Startups are hard work, but infinitely more rewarding than BigCo. If you burn out, it will be on the work and not the politics (if you choose carefully).

But this post is a lot like the myriad "I am just getting out of a shitty marriage... Can I ever love again?" posts on the internet.

Of course you can. Job security for a programmer is a ridiculous thing to be concerned about (assuming you're in a startup/software hub). You can fall out of bed and land in three recruiters. You will never miss a meal.

That means you have infinite freedom compared to most other folks. So start interviewing! Don't interview at places that suck. Have drinks with folks at 6pm to see how many people are still in the office. Different companies drink deeper of the workahol than others.

And re: your judgement of YC companies. I know stereotypes are a real time saver, but why would you judge 400ish companies by the actions of a few? YC invests in a pretty wide range of folks.