Country Singer Walker Hayes Celebrates 8 Years Sober: ‘There’s Freedom’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Country artist Walker Hayes is celebrating eight years of sobriety after his alcohol addiction nearly killed him.
“I’m eight years sober, and I want to share that as much as I can. I think most recovering alcoholics feel the same way, you know. Sobriety is so amazing that you love to pass it along. It’s a great option we have in life. And there’s freedom from addiction,” Hayes said.
The singer said that at age 36, he realized that if he kept drinking, he could die.
“I was working a night job at Costco stocking produce and playing shows at night…Life was just wild, it was a lot on my body, and I just woke up on a Saturday and I just knew if I did this one more day my body would be affected,” he said. “Some organ—you know, look, I’m not a scientist. I’m not a doctor. I just woke up and it felt like if I do it one more day I might die.”
He decided to give up alcohol, taking it one day at a time. He has now been sober for eight years.
“Sobriety—[when] you’ve been drunk that long…you get addicted to…the clarity, the pep in your step. You go to the gym and you’re like, ‘I feel like I’m 17,’” he said of sobriety.
Hayes released a new EP this year titled “Sober Thoughts,” which focuses on struggle and sobriety.
“It is kind of a collection of songs about that, you know, my recovery…One song is called ‘Same Drunk.’ And the hook is just ‘Same drunk, different beer.’ And it really just calls out all of our coping mechanisms that we have,” he told TODAY.
“Same Drunk,” Country Now reported, “is a catchy tune that highlights the reality that everyone has their own vices to deal with in their everyday lives. Even though the addictions or battles may be different for each person, Hayes argues that that is reason enough for everyone to stick together and help each other overcome their demons.”
In the midst of his sobriety journey, Hayes also found his faith. Movieguide® reported:
“Faith has taken me by surprise. But it is overwhelming. How well it just fits [with] what I do,” Hayes told 25 News Now.
The country star also wants to share that faith with his audience.
“I don’t think there’s anything [more] worth sharing than what Jesus has done with me and the redemption I’ve experienced here on earth and will continue to experience from knowing Him,” he told Taste of Country. “That’s it. That’s why I wanna share my story.”
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