SINGING IT SWEETLY –
April 23, 2025 – “It had come to an embarrassing point,” Hayes recalls to CBS News. “But I had a handle of vodka in my Honda Accord at all times. And it went in every beverage.”
Hayes ultimately quit drinking after he had an epiphany that one drink would someday be his last, one way or another. “I woke up, and physically, I’ve never felt like this before,” Hayes remembers. “It wasn’t even a hangover. It just felt like if I start again today and do this, I might die.”
Hayes admits he has almost relapsed multiple times. But thanks to Laney and his circle of friends, he is still sober, even after all these years.
“I’m not gonna lie, but there were many nights where I called my wife and I said, ‘Look, there’s a bar down at the hotel, there’s nobody there, and nobody would know,’” Hayes tells Rolling Stone. “There were many nights where I counted on my wife and friends to talk me through and say, ‘You will not regret it if you don’t have that drink. You will not regret it if you wake up tomorrow and don’t have that secret to keep.’”
