The reason the spider is called a "recluse" is because it will do everything in it's power to avoid you. My college friends never even knew they had them in their garage - never saw them. The newspapers were stacked next to the garage bay door and I never gave the spider a chance to run and hide before I grabbed the stacks...that's why I got bit.
On the other hand, with as much beer as we were drinking in that hot weather - I'll bet that spider was in alcohol detox longer than I was in the hospital!