Luck saved sobriety for country star Walker Hayes — and offers a lesson
Country star Walker Hayes — whose song AA is tearing up the country charts at the moment and who is sober after years of alcohol abuse — would have gone back to drinking if not for a twist of fate during his darkest moment.
In an interview with Apple Music recounted by Everything Nash this week, Hayes, who lost his daughter Oakleigh during her birth, almost started drinking again in the wake of that tragedy.
But a forgotten wallet and a chance to see his family one more time before making a bad decision changed everything.
He told Apple:
“I was two years sober when we lost Oakley, and I drove to this bar to just self-destruct. I didn’t care if I killed someone, got killed, got arrested … and when I got to this bar, my wallet wasn’t in the door of my Honda.
“So I turned around and went home, and when I walked in the home, I remember I still had dirt on my shoe from burying Oakleigh.
“And I saw (his wife) Laney alone on the couch, the other kids were all playing together, and I was just broken. For once in my life I had no one to blame.”
That was a big turning point for Hayes, Everything Nash quotes him as saying.
“I just was so icky. I just felt so gross. I was like, ‘Man, I just left my best friend to go and focus on me. I just left my kids to focus on me.’
“But at the same time, they lost a sibling. She lost a daughter.’ All I could see was my own pain. And that frustrated me.
“Laney found me an AA meeting that night. I explained to her kind of what I was going through and she helped me find an AA meeting and it was amazing.”
Walker’s biggest ever hit — which is effectively playing on a loop on country radio at the moment — is called AA.
So what can we learn from this?
Just stop
Although we haven’t all exprienced the degree of tragedy that Hayes has — nothing could be more heart-wrenching than losing a child — his ability to walk away from alcohol at that pivotal moment offers a lesson.
If something bad has happened to you and you think having a drink is the only solution, just stop.
Stop what you’re doing.
Stop what you’re thinking.
Take a moment.
Then go for a walk.
Go for a country drive.
Hug your kids and ask them about their day.
Ask your spouse for help.
Do anything but take the drink and the craving will start to fade as it leaves the marquee spot in your consciousness.
As Walker Hayes discovered, even in the deepest depths of tragedy, you always have another choice.
Thank you so much for reading this post. I hope you found it inspiring and it encourages you on your own sober path. If you enjoyed it, please give it a clap or two so others can track it down!
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