ostracized afterward and spent her final six months in the military in “painful isolation.”

After being demobilized in 2017, Alysia threw herself into social media full-time, which included unconventional hours and lots of partying.

This caused her drinking to escalate before spiraling out of control over the next four years.

During that time, she said she had a series of violent and abusive relationships with former partners.

Alysia explained that during this time she used cocaine and other drugs, including opioids, in addition to drinking.

near death experience

She once overdosed while her ex-boyfriend was driving – which prompted him to take her to the emergency room.

“The doctors said if I had been 10 seconds later I would have died,” she explained.

“I was literally seconds from death, but I didn’t care. I had lost all interest in life.

“Dealing with all that pain and trauma makes you want to get high to numb the pain,” she continued.

“It’s a vicious cycle and I knew I had to change, but it’s tough when you’re constantly being withdrawn.”

In March of this year, as time passed and Alysia became increasingly ill, she realized that something had to change.

After a difficult stint at a Veterans Affairs-funded rehab center, she decided to spend $10,000 to check into a private facility.

This allowed her to quit drinking, leaving her then-partner and putting her on the road to recovery.

Recover and resurface

And weeks after her sobriety, she received a call asking if she would fight model and influencer Blac Chyna in a celebrity match in June.

She took the chance and despite a tie, Magen slapped Rob Kardashian’s ex on the back during the fight, saying training for it “kept her on the road to recovery.”

“I’m born again in six months,” she said.

“I was seconds from death, in an abusive relationship and addicted to alcohol.”

“I didn’t think I needed help because I was in the military and had this attitude like ‘nothing concerns me.’

“I didn’t go through all of those things to keep the story inside,” she said.

“So get the support and help you need because nobody deserves to be abused by the people who are supposed to love them.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues addressed in this story, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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