For Maddi Reese, the decision to get sober has been life-changing.

The Southern Hospitality star opened up to PEOPLE about her recovery journey, saying that choosing to give up alcohol and drugs is a decision she sill never regret.

“It saved me,” Reese, 26, says. “I look back at my life then and yeah, I don’t know where I would be had I not gotten sober. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’m super proud of the person I am today because of it.”

“I definitely have had my ups and downs with my sobriety, but right now I’m in a really, really, really strong place,” she adds. “I’m going on 10 years, which is so scary and crazy to me in a way because it went by so fast. But I can only hope the next 10 will be as seamless.”

Reese got sober in April 2014 when she was just 16. She previously explained in season 1 of Southern Hospitality that she started drinking alcohol when she was just 12 years old. She “had to switch to drugs,” she said, when her parents bought her a breathalyzer.

She made four attempts before finally getting sober. “One year sober today,” she wrote in an Instagram post on April 16, 2015, marking the occasion. “A lot has changed, couldn’t have done it without my family, friends, and God himself.”

Now, Reese is working as a VIP Manager at Republic, one of Charleston, South Carolina’s hottest nightclubs (and the setting for Southern Hospitality, Leva Bonaparte’s Southern Charm spinoff, now in its second season).

While it may be hard for some recovering addicts to maintain their sobriety in a party environment, Reese says she embraces “enthusiastic sobriety,” which allows her to be the life of the party at Republic without substance abuse.

Speaking about her recovery on television also helps. “I’m super open about it because I want that accountability,” she tells PEOPLE. “I don’t want to be drinking, I don’t want to be using — I know where that road leads me. So talking about it keeps me on that path.”

“Believe me, on a nightly basis at work, I’m much more worried about trying to navigate my anxiety than I am my sobriety,” Reese jokes. “It’s a lot of pressure, you know what I’m saying? And I’m always trying to figure out who I can trust, how to deal with the drama, stuff like that. That’s the real stress!”

She also notes that she’s heard from viewers that her sobriety has been “inspirational” to them. “So many people have been like, ‘I don’t want to drink anymore.’ And it’s so beautiful to see,” she says. “It really means the world to me, because my story is very unique, but it just shows me how much addiction affects everyone. We all have different stories, but the disease is what ties us together.”

It’s that service that means the most to Reese, she says.

“People always ask, ‘What it’s like, going through the program and meetings and steps and everything?’ And I feel it’s really about doing that work on yourself to be better, but also leaning on the people around you for strength. And that community, that’s the most rewarding part. Learning about others, giving back — that’s what fills my heart.”

Southern Hospitality airs Thursdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.